06/24/2019 Washington D.C. (International Christian Concern) – Isaac*, a young father in Afghanistan, was faced with a difficult decision. As a recent convert to Christianity, he had come to a crossroads as the shepherd of his family that would have an eternal impact on his wife and young children.
Isaac, and many other MBB parents across the Middle East, faced a devastating choice: share Jesus’s Gospel message with their children and ultimately put their family at risk of exposure, or let their children grow up Muslim until they are old enough to be discreet about their faith.
Isaac made the conscious decision to hide his faith from his family until his children were older. As a result, the children grew up in the Muslim faith, learning the Muslim prayers, the Muslim teaching, and the Muslim hatred toward Christians. When Isaac finally revealed his true identity to them, the shock resonated through his children. They had been taught to disown Christians, and they did. They viewed their father as a traitor.
In countries like Afghanistan, religion is inherently tied to identity. In Afghanistan, conversion to Christianity is rarely discussed in public. In places like Egypt and Iran, some ethnic Christians are recognized, but conversion is illegal. Citizens in Egypt, for example, have the option to change their I.D. status from “Christian” to “Muslim,” but changing from Muslim to Christian is considered apostasy. If discovered, conversion could result in imprisonment, exile, loss of job, or even death.
But the lives of MBBs become even more complicated when they have children. If a child admits to their teacher or friends that they have a different, non-Muslim name at home, or that they’ve read the Bible and know Jesus, at best, they face discrimination in school and society. At worst, the entire family is put in immediate danger.
Stay tuned for Part 2, coming tomorrow.
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