Being a Christian involves sharing with others the Good News of the hope we have in Jesus. When you have good news, you don’t want to keep it to yourself—you want others to experience the joy that you feel. And Jesus commands us to share with others what He has done for us: “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you,” (Matthew 28:19-20, NIV).
Believers around the world face persecution of all kinds because they boldly share this Good News of Jesus Christ. They courageously obey God’s call to witness even though it may come at great personal cost, as it did for Rashedy.
A Foundation of Faith
Rashedy was blessed to grow up in a Christian home, and he has walked with the Lord since childhood. His father died when he was only seven years old, so his mother bore the responsibility of teaching and training Rashedy and his brother and sister in the truth of the Word.
Rashedy became a leader in his church at a young age. He studied hard in school and earned a degree in biochemistry. He got married and had two children of his own. Rashedy knew the importance of sharing the Gospel and worked with a ministry that reached out to believers from a Muslim background.
Rashedy’s Fruitful Faith
A few years ago, two of Rashedy’s co-workers became curious about Christianity and wanted to know more. These two women had a clear passion and desire to know Jesus, and Rashedy shared the Gospel with them. He obtained copies of the New Testament for each of them. He directed them to a kind and wise older woman in his church who could disciple them. The women wanted to walk in the light of Christ and said they refused to stay in the darkness of Islam.
When the parents of these two women found out the women had converted to Christianity, they began to cause problems for Rashedy. They brought accusations against him, and he was detained and interrogated. Then he was kidnapped by a radical group for three days and taken to a cemetery where he was physically and verbally abused. The radicals also threatened to kill Rashedy’s children. They let Rashedy go, only to come back to his home with more threats and break into and rob his place of business.
Rashedy’s Faith in the Face of Fear
After this, Rashedy knew he must relocate his family. He did not contact the police about these incidents because he feared the threats would escalate. Rashedy left his family in a secure location and stayed away from them for six months to try to keep them safe. He was basically homeless, sleeping on trains and occasionally on the streets. He could not stay with his parents or siblings because they were receiving threats as well. Rashedy found a work opportunity in another country and felt he must take it to protect his family. Even there, persecution found him when radicals found out about his faith. False reports were generated that Rashedy was embezzling money from his company through the customers. He lost his job and was put in jail.
While in prison, Rashedy experienced the Lord in a deep and profound way. God used Rashedy’s time of isolation and imprisonment to teach Rashedy to lean more fully on Him, to grow in knowledge and in love with the God who saves. Thankfully, a human rights organization followed Rashedy’s case and had him released from prison. Since then, a local pastor has been following up with Rashedy, helping him with expenses, and connected him with Help The Persecuted. Rashedy currently has no job and no income, and he hasn’t seen his wife and children in two years.
Help The Persecuted counts it as a privilege to care for and support Rashedy and others like him, who boldly and unashamedly share the Gospel, knowing that they may pay a steep price for their faithfulness to Christ. Because of Rashedy’s obedience to the Great Commission, the Gospel is going forth and changing the hearts of the lost. Pray that Rashedy will be strengthened and remain faithful to the Lord. Pray that through our help and guidance, he can be reunited soon with the family he loves.