This morning at our leadership breakfast, we met with Safeeya Schnaufer - a former Muslim, the daughter of the Defense Minister of Kuwait. (I don't know if he is still Defense Minister, but at the time of her conversion to Christ, he was.)
She was fascinating, and there is much to tell, but she shared about her family's pilgrimage to Mecca when she was 8 years old. In one arena where a large crowd had gathered, there stood a man in typical Muslim garb, standing beside a woman sitting on a wooden box. She was clothed from head to toe in such a manner that even her hands, feet, and face were hidden, and you could only see here eyes. Her hands were tied together, as were her feet. The man gave a speech (sermon?) on obedience, and the crowd was listening intently. Safeeya tells that she was excited because this trek to Mecca was, at that point, the highlight of her young life.
Then, at one point, the speaker drew a shiny golden sword from his scabbard, spoke something in Arabic, then swiftly and powerfully beheaded the woman who had been sitting on the box. Safeeya grabbed her daddy's hand, in horror, begging, "Daddy, what just happened?" She said he very sternly looked down at her, and said - "that is what happens to those who disobey Allah, and it will happen to you if you are not obedient".
Long story short, her family had planned to visit the USA, and had Visas for travel approved fairly quickly, probably because of her father's diplomatic status. The week that they were to leave for the US, however, her father was called to duty because Iraq was poised to invade Kuwait. He insisted his family leave the country, and he would follow as soon as he could. Arriving in Chicago, the family watched the television of their Uncle in horror as the Iraqi Army was invading her country, and her father's duty station was just 7 miles from the Iraqi border.
Safeeya's family applied for political asylum in the US due to the war in her country, and her father joined her after the US liberated Kuwait in Desert Storm. Safeeya got a job at a local department store, but her father demanded that she stop "being so worldly", and announced that he had arranged a marriage for her to a wealthy family in Kuwait, and she would be going back home the following week. He showed her a picture of an old man with a huge mustache, and learned that she would be his THIRD wife.
She refused to go, she announced she was staying in the US, and she ran away from home - to a neighbor's house two doors down the block. Soon, her family moved to Arlington, Texas, to live near another uncle. Again, long story short, a friend of hers at work (at another department store) invited her to come to Church, and she visit Prestonwood Baptist Church of Dallas. She wore her head scarf, feeling terribly out of place, but noted that the people of the Church greeted her quite warmly, and treated her as if she were a close friend.
It wasn't long before one of the Pastors was talking to her about Christianity, because she noted that Islam - in her experience - was all about hatred and controlling women, and judgment, and NEVER any real hope of "attaining Heaven" or acceptance from Allah, and she had found such love and acceptance in this Christian Church. She was given a Ryrie Study Bible, and began reading from Genesis, chapter 1, verse 1. She was amazed that some of the stories from the Quran were very brief summaries of some of the longer stories in the Bible.
As she got into the New Testament, she found that Jesus not only accepted women, but loved and forgave. THIS was the God she wanted to know.
Then, TWO of the most striking things (to me) about her testimony.....
A) She tells that the Pastor explained Believer's Baptism, and part of the experience was "the old way dies" and "raised again to NEW LIFE in Christ Jesus". She tells how she had grown up with a deep hatred for the Jews - they were pigs and monkeys, and needed to be killed. When she came up from the waters of Baptism, she was astounded that she had a deep love for the Jewish people. She didn't understand it, but wanted to go to Israel and meet Jews and tell them she loved them. (and she did)
2) She shared some stories about the visions that Muslims were having - particularly in her home country - of Christ coming to them and revealing that He was the Messiah, and asking them to go to talk to a Christian preacher or visit a Christian Church. I told her I had heard these stories from Bob Utley (and I started a thread about it here), and she confirmed in her own experience that she personally knows people to whom this has happened.
She asks - Whenever you get an opportunity to be a friend to a Muslim, would you PLEASE pray about introducing them to Christ? She insists that Muslims all over the world, due to current events - are questioning Islam, and how it could be so full of hate. She has a friend who is a former Imam who insists that Islam will soon implode. (She doesn't seem to share that belief, but insists that he's a very influential man, and he is convinced it will happen in our lifetime.)
This is the THIRD "former Muslim" I have met since 1 January, and was absolutely impressed with her testimony.
She was fascinating, and there is much to tell, but she shared about her family's pilgrimage to Mecca when she was 8 years old. In one arena where a large crowd had gathered, there stood a man in typical Muslim garb, standing beside a woman sitting on a wooden box. She was clothed from head to toe in such a manner that even her hands, feet, and face were hidden, and you could only see here eyes. Her hands were tied together, as were her feet. The man gave a speech (sermon?) on obedience, and the crowd was listening intently. Safeeya tells that she was excited because this trek to Mecca was, at that point, the highlight of her young life.
Then, at one point, the speaker drew a shiny golden sword from his scabbard, spoke something in Arabic, then swiftly and powerfully beheaded the woman who had been sitting on the box. Safeeya grabbed her daddy's hand, in horror, begging, "Daddy, what just happened?" She said he very sternly looked down at her, and said - "that is what happens to those who disobey Allah, and it will happen to you if you are not obedient".
Long story short, her family had planned to visit the USA, and had Visas for travel approved fairly quickly, probably because of her father's diplomatic status. The week that they were to leave for the US, however, her father was called to duty because Iraq was poised to invade Kuwait. He insisted his family leave the country, and he would follow as soon as he could. Arriving in Chicago, the family watched the television of their Uncle in horror as the Iraqi Army was invading her country, and her father's duty station was just 7 miles from the Iraqi border.
Safeeya's family applied for political asylum in the US due to the war in her country, and her father joined her after the US liberated Kuwait in Desert Storm. Safeeya got a job at a local department store, but her father demanded that she stop "being so worldly", and announced that he had arranged a marriage for her to a wealthy family in Kuwait, and she would be going back home the following week. He showed her a picture of an old man with a huge mustache, and learned that she would be his THIRD wife.
She refused to go, she announced she was staying in the US, and she ran away from home - to a neighbor's house two doors down the block. Soon, her family moved to Arlington, Texas, to live near another uncle. Again, long story short, a friend of hers at work (at another department store) invited her to come to Church, and she visit Prestonwood Baptist Church of Dallas. She wore her head scarf, feeling terribly out of place, but noted that the people of the Church greeted her quite warmly, and treated her as if she were a close friend.
It wasn't long before one of the Pastors was talking to her about Christianity, because she noted that Islam - in her experience - was all about hatred and controlling women, and judgment, and NEVER any real hope of "attaining Heaven" or acceptance from Allah, and she had found such love and acceptance in this Christian Church. She was given a Ryrie Study Bible, and began reading from Genesis, chapter 1, verse 1. She was amazed that some of the stories from the Quran were very brief summaries of some of the longer stories in the Bible.
As she got into the New Testament, she found that Jesus not only accepted women, but loved and forgave. THIS was the God she wanted to know.
Then, TWO of the most striking things (to me) about her testimony.....
A) She tells that the Pastor explained Believer's Baptism, and part of the experience was "the old way dies" and "raised again to NEW LIFE in Christ Jesus". She tells how she had grown up with a deep hatred for the Jews - they were pigs and monkeys, and needed to be killed. When she came up from the waters of Baptism, she was astounded that she had a deep love for the Jewish people. She didn't understand it, but wanted to go to Israel and meet Jews and tell them she loved them. (and she did)
2) She shared some stories about the visions that Muslims were having - particularly in her home country - of Christ coming to them and revealing that He was the Messiah, and asking them to go to talk to a Christian preacher or visit a Christian Church. I told her I had heard these stories from Bob Utley (and I started a thread about it here), and she confirmed in her own experience that she personally knows people to whom this has happened.
She asks - Whenever you get an opportunity to be a friend to a Muslim, would you PLEASE pray about introducing them to Christ? She insists that Muslims all over the world, due to current events - are questioning Islam, and how it could be so full of hate. She has a friend who is a former Imam who insists that Islam will soon implode. (She doesn't seem to share that belief, but insists that he's a very influential man, and he is convinced it will happen in our lifetime.)
This is the THIRD "former Muslim" I have met since 1 January, and was absolutely impressed with her testimony.
Comment