CENTRAL ASIA: TEENAGER AILIN ARRESTED FOR CHOOSING JESUS

From a young age, Ailin* from Central Asia attended church with her mum and dad. Now a teenager, Ailin considered Christianity for herself and decided that she wanted to follow Jesus – but her other Muslim relatives stepped in to stop her.

“They would purposely come on Saturday and stay over to keep me from going to church on Sunday,” she says. “When I started going to church and praying more often, they forbade me from going there.” 

Her relatives put even more pressure on her: “They started to force me to say the Kalimas (Islamic declaration of faith), to renounce my faith, my Christianity. But I said: ‘No, I know my God – it’s Jesus.’” 

Under a curse

When her relatives realised their tactics weren’t working, they brought in community leaders to put pressure on Ailin and her family. “They brought people in charge of the neighbourhood; these are the kind of people who have authority,” Ailin remembers. “They started saying: ‘Why did you become a Christian? You were a Muslim!’ I said: ‘No, I wasn’t a Muslim. I never said I was a Muslim. I’m a believer now, I’m a Christian.’ They came into my house and a few people started taking pictures of my house. I said: ‘You don’t have the right to take pictures of where I live. Why are you doing this?’”

Ailin’s parents couldn’t defend her – and she couldn’t defend them. Her mum and dad were born deaf, and so many people in Ailin’s community believe they’re under a curse from Allah. “Because my parents are deaf, they can’t answer or say anything,” Ailin says. “And when they humiliate my parents, then they also forbid me to do anything. ‘Your parents can’t hear, so they can’t explain it to you. You have to be a Muslim because our whole family, our whole clan, are Muslim,’ they said.” 

Arrested and interrogated

When Ailin still refused to comply, the community leaders reported her and her family to the police. “The next day, at 6.30am, more than 15 policemen came,” she remembers. “It was just me, my mum, and my brothers at home. I asked if I could call someone – the pastor or a lawyer. They said, ‘No, you don’t have any right to call anybody. Switch your phone off and put it away. We have permission to come into your house and look at everything.’” 

On one of the bookshelves, they found a Christian book and questioned Ailin about it. The police then took her and her mother to the police station. She was afraid – but then she remembered the words of Isaiah 41:10: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God” and found strength to face the police interrogation. 

“I’m becoming a strong believer”

Eventually, Ailin and her mother were let go without charges. Since then, local Open Doors partners have supported Ailin and her parents spiritually and practically. Around Christmas, local partners distribute gifts to children and young people like Ailin – it’s a particularly special time of year for her.

“We remember the birth of Jesus Christ with our family. We cook, play different games, and celebrate around the table. I really like this holiday because the whole world celebrates it and it’s a lot of fun,” she says.

“I’m so glad I met local Open Doors partners because I have never experienced the kind of love these people have given me. I can just tell them what moves me, and we can pray together. I have learnt a lot about Jesus through these people. Also, I can say that I’m becoming a strong believer because of these people.” 

*Name changed for security reasons