He says, “From my childhood on, I was influenced by Quranic verses that made me hate Christians and want to treat them poorly.”
He was so committed to his radical faith that he was ready to die for the sake of Allah to support Islam. After he completed his university studies, he wanted to join ISIS. However, his parents stopped him.
Mostafa worked instead at a real estate development company where he managed a Christian employee, Hany. “I was always harassing, annoying and persecuting Hany because of his faith. I treated him poorly and constantly insulted him in front of our colleagues.
“I often asked him to do much more work. Despite this treatment, Hany always treated me very well and did the jobs assigned to him without any complaints. I assumed he was a coward and afraid of me.”
Hany was very loving, honest and peaceful. When Mostafa went through surgery, Hany visited him every day he was in the hospital. Mostafa even says, “He was the only colleague who asked about me, visited me and took care of me throughout my stay in the hospital.”
One day, Mostafa finally asked Hany why he treated him so well, even after he was so unkind. Hany answered, “Christ said to us in the Bible, ‘In this world you shall have tribulation,’ and Jesus taught us to love all people, even our enemies, to do good to those who hate us and to pray for those who mistreat us.”
Hany’s words began to penetrate Mostafa’s cold heart. Mostafa thought, “So how is this person an infidel? His religion tells him to love his enemy and do good to anyone who hates him. And I am a Muslim believer who believes in one God. My religion commands me to kill all those who do not follow the religion of God. Could their false religion command love, and our true religion command killing?”
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Mostafa started reading the book of John in a Bible app on his phone. “I began to delve deeper into the Bible and question everything I knew. I found that the verses of the Bible encourage love and tolerance. God, as described in the Bible, is a God of great love and mercy.”
After reading the Bible, he discovered it wasn’t distorted. He was also surprised that Jesus spoke with so much authority; He even accepted and forgave people regardless of their socioeconomic status.
Mostafa describes what happened to him next: “I felt in my heart that the words of the Bible were true. I tearfully prayed that God would change me, open my eyes and fill my heart with His love and peace.”
A full transformation began in Mostafa’s soul. “When I accepted Christ as my Savior, I felt an indescribable inner joy and peace. I wish I had met the Lord and known Him a long time ago. I’m so joyful.
“I thank Him so much for saving me and changing my life from darkness to light. After accepting the Lord, my treatment of people began to change and hatred began to leave me. My treatment of Christians changed greatly. I became a completely different person than before.”
People observed and were shocked at the transformation inside Mostafa. “My behavior began to change, as before I was a fanatic who did not accept others. Now I’m a tolerant and loving person to all.
“I was a violent person who loved jihad, but when Christ touched my heart of stone and changed me, I became a peaceful and loving person, because His Holy Spirit dwells inside and guides me. I was blind, and I lived in complete darkness. Now I see the light of salvation.”
And Mostafa couldn’t keep his faith hidden. He would openly read his Bible in public. One day, a family member saw and shared with the rest of his family that Mostafa was now a Christian. Hate raged inside Mostafa’s family. They wanted to kill him. He was forced to flee his home to Cairo.
“I have faced many challenges and sufferings in my life as a convert. The first of these challenges is abandoning my family, friends, acquaintances and everyone in my life.
“Making this decision was not easy for me at first. Society completely rejects those who leave the majority faith. Concealment, escape and fear of my family finding me to kill me are all things I worry about often.”
Still, Mostafa has the desire to spread the gospel, even in spite of great threats. He cherishes Isaiah 41:10, which says, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
Let’s pray for Mostafa and those far from Him in Egypt.
Lord Jesus, we ask You to comfort and strengthen Mostafa. Give him boldness and wisdom to share the gospel. Touch the hearts and open the eyes of all the Muslims and unsaved in Egypt. Bring them to salvation and produce a great harvest. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
*A representative photo used to protect anonymity.
About the author
Amanda is a writer for Global Christian Relief and passionately shares the stories of the persecuted church with believers all around the world. Get an overview of Christian persecution on our website and read the latest stories at GlobalChristianRelief.org.
