Moslems in East Africa
The 19 nations of the East African Room stretch south from Sudan’s Red Sea coast to South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope. Arab traders dominated the slave and ivory trade here until the Europeans arrived in the 16th century, bringing Christian missionaries with them. Since then, Islam and Christianity have contended with African tribal religions for the region’s 357 million inhabitants.
Twenty Muslim leaders from one of the oldest Muslim people groups gathered on Christmas day of 2011 to receive training in their newfound Christian faith. Their teacher, Yusuf, was a middle-aged African business man of Orthodox Evangelical background. Yusuf adopted Muslims in this region as his mission field and had led many of their leaders to faith.
When he was asked about his key to effectiveness, Yusuf said, “I used to try to make them Christian. But now I try to help them come to the Lord without the religious blanket”
When asked how many had been baptized, 19 of the 20 Muslim leaders now believers in Jesus raised their hands.
They were asked, “How are you able to do this without persecution?” “There is persecution” they replied, and pointed to Sheikh Abu Salam. “Since I began teaching about Isa,” Abu Salam said, “I was chased from the mosque. Now I am fighting my case in the court. I’m defending myself as a Muslim follower of Isa al-Masih [Jesus]. I’ve told the court, ‘This is my mosque! Why should I leave it? I have a right to worship here.”
Abu Salam’s courage was not lost. In a community ruled by sharia. law, by choosing to remain in the mosque, Sheikh Abu Salam risked a death sentence for
the crime of apostasy. He was asked, “Why not just leave the mosque?”, “What’s the benefit of remaining there?” Several voices answered, “To reach others!
If we create another faith community outside the mosque, there will be a gap between us and the lost. Instead, we insert Jesus into all of our Muslim practices.”
A Muslim woman spoke up, “Jesus came as a human to save humans, even though He is God. If God had wanted to save hyenas, He would have become like a hyena. We want to save Muslims and so we must go into the mosque. This is why our brothers and sisters risk themselves: to win others.”
LET’S PRAY
- Pray for followers of Isa al-Masih in East Africa to have wisdom and courage as they live their faith in their local communities.
- Pray for more freedom in this region for people to learn about and express their faith without fear.
- Some 80 million Muslims in East Africa or more do not yet know Jesus Christ: pray for more people like Yusuf to adopt this region as their mission field.
Post credited to the editors at Worldchristian: visit http://www. worldchristianconcern.org/donate to support mission efforts to reach the unreached for Christ.
