A Burning Desire to Evangelize Muslims

Three years later, a local pastor shared the gospel with Abdul, gave him a New Testament and answered his questions about Jesus Christ. Abdul was soon baptized, and when he heard about the Great Commission, he made a commitment to obey.

“When I finished my baptism,” he said, “I went to my village and shared the gospel.”

Abdul first shared the gospel with imams he knew, but they grew angry at what he was telling them. Eventually, the imams requested a meeting with Abdul and his family. Not surprisingly, they asked Abdul why he had rejected Islam to follow Jesus Christ.

Abdul told them he could no longer follow Muhammad, explaining that he and all of them were sinners in need of a Savior. Abdul’s wife, son and brothers rejected him. His older brother took off his sandal and hit him with it, a deeply offensive gesture in Islamic culture. And Abdul’s nephew called for even harsher punishment — he wanted him dead.

“When we go to the bazaar, people will say, ‘Your uncle is a Christian,’” his nephew said. “This is shameful to our family!”

The nephew then began to beat Abdul on the legs with bamboo sticks, breaking both of his legs as the rest of the family watched. After spending days in the hospital and taking time to heal from his injuries, Abdul relocated to another village.

When the nephew learned of Abdul’s new location, he informed members of a radical Islamic group, who soon appeared at Abdul’s door. They took him to their headquarters and put him in a small room, telling him he would remain there until he abandoned Christianity.

“Jesus is in my heart,” Abdul replied. “How can I kick him out of my heart?”

Read the full story — and others focused on persecuted Christians in Bangladesh — in the February 2023 issue of The Voice of the Martyrs magazine.