In many parts of the Islamic World, being a woman means living under layers of restrictions.
Being a Christian woman often means living under layers of danger.
When those two things combine, women are doubly persecuted. First, they are persecuted by being seen as property in many Muslim countries. Second, they are persecuted for following Christ.
At Help The Persecuted, we see this injustice every day. We meet women who have been silenced, confined, and abused because they follow Jesus. Yet within those stories of cruelty, we also witness extraordinary courage. Their faith, perseverance, and dignity reveal the quiet strength of women who refuse to surrender their hope.
This is what persecution looks like when it’s personal...and how the love of Christ is rewriting their stories.
When Safety Is Stolen
Psalm 34:18 says, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
Brokenhearted and crushed in spirit—those two feelings are familiar to most persecuted women, and for many of them, persecution begins at home. When faith in Jesus becomes known, fathers, husbands, or brothers often react with violence or confinement. In many Islamic societies, conversion is viewed as rebellion against religion and against family honor.
Imene, from Algeria, first heard the gospel as a child. When she accepted Christ, her mother locked her in their home for years to prevent her from attending church. Even in confinement, Imene secretly joined online discipleship lessons and learned to sew, a skill she now uses to support herself.
Later, after she married a Christian man, her family again tried to control her through threats and rejection. With the help of Help The Persecuted’s Enduring Livelihood support, Imene now provides for her family through her sewing business. When her family meant harm, God used her talents to create a life of independence and dignity for her!
When Families Turn Away
Isaiah 58:10 reminds us, “If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness.”
Najwa, a widow from Egypt, knows what it means to be abandoned. After losing her husband, her sons were pressured by local Muslim leaders to convert to Islam. One by one, they were taken from her. When she refused to deny Christ, her extended family threatened her and forced her to sell her home at a loss.
Through Help The Persecuted, your faithful prayers and support were like a light in darkness for Najwa. Our Field Ministers worked with Najwa to help her create a business plan for a small vegetable shop. Today, her shop is up and running—because of you! She told our team, “When I had no one left, God sent you.” Her courage is a testimony that faith in Jesus can outlast betrayal...and that nothing can stop the love of God from breaking through!
When Violence Tries to Silence
Women often face the most violent forms of persecution. In Syria, Huda and her husband fled twice: once for marrying across Muslim sects, and again after they both came to Christ. They were hunted, robbed, and hiding in a forest from the authorities. Desperate, they cried, “Lord Jesus, You are the only one we have not prayed to! Help us!”
Two men appeared and helped them escape. Today, Huda’s family lives in Lebanon, where they receive discipleship and medical support through Help The Persecuted. Despite ongoing health challenges, Huda says, “We have found peace in God’s family, even when our earthly families rejected us.”
Stories like Huda’s are not rare. Across the Islamic world, women who follow Christ are threatened with forced marriage, sexual violence, and public humiliation meant to shame them into silence and denial of their faith. Yet many, like Huda, keep speaking the name of Jesus!
The Hidden Strength of Persecuted Women
Proverbs 31:25 describes a woman of faith: “Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.”
Rebuilding is where that strength shines brightest. When women move from survival to stability, their testimony becomes a powerful witness.
Every one of these women has endured more than most of us can imagine. They have faced imprisonment, exile, sexual violence, and abandonment. Yet their stories are not defined by what was done to them, but by what Christ has done in them.
How You Can Stand with Them
When you support persecuted Christians, you are helping women like Imene, Najwa, and Huda rebuild their lives with strength and dignity, just like the Proverbs 31 woman.
Your prayers and gifts provide safe housing, trauma care, our Enduring Livelihood Ministry, and ongoing discipleship for persecuted women who have lost everything for the sake of Jesus. Please pray for persecuted women, that they may know they are not forgotten.
Together, we can make sure persecution is never the end of their story. Will you be a part of their rescue?