Hear the stories of former Muslims who have embraced Jesus Christ in the Catholic Church
“I had encountered Jesus, as a Muslim, in the Qu’ran. In that book, He was not the Son of God, but I had always liked the stories that related to Him, the mystery that surrounded Him. I never realized until here, in America, it dawned on me that He might be the One who was watching over me, guiding me.”
– David Shawkan
A FEW GREAT VIDEOS
Derya Little 56:09
Derya Little grew up in a culturally Muslim household in Turkey, but when her parents divorced, it caused her to question everything, including the tenets of Islam. Studying it critically for herself, she was put off by its treatment of women, its chaotic history, and the master/slave relationship between Allah and his followers. She rejected God altogether until she met some Evangelical Christians who witnessed to her. However, the more she studied Christianity, the more she felt led to the Catholic Church. Watch Derya’s episode.
Jacob Imam 56:05
Jacob Imam’s parents were Muslim and Christian, and seeing the differences between them led him to walk away from the idea of religion altogether as a young man. He still had a sense of his own sin, though, and kept seeking a satisfying answer as to how that might be resolved. He felt that Christianity seemed to have a better explanation of how the world worked, but the deeper he read in the tradition, the more he realized that Catholicism was the original and most faithful expression of the Christian faith. Watch Jacob’s episode.
Nikki Kingsley 56:10
Nikki Kingsley was born Muslim in Pakistan to a loving family whose faith focused more on the virtues of Islam than its rituals. When an arranged marriage put her into a family with a much more strict approach to Islam, everything began to crash down around her, and she ended up escaping to the United States with her children. As she sought help from God in this process, Nikki found herself coming to believe that Jesus, who she’d previously thought of as only a prophet and healer, was truly the Son of God. Watch Nikki’s episode.
A FEW GREAT WRITTEN STORIES
Muslim to Anglican to Catholic
Reza Akhtar
“My parents were Muslims, and my religious education began early. When I was about four, my mother taught me to read Arabic script so that I could read the Quran, although at the time neither of us knew the meaning of most of the words. She also taught me about God, emphasizing the importance of faith in Him and how it should shape our actions, so that we could enjoy eternity with Him in Heaven and not end up in the despair of Hell.” Read Reza’s story.
Preaching Christ Crucified
Daniel Ali
“In 1959 I was born into a Muslim family in Kurdistan in northern Iraq… My political activities in the Kurdish opposition against Saddam Hussein spanned most of my adult life in Iraq. Saddam Hussein, in one of his many attacks on the Kurds, forcibly moved large populations from their homes, banishing them to other parts of the country, to grab and secure his control over the Kurdish oil fields. Thus began in 1975 my active effort to free the Kurds and unite them politically. For this, I suffered jail and torture a number of times at the hand of Saddam.” Read Daniel’s story.
From Muslim to Catholic
Zubair Simonson
“At age ten, I began fasting during the month of Ramadan. Prior to that, my mother wasn’t fasting on weekdays during the holy month. Her young son’s resolve inspired her to fast on all of the days as well, and it made her very proud of me… At about age fifteen, I began to pray the five daily prayers. I was considered old enough, according to Islam, to distinguish right from wrong, and going to hell was something I preferred to avoid.” Read Zubair’s story.
More Inspiration for the Journey
Explore the full archive of conversion stories from former Muslims.
Explore Full Archive
RECOMMENDED BOOKS & OTHER RESOURCES FOR MUSLIMS
From Islam to Christ: One Woman’s Path through the Riddles of God
by Derya Little
Born and raised in Muslim Turkey, Derya Little wandered far and wide in search of her true home. After her parents’ divorce, she rejected her family’s Islamic faith and became an atheist. During her stormy adolescence, she tried to convince a Christian missionary that there is no God but was converted to Christ instead. Her winding path through the riddles of God was not over, however. It eventually led her into the Catholic Church. Derya’s story provides a window into both Islam and modernity. It shows that the grace and the mercy of God know no bounds. Rather, the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ reaches souls in the most unlikely places.
My Journey into the Light of God’s Love: The Catholic faith through the eyes of a young Muslim
by Aghdas Maria
This is a true story, based on the life of a devout Iranian Muslim girl who had every ambition to do great things in the world. This beautiful journey has its beginning in Iran, at a time of revolutions and the fall of the monarchy, and ends up in the seemingly strange culture of the West, in London, England. This young woman, who was determined to keep the Islamic faith she had so devoutly practiced from her early years, fell in love, which changed everything. Resolute to convert her new love, in a search for truth and a deeper knowledge of God, she stumbled upon something beautiful – something she could not ignore.
From Fire, by Water: My Journey to the Catholic Faith
by Sohrab Ahmari
Sohrab Ahmari was a teenager living under the Iranian ayatollahs when he decided that there is no God. Nearly two decades later, he would be received into the Roman Catholic Church. In From Fire, by Water, he recounts this unlikely passage, from the strident Marxism and atheism to a moral and spiritual awakening prompted by the Mass. This book marks the debut of a compelling new Catholic voice.
A Price to Pay: A Muslim Risks All to Follow Christ
by Joseph Fadelle
During his military service, Muhammad, a young Muslim Iraqi from a leading Shiite family, discovers to his dismay that his roommate is a Christian. Muhammad tries to convert his roommate, but he is the one who is converted.
