Women in Afghanistan have plenty to grieve about. Things have not improved substantially since the Taliban was ousted. Words were offered, both spoken and written, promising greater rights and better treatment of women, but those have deteriorated to the basic, "you have a right to stay home and obey your husband." Men are free to rape and beat their female relatives, and women who try to escape are hunted down like slaves. While these things are horrible, we are not shocked to hear about them in Afghanistan. The fact that women are being raped and beaten and murdered in the name of Islam in America, though… that puts the issue more directly in front of our faces.
Last week, Iraqi-born Faleh Hassan Almaleki ran over his 20-year-old daughter, Noor, with his his 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee. She and her boyfriend’s mother, also injured in the incident, are both in the hospital, and Noor is fighting for her life. Almaleki attempted this "honor" killing because his daughter had become "too western." She had left the Middle East and her arranged marriage there, and had chosen a boyfriend on her own in America. In the end, Almaleki decided to murder the young woman.
In January 2008, Yaser Said made news when he shot his two daughters to death in the back of his car after telling them he would take them to dinner. After years of sexual abuse and strict control, the girls and their mother had run away, but Said wooed them home with promises to change. Shortly after, he offered to take the girls out to eat and slaughtered them in his Taxi. Said is still on America’s Most Wanted list for the two murders.
Then there is 17-year-old Fathima Rifqa Bary, who was returned to Columbus, Ohio on Tuesday. Bary had fled to Florida after her conversion to Christianity, fearing that her father would kill her for leaving Islam. She has not yet been returned to her parents, but remains in the custody of Franklin County Children Services until a decision is made on where to place her.
Faith Comes By Hearing:
These sorts of stories dominate the media, and they represent a very real, serious problem. Yet, not all Muslim fathers are driving over their daughters or raping them or shooting them. Many Muslim families have left their homelands on purpose, seeking a free life in America. Many want better lives for their children. Muslims in America are in tremendous need of ministry, and we need to find ways to reach out to them with the true and abundant love of Christ.
Many Muslims want to know about Jesus and the Bible, and now that they are in America, they have the freedom to do so. While Islam teaches submission to Allah and offers laws to live by, it does not guarantee salvation, and Muslims have no confidence that they can go to heaven when they die. When they learn that Jesus paid for their sins and that he makes a way to heaven for them, many are excited and relieved to hear the news. There is serious punishment in Islam for converting to another faith, but that fear is no match for newfound life in Jesus Christ.
This weekend, the Crescent Project Oasis 2009 Conference was held in Indianapolis, Indiana in order to help American Christians know better how to connect with and love Muslims in the name of Jesus. According to the ministry’s founder Fouad Masri, outreach to Muslims is much easier than people think. He said, "Muslims are taking Bibles. Muslims talk about Jesus. We've seen people pray to receive Christ. There's such a hunger that we've never seen before because Islam has failed to answer the deepest questions."
Right now, Muslims are glad to find Christians who are willing to reach out hands of friendship. They need to know the love of God as much as any of us. "If we do not share the Gospel now," Masri said, "then we will never have the opportunity to share with them. They are not 'hard.' The only thing is: they haven't heard the Gospel."
As we hear about the way Muslims persecute each other in foreign lands and even at home, we need to remember that Muslim men and women are human beings for whom Christ died, and many are looking for something better than Shariah Law.
