In early 2025, Communications Director Andrew and I interviewed Amira* regarding her life in the Middle East and her conversion from Islam to Christianity.
*Name changed for security reasons.
Rebecca: Share with us how you came to know Jesus. How did you hear about Christianity, and how did it affect you?
Amira: I was raised in a Muslim home. When I was 16, I visited my cousin in a different city. He was playing the radio in his bedroom. Listening outside the door, I heard a voice say that God loves you even if you are a boy or a girl, bad or good. It was the first time I had heard about a loving God in general, let alone that He loves me as a woman.
“Who loves me?” I asked my cousin as I opened the door. He answered, “Jesus Christ.” Then he explained salvation, how Jesus came to love me and died on the cross to save me, despite the fact that I was a girl.
This shocked me. Who could love girls? I told my cousin, “I want to know this One who loves me.” He replied, “Okay, I will give you information about Jesus, but first, you should know about Him from Islam.” I read many verses about Jesus in the Islamic book he gave me, things I had never before noticed.
Andrew: Why were you shocked that God could love a girl?
Amira: I grew up living in fear. I was afraid of Allah and did not understand how he could be loving, especially to women in particular. Women have no place in Islam. Allah created her for men, for her husband to enjoy. Islam allows men to beat women, and according to the Koran, my voice as a woman is equal to that of a donkey or a pig. In a court of law in my native Muslim country, a woman’s witness has no value. Islam even teaches that women are the main reason why most people are in Hell. Mistakes and disasters are the fault of women. Women are nothing.
After reading the Islamic books, I tried to become a more devout Muslim. I called on Allah, saying, “Please, if you can hear me, tell me. I want to hear you.” There was only silence. I prayed even more, thinking the problem must be with me and not him. But I still was not hearing or feeling anything. I cried and felt like I was living a lie, a big deception.
Andrew: Is that because you weren’t hearing anything?
Amira: Yes. When I tried to be obedient, I felt no response. I found nothing.
Rebecca: How did you hear about Jesus again?
Amira: I was studying in college and had a Christian friend. I asked her questions, but she was nervous about answering me. She introduced me to another Christian girl, who was very bold and gave me a New Testament. It was challenging to accept that Bible; taking it home with me was even more difficult. But I was so hungry and thirsty for love and truth that I was bold enough to take the risk.
I hid the Bible in my room. Daily, I cut out three pages and took them to the restroom. After I finished reading, I flushed them.
During this time, I saved money and purchased a small transistor radio to listen to the Christian program I had heard at my cousin’s house. I listened to it every night.
Buy a Bible for someone like Amira now.
Andrew: Did you have headphones?
Amira: No. I laid down with it near my pillow on low volume, so it looked like I was asleep. No one knew I was listening.
I learned much about the Bible and Christianity and felt God touch my heart, urging me to give my life to Jesus and memorize His Word. Some days, I would write down a verse or put it to a tune to help me easily repeat it so I would not forget it.
I remember taking a nap one day and waking to a scene of three crosses with rainbow colors and flashes of light and wood. This vision occurred for three days straight.
Touched by this experience, I decided to give my life to God, who came to me, talked to me, and respected me even though I was only an 18-year-old girl. I had been learning about Christianity for two years, but now I had encountered God’s love for me firsthand. I soon realized the importance of baptism in my response to following God. So, I searched and found someone to baptize me.
My mother noticed a change in me. She saw my face shining and filled with peace, and my behavior and words were different, especially after my baptism. When someone dramatically changes like that in my home country, it is common to go to a fortune teller who can read coffee grounds and inquire about the person. My mother went to one such woman who told her I had become a Christian.
After that revelation, my life spiraled. My family locked me in a room, leaving me completely alone. My siblings would not have a relationship with me. It was so hard. I was only eighteen and needed my family, but I had no family. I needed love, but there was no love.
Andrew: How many siblings did you have?
Amira: Three sisters and one brother.
Andrew: There was no communication between you?
Amira: None, unless they stopped to call me an infidel. I knew I had discovered something precious and genuine in Jesus – I had eternal life. But I didn’t want to be selfish with this gift. I wanted to share it, especially with my older sister.
One day, I was left at home with only my older sister watching over me. I talked with her and shared about Jesus. She accepted Jesus, and we prayed, but no one else knew anything about it. I stayed far from her because I didn’t want her to experience any problems because of me.
Rebecca: Does your ministry try to help women like you who experienced problems?
Amira: Yes. Our women’s ministry is strategic with psychiatric help and counseling, providing private and personal care from a female Christian doctor. Women in North Africa and the Middle East suffer and are disrespected under Islam, and this intensifies after they convert to Christianity, as they endure hardship at the hands of their community and family. Carrying this deep hurt and confusion into ministry can inadvertently damage others.
This year, I’m also training women toward mental maturity in Christ. Mental health issues have no borders, and those of us who have suffered abuse under Islam need care.
Emotional and mental maturity help people bridge the gap between what they say and how they live. We often see that gap in leaders. Women may be rich in biblical knowledge and speak eloquently, but can be emotionally immature, their actions not aligning with their beliefs. If we want women to be effective in ministry, we must help them develop mentally alongside cultivating their talents.
I now realize God was preparing me through the suffering I endured. He allowed the pain then, knowing I would be here today, able to understand and empathize with another woman’s suffering. This confirms that the 2025 goal of cultivating mental maturity is necessary. In my ministry today, I try to give people what I missed – a sense of family and belonging. Most of all, I missed love, so I give love.
Andrew: Excellent, thank you. What about your sisters and brother now?
Amira: My older sister (the one who told me she accepted Jesus) saw my suffering and pain and chose to marry a Muslim man. I cannot say whether or not she is still following Jesus, but she lives as a Muslim with her family.
All my siblings cut ties with me for fifteen years, but we are close friends now. They used to call me an infidel, but now we talk every day, and I tell them about Jesus. They accept this. Mostly, my sisters tell me their problems. God gives me words to speak, and I explain how God blesses us and works within us as I share testimonies.
One of my sisters struggled with witchcraft. My husband and I prayed for her over the phone and told her how Jesus guards us. God worked a miracle in her life. She recognizes that Jesus is the truth, yet remains unsure about publicly converting because she is married with children and could lose her family. Sadly, this is one of the horrible consequences that can happen when a Muslim becomes a Christian in the Middle East and North Africa.
I told her she would one day stand before God, without sisters, husband, or children. You must prepare yourself for that. You cannot hide behind your family.
Rebecca and Andrew: Thank you.
This interview was edited for clarity and concision.
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