A challenging message from a Muslim convert to Christ:

“People of Stockholm, people of the world, people who are concerned about
Human rights, people who are concerned about freedom. There is about 1.3 billion Muslims  who do not have freedom to change religion. They do not have freedom of thought conscious and religion. They do not have the right to exist as former Muslims.

This issue was brought up by the UN reporter on freedom of religion to the
UN assembly in New York two weeks ago that freedom to change religion is basic for
religious freedom. We are here to remember the victims if Islam apostasy and blasphemy  laws. We are here to see a change in their situation. We are here that they may
have freedom. We are here that they may have equal rights.

Muslim People are killed for rejecting Islam, Muslim people are imprisoned
and tortured for leaving Islam. It is not right that people get to lose their life, get imprisoned and get tortured for their belief. This contradicts with Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which gives freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and this freedom includes the right to change their belief and practice their new faith.

How can we be quiet about this? In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. Martin Luther King Jr.

Mahmoud Mohammad Taha- he was executed at the age of 76 for apostasy in Sudan.

Mahdi Debag the head of the Bible Society in Iran was arrested after the Islamic revolution in 1979 and was tortured and imprisoned for 10 years. He said I am not just willing to suffer for Christ but to also die for him. After much international pressure he was released and 6 months later he was murdered.

Fatima was murdered by her family in Saudi Arabia for converting to Christianity 3 years ago after cutting her tongue out.

Frag  Fouda, journalist and free thinker, was shot and  killed in front of his office in Cairo because he was accused of blasphemy in 1992.

Najeb Mafous, the Literature Nobel prize winner, was stabbed for the same
reason.

Taiser, the governor of Banjab in Pakistan, was murdered by his bodyguard for trying to
free Asia who was in prison for being accused for blasphemy.

Shabaz, the Minister of Minorities, followed the same fate for trying to protect
minorities in Pakistan. 400 Christian families cannot return to their home
since the teenager Rimasha was accused of blasphemy.

A number of pastors in Iran are serving prison sentences for their
conversion from Islam to Christianity.

Metafi in Saudi Arabia has been in prison since he was 18 and now he is 36.
He is an Ismaili accused of blasphemy.

Kashgari a journalist who tweeted that some things Mohammed did I like and some I do not like, was accused of blasphemy, and 30000 tweeted he should be killed. He apologized and this did not help. He tried to escape to New Zeland via Malaysia. He was arrested it there and extradited to Saudie Arabia. He has been in prison since then.

Around 10 countries have death sentences for apostates and blasphemers.

How can we be quiet about this? “For evil men to triumph, it is only necessary for good men to do nothing.”- Edmund Burke. How can be quiet about this injustice? How can we be quiet about this oppression?

Stand for freedom, Stand for Justice, stand for humanity. Stand against apostasy and blasphemy codes in Islam which are choking freedom worldwide.

Stand for freedom for fear; "Freedom from fear" could be said to sum up the whole philosophy of human rights. Dag Hammarskjold

Stand for freedom of speech; if the freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led like sheep to the slaughter. George Washington

Stand for justice; injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Martin Luther King

If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality. Desmond Tutu

Stand for freedom, stand for justice, stand for equality. Stand for Article 18 in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Stand for freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and freedom to change belief. Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either
alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity. Nelson Mandela

As we pray for the persecuted believers in Christ around the world this month, let’s pray for those suffering grim persecutions for coming to faith in the Muslim world and that such blasphemy and apostasy laws will be overthrown by the governments that now observe them.