More Than Ever Before, Muslims Want to Know About Jesus
In at least 12 countries worldwide, official laws declare conversion from Islam a capital offense, according to a 2018 report from Humanists International. (Although relatively few countries follow through from conviction to execution, mobs and vigilantes often do a quite thorough job of enforcement.) That’s despite the United Nations Human Rights Council demanding the abolition of the death penalty for apostasy and blasphemy in 2017.
Muslim have opposed the message of Christianity since the birth of Islam in the seventh century. “It was in their religion’s DNA,” wrote David Garrison in a June 28, 2019 Newsweek article.
According to Garrison, a former missionary with 30 years’ experience engaging the Muslim world, “Islam was the only major world religion born with Christianity already in full bloom that consciously defined itself in direct opposition to the core Christian doctrines.”
For century after century, Muslims continued to reject Christianity. But things began to change by the early 2000s, according to Garrison. Scores of former Muslims had begun joining missionary efforts in countries such as Iran, Bangladesh, India, and Indonesia, and across West Africa and Central Asia.
Even with the overhanging threat of death for apostasy, widespread conversions are still emerging in traditional Muslim communities, Garrison stated. In his research, he recognized numerous factors behind this rise in Muslim interest, including Christians’ fervent prayers and evangelistic efforts, Bible translation in colloquial languages that “demystify” their holy book, and the proliferation of media ministries.
Without a doubt, AMM has played a part in this explosion of gospel faith — and we continue to do so. A family of broadcast programs and media outreach initiatives, we are dedicated to spreading the gospel across the Arabic-speaking world. One example is our TV program Let’s Be Clear, hosted by Brother Rachid. In this program, we combat Islam’s ideologies with logic and reason to unveil its fallacies.
Already we have ministered to an incredible number of Arabic believers in need of encouragement as well as those seeking spiritual truth.
The emphasis we place on discipleship is crucial for new believers, rather than a preaching of easy grace. Those who are ministering to Muslims must “make sure they understand the cross, the redemptive work of Christ and what it does to them, giving up everything for Christ, surrendering their lives, not just adopting another religion,” agrees George Houssney, founder and president of Horizons International, as reported in Mission Network News.
Houssney has watched many Muslims convert to Christianity, only to leave the faith in a few years. “You can’t trick them into the kingdom and then later on, ‘Hey, you know what, there’s a cost to this,’” he says. “They have to count the cost before they step into it.”
Through our digital discipleship programs — which include personal conversations with trained phone responders — we facilitate deep, honest dialog about Christianity that prepares new believers to count the cost of their decision to follow Jesus into a brand-new life.
AMM's ministries touch thousands of people every month. Click here to find out more about our impact.
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Sources: “At UN, IHEU urges abolition of apostasy laws,” Humanists International, Sept. 25, 2018; Library of Congress Law Library: loc.gov/law/help/apostasy/; “UN calls for abolition of death penalty for blasphemy and apostasy,” World Watch Monitor, Oct. 3, 2017; David Garrison, “Why More Muslims Are Turning to Jesus,” Newsweek, June 28, 2019; Alex Anhalt, “Unraveling the pattern: why former Muslims leave Christianity,” Mission Network News, April 6, 2020.