The following story was shared with us by Justina, one of our contacts in Egypt. She was able to sit down with Badra, who you will read about, and share her story with us. She has asked that we pray for her to be a good encourager to this young lady and other Muslim Background Believers (MBBs) she encounters.
Badra grew up in Sudan. Her father is a very wealthy businessman. He owns a beautiful villa where Badra lives with her brothers and sisters. Private guards surround their large estate, and each of the children has their own car with their own private driver. Badra was raised Muslim, yet because of her dad’s work, in which he travels to many different countries, he is more of a moderate Muslim, unlike Badra’s uncles who are all fanatical Muslims and even Sheiks (a Sheikh is a spiritual leader of Muslims).
From an early age, Badra knew she didn’t like Islam. She saw how her uncles lived and thought they were very hypocritical. “They are Sheiks and do their prayers, preaching, and other religious duties, yet they also are adulterers and drunkards that cheat on their wives, and do many other bad things.”
When Badra was old enough, she was able to attend a nearby college. One of her professors assigned her a research project to compare the differences between women’s rights in Islam and Christianity. Badra believes that her professor thought she would see many negatives on the side of Christianity, and a better view of the Islamic side.
She fully committed to this project. She studied many books, including the Bible, and discovered that in the Christian religion women have many rights. When looking into women’s rights in Islam, she couldn’t find any. Badra wrote about her findings along with her opinions. When she presented her paper to her professor, he became angry. He yelled at her and tore up her papers. He demanded she never show her research to anyone, and she must rewrite it and say nothing negative about Islam.
After such an extreme encounter with her professor, Badra said, “I started to feel there is something very wrong to make the professor become so angry. I questioned why he got so upset about my research. While struggling through these thoughts, I started to read my Bible more, and God started to work on my heart.”
At the same time, “Mary”, a Christian, came into Badra’s life, and over time, Badra came to admire Mary. She said, “She was a really great young girl, the way she dresses, talks, behaves and everything was really proper and nice.” They would meet regularly, and Badra noticed that her own life was changing. She was no longer going to clubs, drinking, and doing other “bad things”. Their friends began to ask her what changed in her life, but she was still Muslim and was unsure how to let people know about her new Christian friend.
Mary stopped showing up to class, so Badra decided to visit her at her home. Mary’s sister was there and informed Badra that “Mary went home to heaven”. This was a shock to Badra. She found herself crying and depressed. She didn’t feel she had anyone she could talk to about it, but she remembered that Mary loved going to church. In hopes of making Mary “happy in heaven,” Badra decided to go to Mary’s church.
That day, the pastor was talking about sin and repentance. She said she didn’t understand all of what he was saying, but she felt peace like she had never known before in her life. Badra began attending the church regularly, and one night she had a dream in which she saw Jesus and He told her to “follow Me”. She shared her dream with the pastor, but the pastor told her that he did not want any problems with her family or the government.
Before long, one of Badra’s uncles saw her coming out of the church. He informed her father. Badra said, “They brought me in the middle, between them and beat me…” After the beating, her father said, “We trust you, and we know you will not do that again”. He was wrong. Badra continued to go to church and grow in her relationship with God.
One day, Badra’s dad walked into her room and found her reading the Bible. He was so angry he beat her again. He then had her locked in the basement where her uncle abused her. He beat her with an iron rod, burned her, stabbed her with nails, and harmed her in many other ways. Her body is marred with many scars, and she still suffers pain throughout her body.
Badra’s family decided to kill her, but because it was during the month of Ramadan (the Islamic holy month), they had to wait. They left her locked in the basement throughout Ramadan. She said, “I stayed 40 days like Jesus, with no food or drinks.” She was given a little water every week, but she exclaimed, “God helped me to survive!”
The last night of Ramadan, during the feast, Badra learned she could open the door! She ran! No one saw her except her younger brother who simply waved goodbye from the balcony of his room. She ran to the church she had been attending. Once again, the pastor told her that he could not help her, but she was able to connect with a friend. This friend let her stay the night, and with help from many people, she was able to acquire a new passport, a new ID, and then escape to Egypt.
For the time being, Badra is safe. Her dad has a lot of money and influence because of his job. He filed reports throughout Egypt and Sudan stating that Badra has a very serious mental illness and if anyone sees her, they should call him immediately. He has shared this report with hospitals and airports. Badra can’t go anywhere, but she feels fine staying in Egypt. She said, “My dad took every penny, all my inheritance, but God is good!”
Badra’s body is scarred, and she lives with a lot of pain, yet her smile and the joy she gives off is nothing short of a miracle. She once was rich, and now has nothing, she lived in a fancy villa, and now has no home of her own, but she has Jesus.
Join us in praying for Badra. Pray that her needs are met, and her relationship with God deepens. Pray also for Justina, for wisdom, guidance, and protection. Pray that as she continues to work in this country, God will provide opportunities and finances.