Former Muslims Pay Price for Christian Faith

CWNews.org -- Violence is nothing new for Muslims who convert to Christianity. Indeed, in the Islamic world, leaving Islam and living for Christ can mean a death sentence.

Emir Caner is a former Muslim who now teaches at a Baptist seminary. He has written a book about some of these brave converts. Recently he came to our studio to tell us about it.

WENDY GRIFFITH: Dr. Caner, welcome to Christian World News.

EMIR CANER: Thank you for having me on the program.

WENDY GRIFFITH: Let's talk about your new book "The Costly Call." You say the Christian converts from Islam face a lot of struggles-a three-fold struggle, actually. What are some of the struggles they face?

EMIR CANER: These 19 men and women from 18 different countries all have three things in common: [First] they always sacrifice when they become Christians. They lose their family, they risk their lives, they lose their jobs; they're ostracized from their culture. They sacrifice so much that we in America don't have to.

Secondly, they still learn how to unconditionally love those who reject them and repudiate them and cause them so much persecution. And finally, their struggle is that they love these people so much-their kinsmen in the flesh-that they wish they would hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The converts share that Jesus Christ is God and the Redeemer of the world. And so they really risk their lives not just in being saved, but in sharing Jesus Christ with others every day of their life.

WENDY GRIFFITH: And some of the consequences that these people face, some of these former Muslims are high government officials or business people. What are some of the consequences that they face?

EMIR CANER: There's one young man in the book that had to watch his mother being beaten in the bed, and his father shot to death and he had to become exiled from his country. You just watch so many suffering and you're in awe of the sacrifice. As a former Muslim myself I was disowned by my father, but that's no sacrifice, the true heroes of this generation are these men and women who have given so much, and continue to give, because they are all living today.

WENDY GRIFFITH: In many of these conversion stories, people relate that they've had dreams about Jesus. And there seems to be a consistent theme among some of these dreams, aren't there?

EMIR CANER: The dreams and visions they have, of course are of Jesus Christ. He sits by their bedside or He speaks to them and says, "I am the Savior of the world," and inevitably they're drawn to the written Word of God and they read John 3:16 and other sweet words of Scripture and they're saved. And they're so radically saved that they would witness to a stump if it had a soul. They're so sold out to Jesus.

WENDY GRIFFITH: Amazing, and in other instances, it might have been a Westerner or even an American who quietly shared the Gospel with them?

EMIR CANER: A businessman or woman who came to their country or a pen-pal on the Internet. It's amazing how Jesus Christ is reaching out across all these nations that somehow people think are closed and restricted. Yet nothing is closed or restricted to God.

WENDY GRIFFITH: Would you say we're seeing a revival among Muslim converts in America or around the world?

EMIR CANER: I would say more so around the world. There are places around the world in a Middle Eastern context where tens of thousands of Muslims are coming to faith in Jesus Christ every year-and indeed, in some contexts, hundreds of thousands. It's amazing to see what the Spirit of God is doing as He is roaming across this world.

WENDY GRIFFITH: And a lot of them, like yourself, once they do get saved they've got to tell everyone?

EMIR CANER: They have to! I don't know how you keep it to yourself. It's such a joy! And no matter what happens to you in life, the greatest joy is to be in the center of God's Will.

WENDY GRIFFITH: Well, how can our viewers pray for these former Muslims that are now Christians?

EMIR CANER: You know, so many of your viewers will pray for their protection, and understandably so. But pray more for their boldness. They're not looking to be protected; they're not looking to live a long life of 75 or 80 years. They're looking to please Jesus Christ no matter what the sacrifice and to live as the Apostle Paul said, "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain."

WENDY GRIFFITH: Alright. Dr. Emir Caner, "The Costly Call"-this is going to be a great book for so many people. Thank you for being with us on Christian World News.

EMIR CANER: Thank you so much for having me.