Religious persecution: How far would one go for his/her faith?
Posted by The Skyliner on September 2nd, 2009Kyra Alexander
Staff Writer
Somewhere in the world, a young Christian teenager fears for her life. Her crime? Turning her back on her Muslim faith to embrace Jesus as her Savior and Lord, a decision punishable by death in the writings of Islam. And who are those she runs from in fear? Not the government, not assassins—but her own parents. And in what country could we find such unbelievable religious persecution existing today? This frightened teen lives right here in America!
As a young Muslim growing up in Ohio, 17-year-old Rifqa Bary had the same typical high school experience that most of us have shared; that is, until she began seriously examining the claims of Christ. Gradually, the message of the Gospel grabbed hold of her, and—while other teens would be sneaking out of the house to meet friends for unapproved events—Bary would slip away without her parents’ knowledge to attend Bible studies.
For quite a while, young Bary was able to keep her growing faith hidden from her family. But then, something she did not anticipate exposed her. Her parents read about her abandonment of Islam on Facebook.
When her father and mother found out about her newfound faith from Facebook, they shoved her into Islamic classes in hopes to bring her back to her religious heritage.
For fear of death, Bary fled to Orlando, Fla. to a family she had met on the Internet that pastored a church there.
Bary fears for her life now. According to her tangle.com video, her father is looking to have her back in order to murder her in a “honor killing.” This type of killing is not rare to the Muslim community. This killing is seen, to Muslims, as killing to keep their families safe from unclean blood.
According to Islamfact.com, the Quran states in 9:123: “Oh ye who believe! Murder those of the disbelievers and let them find harshness in you.” And in 5:33, “The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger, and strive with might and main for mischief through the land is: execution (by beheading), or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile from the land: that is their disgrace in this world, and a heavy punishment is theirs in the Hereafter.”
Bary is now claiming that all she wants is “religious freedom.”
A hearing was held on Aug. 21 for Rifqa’s testimony to be heard and to figure out where she would be placed. The judge ruled that for the time being she would be in the custody of the Florida Department of Children and Families, but ultimately, Ohio authorities will decide where the teen should live, FOX News stated.
The judge set the next hearing for Sept. 3 at 2:30 p.m., at which time a dependency petition will be argued.
The United Nations tabulates about 5,000 such “honor killings” annually around the world, and they have been documented even in the United States, according to worldnetdaily.com.
My first thought about Bary’s plight was its unfortunate commentary about the turning of America. Our country was founded on religious freedom, welcoming all; and now, some of those who have become a part of us are not able to enjoy that freedom.
But then the abstract gave way to the facts of her story, and I began wondering: how many young Christians today would have the commitment that Bary has exhibited?
In a random survey ten students were asked if they had ever been persecuted for their faith. The unanimous answer is very simple—no. It is evident that most Christians in America do not really know what it’s like to face serious persecution.
I suppose for each of us who are Christians, there may be times when we feel others look down on us or treat us differently. Some of us may even feel a bit inconvenienced for the sake of our faith sometimes. The next time that happens to me, I hope I remember the continuing story of Bary. My faith doesn’t cause me to look over my shoulder to see if my parents are trying to kill me. So what do I have to gripe about?
Tags: Fall 2009, Vol. 109 - Issue 1
Great story Kyra. Thanks for sharing this…realy gets me thinking. So many times when we do answer that question it’s for reasons of that people make fun of us or call us names. Religious persecution (that the bible talks about) is so much more than that.