MY ACCOUNT
“I would rather die trying to escape than stay here and become Muslim.”
Maria, a Christian prisoner of Boko Haram, heard the bullets coming toward her and knew she had to run. Otherwise, her captors would force her to convert to Islam—if she survived the fighting.
Islamic terror attack
Just a few days earlier, Maria had been in a similarly dire situation. She had just returned from her family’s farm to her home, where her three children were waiting for her. Suddenly, they heard the sounds of gunshots as members of Boko Haram—the militant Islamist organization known for persecuting Nigerian Christians—approached.
At the time, Maria didn’t know what Boko Haram was. But she would soon learn all about these terrorists who invaded her village.
“While they were shooting, we ran to the bush,” Maria said, referring to a grassy area away from her village. “We spent two days in the bush hoping that they would leave our village, but they didn’t leave.”
Her husband hadn’t been home at the time of the attack and had been forced to flee, so Maria took her children into the bush with other villagers. After two days, she and a few others returned home to get cooking supplies. Instead, Boko Haram militants trapped them.
“They took us and took us to a big house and kept us there,” Maria said. “They asked us to bathe and then convert to Islam. They said they would feed us and provide for all our needs and we would stay with them.”
As a Christian prisoner of Boko Haram, Maria refused to convert. “My spiritual life has been a source of strength to me,” she said. “With God, all things are possible.”
A chance to escape
The terrorists had planned a forced conversion ceremony for Maria and the other prisoners, but the house was attacked before the day arrived. That was when Maria decided that she would rather die than be forcibly converted to Islam.
She and some of the other prisoners scaled the fence around the house and ran while the militants chased after them with their guns.
“I ran until I got to the village,” Maria said. “I went back to where my children were. I met them there. They came to hug me and were crying. They said they thought I had been killed.”
Once Maria reunited with her husband and children, they fled to village after village, desperately trying to escape Boko Haram. Tragically, the terrorists who kidnapped and attempted to kill Maria also murdered her brother.
But much like He rewarded Job for his righteousness, God has blessed Maria throughout her time of persecution. She and her husband have four more children. They live in safety, aided by GCR’s partners, who gave her a loan to start a business selling produce.
One of GCR’s five pillars for strengthening the persecuted church is to “Address Deep-Rooted Causes” of persecution. By granting loans to those in need, we empower believers to break free from the cycles of poverty and discrimination.
“I was hopeless,” Maria said. “I never imagined I would sit in the midst of people like this again. May God grant us relief, and we pray that this insurgency disappears forever so that we can live in peace.”
About the author
Chandler Peterson is a writer and editor for Global Christian Relief where she shares stories of Christian persecution. Read the latest Christian persecution stories on our website and learn more at GlobalChristianRelief.org.
Vulnerable Christians like Maria face increasing levels of persecution, not only in Nigeria but all around the globe. Become a Frontline Partner today and your monthly, recurring gift can provide emergency relief and long-term support—plus Bibles, safe shelter, trauma counseling, medical aid, food and more for those in dire need.
