The first message the Arab World Media team received was simple: “I want to be baptised.”
It came from a 20-year-old young man living in a country where such a confession can carry a death sentence.
When the team replied, he explained that he no longer wished to be known by the name he had been given at birth. He had chosen another.
“Do not call me Siraj* anymore,” he said. “I have chosen the name Luke.”
Questioning tradition not tolerated
Luke comes from a powerful and deeply religious family. Several generations of male relatives hold tribal, religious and political influence, and loyalty to tradition is woven into family life in ways that leave little room for questions or doubt.
Yet, for Luke, questions came. Over time, Luke found himself unsettled by what he saw and heard around him. Rather than voicing those questions openly, he began searching quietly online, reading widely and examining for himself the beliefs he had inherited. That search eventually led him to the person of Jesus Christ, and to a conviction that would not leave him.
“I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord.”
But what troubled him most was whether grace could truly reach someone with his past.
“Please tell me, will the Lord Jesus Christ forgive me for my past and for being born into a Muslim family and wasting my life far from Him?”
When the AWM team reassured him of Christ’s forgiveness and love, Luke responded with a simple confession that marked a turning point in his life:
“I testify that Jesus Christ is the only Saviour.”
Apostasy
Not long afterwards, his faith was discovered. While reading Christian material during a break at work, Luke was questioned by a colleague. He did not deny what he believed, and word quickly reached his family. What followed was a painful and violent confrontation. Luke was beaten, confined to his room, and deprived of food, then given an ultimatum: renounce Christ, or face expulsion from the family and the loss of everything he stood to inherit. Otherwise, his father would inform his uncle so they could agree on enforcing the punishment for apostasy.
Remember me in your prayers
For several days, there was no word from him.
When Luke eventually reached out again, his first request was simple. He asked for prayer. The responder read Psalm 91 with him, and before the call ended, Luke quietly said:
“If you no longer hear from me, it means I am no longer alive. Remember me in your prayers.”
To live is Christ
The following day, the choice was placed before him again. Luke’s answer did not change.
“I chose Christ, and I will not turn back.”
He was forced to leave his home and is now staying with a friend, separated from his family, his security and his future as he once understood it. Even so, his faith has continued to grow. Luke remains committed to discipleship, joins weekly online fellowship and recently shared his testimony with others, encouraging them to remain steadfast in Christ, because, as he says, He is life.
*Names changed for security
Source: Arab World Media
