How Meeting a Muslim Changed Me: Two Short Testimonies

It’s human nature to treat the unknown as something to be feared. Sometimes this protective instinct has its place, but Jesus’ call to go to all peoples and places with the Gospel requires pushing against some of our reflexive emotions.

News headlines and soundbites can stoke fear of Muslims. But what might we be missing if we let fear – or other negative emotions – control how we interact with the Muslims around us?

The following stories offer honest and surprising accounts of how meeting Muslims changes fearful Christians.

Heather’s Story

My husband and I went to East Africa as missionaries. We received a book about Islam in orientation class, and I immediately dropped it off at Goodwill. I was a missionary, but I had no desire to reach Muslims. I had painted a really broad stroke after September 11, that if Muslims did that in the name of Islam, they must be terrorists. That’s their belief system.

“I was a missionary, but I had no desire to reach Muslims.”

It was ugly and embarrassing, but that’s where I was at the time.

A good friend of mine in Africa was a doctor, and she invited me to go with her to a clinic in our city. Her first patient was a large Muslim woman. And she was exactly like my family - loud, boisterous, opinionated. It wasn’t at all what I expected.

Through her, the Lord started humanizing Muslim women. I remember leaving there thinking, “Man, we’re not that different.”

Another perspective change came through understanding that, because of what Islam teaches, Muslim women predominantly live in fear: fear of never knowing God, never knowing if you’re doing the right thing or if you’re doing enough. And simply because of being a woman, feeling a persistent sense of shame.

“Muslim women predominantly live in fear: fear of never knowing God, never knowing if you’re doing the right thing or if you’re doing enough.”

I had a bit of a Saul of Tarsus moment while driving downtown in my city. I stopped at a stoplight and saw a woman in hijab standing on the corner. As she began to cross, I could see that she was in a panic. I wondered what she might be worried about, because I’d learned that, while in the city, if someone looks concerned, pay attention. Something’s happening. But it was just a vacant intersection.

Then she looked directly into my windshield and our eyes connected. It was just a second, but it was like the Lord put everything on pause. Somehow the fear I suspect she felt was superimposed over my heart. The things I’d learned, about all the pressures Muslim women are under and the things that can happen to her, started clicking in my mind. Suddenly the Lord said, “Heather, she lives there. She lives in that fear. And there’s no hope for any way out.”

That was the ultimate injustice: that she has to live in that position. No assurance of hope, of heaven, of a relationship with God, of love of any kind. She’s constantly afraid of being cast off. It was a powerful moment, and I knew that the Lord was calling me into this long term.

Heather lives in the southeastern United States. She served with Crescent Project for a number of years and is currently leading a ministry to Muslim and Christian women.

Megan’s Story

I grew up associating “Islam” with “terrorism.” The Lord started to change my heart on a trip to a Muslim-majority country, where I was able to meet Muslim families and see people behind my stereotypes.

I’ve learned to see a Muslim as someone created in God’s image that has never heard that Jesus loves them and died for them. He’s changed my heart of fear to a heart of love.

“I’ve learned to see a Muslim as someone created in God’s image, someone that has never heard that Jesus loves them and died for them.”

As I started working with Muslims in the US, I noticed that, in Muslim culture, men are more dominant and have more rights. So I wanted to create an atmosphere where Muslim women could be themselves. Someone had the idea of a sewing class. I didn’t know how to sew, but I went for it and fell in love with it. That’s a place where they can take off their hijab, laugh or cry, and be relaxed. They’re able to be real. We pray over each other regularly, and our friendships have grown so deep.

After starting this sewing class, my husband and I had a miscarriage. As I was on my way to the sewing studio, I was weeping, asking God “Why? Why would this happen?” And I really felt like God was telling me, “Look where you’re going. You’re going to a group of ladies whose only identity is being a mom. They have no idea what an identity in Christ looks like.”

I was able to share how, even though my husband and I longed to be parents, I would be ok because my identity is in Jesus Christ. It’s then that we went from teacher-student to sisters.

Megan has been befriending and sharing her faith with Muslims for three years in a Midwestern US city.

What about you?

Where is your heart at with Muslims and other people who are different from you? In many parts of the United States and other parts of the world, Muslim communities are growing; they are our neighbors, our co-workers, the people we see at the grocery store.

Why not take a simple step: try our free, hands-on training called “Let Me Be Your Neighbor”, and learn how to connect with the people God has put right next to you. Invite some friends to do it with you, and let us know how it goes!