‘CHURCH IS THE FAMILY I WAS SEEKING’: BATOUL’S STORY

North African society is predominantly Muslim, and families CAN often turn on those who reject their traditional beliefs. When Batoul* chose as a girl to follow Jesus, her mother and sisters turned on her – but she’s found the strength to continue in her faith through her church community.

It was Batoul’s* father who introduced her to Jesus. Once a fundamentalist Muslim, his transformation after becoming a Christian was clear for all to see. “After his conversion, my father changed a lot,” Batoul says. “He became kind and stopped forcing us to dress in a specific way.”

Batoul was thrilled, but her mother and sisters were not. “My mother was grateful for her new, loving husband,” she explains, “but, like my sisters, she couldn’t accept his conversion and the idea of him becoming an infidel.” 

Batoul grew close to her father went to Bible Study groups with him. She learned about Jesus and was baptised at 16. “I chose Jesus, not fully knowing what to expect, but I was convinced that life with Jesus is worth all the sacrifices,” she says. 

Closeness replaced with cruelty 

She assumed her conversion would mean little to her mother and sisters – but she was wrong. “To my misfortune, I paid the price for both my father’s conversion and my own. They didn’t dare to persecute my father, so they turned on me.” 

Her mother, Amina*, kept her away from church. Her sisters beat her and asked how much money she’d accepted to convert. “What price did they pay for your betrayal?” they demanded.  

At dinner times, they forced Batoul to eat by herself. “In my culture, we eat from the same plate, so I felt like an animal eating alone. That was their intention. It was very hard for me to see my own mother – who should have been tender and close to me – instead persecuting me alongside my sisters.”

Rather than rushing to her defence, Batoul’s father distanced himself from the situation. Instead he entrusted Batoul into the care to a church leader. 

Batoul felt utterly abandoned. “I had no family, I had nothing, and my faith was shaken… I only saw that the people who were with me gave up on me.” 

A new family 

Thankfully, God was not finished with Batoul and brought her to the attention of an Open Doors partner, Brother Youssef*. “He strengthened me, reminding me to look up to Christ and remember how He was persecuted, crucified, beaten and endured great suffering,” says Batoul. “As His followers, we, too, will face such trials… I should turn to Christ for everything I needed to do in my life, and to identify in Christ all the people I require in my life.”

She also began to attend Brother Youssef’s secret house church, a congregation made up mostly of converts from Islam: “Church is the family I was seeking since I came to believe. I felt Christ changing me when I reached that period where I forgave every person that hurt me or did injustice in my life.”

‘IT’S THROUGH PRAYER I CAN GET THROUGH THIS’

Batoul’s relationship with her mother and sisters is better now, although they still ask her to convert back to Islam. Today, with the support of Open Doors partners, she reaches out to isolated Christian girls and women in similar situations.  

“I am preaching to the world outside, I get in contact with the girls,” she says. “A lot of girls are afraid of their families and their societies. That’s why they are afraid of believing! I pray that the Lord would strengthen them, that they would believe in Him, and that they would not be afraid but encouraged.” 

In these strict Islamic cultures, unmarried woman and girls face extra scrutiny. “A lot of girls can’t go to church because their families don’t allow the girl to go out unless accompanied by the whole family.”

Even with the ongoing challenges, Batoul is prepared. “Because I believe in Christ, I must be ready for persecution and whatever else I might face,” she says. “I draw my strength from the Scriptures and believe in His teachings… I should reach out to others with His message. Even when they persecute and beat me, I still treat them with kindness.”

Batoul is also encouraged by your continued prayers. “I don’t feel lonely,” Batoul says, “but sometimes I still feel the pain! It’s through prayer that I can get through this. In all the sadness, I behold Christ in my life because when I remember that He’s with me, I feel joyous.” 

*Names changed for security reasons. Images are representative and not of Batoul.