Sara

Sara grew up in a Shiite Muslim family in the Middle East. She lived a stable life until 2015, when she and her husband received dangerous threats because her brother-in-law had converted to Christianity and become a priest in Europe. The couple were forced to flee to Erbil. Sadly, when in Erbil, Sara’s husband decided to leave for Europe with the family’s money in 2016, where he married a different woman, started a new life, and abandoned Sara and her four children. Struggling to make ends meet, Sara worked whatever jobs she could find, but in 2018 one of her sons died due to a sudden epileptic seizure.

In these horrible circumstances, Sara found solace at a local church. She took sewing classes at the church, and the community of Christians there provided her with emotional support. Through the sewing classes, the church helped Sara to find a way to put food on the table. Without her husband or the aid of family, however, Sara’s situation was still highly unstable.

Not only did Sara’s family not support her—they actively harassed her. Her brother-in-law sullied her reputation with his family, and her relationship with them became progressively more tense. Being Alienated from her family, Sara, a Christian woman living in the Middle East with three children and no husband, had to fend for herself. The governing authorities would frown upon her conversion and the local church did not supply her with the resources she needed to subsist. Sara was exposed to tremendous danger from anti-Christian persecutors—a relative, for example, threatened her son recently at gunpoint. She desperately needed financial support for herself and for her children.

Understanding Sara’s financial need, International Christian Concern (ICC) implemented a project to help her with her living circumstances. ICC contributed funds to pay for rent, utilities, appliances, and other necessities. While this support has made a major impact, Sara continues to face challenging conditions, and ICC continues to work with her towards a safer and more stable situation.

Aamal and George

Aamal was born into a strict rural Muslim family in Damascus, Syria. After first being introduced to Christianity by schoolmates at the age of 16, she began to secretly attend church. Over a decade later, in 2016, she was baptized. She persisted in her Christian faith despite the dangers she would face in Syria, where both her family, community, and the government would respond harshly to her conversion. In Syria, anyone who converts to Christianity from Islam sacrifices many of their civil rights and can even be imprisoned and compelled to return to Islam.

The persecution that inevitably confronted Aamal and her husband George , who was a man raised with a Christian background that she met through her church, came most intensely from Aamal ’s uncle. Aamal ’s uncle violently threatened Aamal and George , demanding that they revert to Islam. The threats and danger became so severe that they were forced to relocate to another country.

Displaced from their home country, life was extremely challenging for Aamal and George in their new home. They were able to live in a refugee camp for free for some time, but eventually they were required to pay a rent of $200 per month. Because Aamal ’s conversion away from Islam is not legally recognized, the two are not able to be legally married—this highly restricts their options for alternative housing. As rent, food, and medical expenses accumulated and neither Aamal nor George had found employment opportunities, their financial situation became increasingly dire.

Seeing their need, International Christian Concern (ICC) stepped in to help. ICC contributed financial aid to Aamal and George for rent and living expenses. ICC is also helping to provide George with the supplies that he needed to become a tea and coffee vendor, which would in turn allow him and his wife to better provide for themselves in the future. The supplies for the tea and coffee business included basic materials and an auto rickshaw, which would better enable George to make a profit. George ’s expected monthly earnings are now $300 per month, a lifeline for the couple in their trying circumstances.

What threats and challenges do MBBs face? Read more: