23-year-old Zemzem* grew up in a Muslim-majority area of northern Ethiopia where you couldn’t imagine leaving your religion.
After converting to Christianity as a student, she was isolated by former friends and cut off from her family. But she was never really alone.
VIDEO SCRIPT
Zemzem* – name changed for security reasons
I told them that I was now a Christian. That I had accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior. At that moment they laughed and were shocked. They asked me, how can you be a Christian when you are a Muslim? How will your parents accept this? How could you convert? Has this really happened?
They began to hate me and gossip about me and they didn’t even want to see me.
My name is Zemzem Hussein. I am 23 years old. I came from the northern part of Ethiopia. The whole city, community and even my family are all Muslims and strong in their faith. There are very few Christians and you have no idea who they even are. So saying you wanted to convert to Christianity was impossible to imagine. You just could not imagine that at all.
However, after Zamzam moved to a new city to study, a Christian friend gave her a Bible and in time she chose to convert.
At the moment I accepted Jesus Christ. I felt great joy inside me. I was prepared to endure all the pressures that came from my family, my friends, and my community. I had Muslim friends, but after they found out that I was a Christian little by little, they drifted away from me.
When they saw me, they treated me rudely and told me that I had insulted their religion. Eventually, those Muslim friends completely isolated me. And then when my family found out about it, my whole community did not accept it at all. No one was willing to accept this.
In Zemzem’s culture Muslims often believe the Christians are paying people to convert.
My family offered to sell the house and give me money thinking that Christians had paid me to convert to Islam. Then they said that if it was for money, I should return it, start a business and live my life. They told me if it is for marriage, then give it up.
I told them it was not for money, for marriage, but because I truly believed. They told me that I had humiliated and disgraced them in their community. So they said, let your God be the one to help you. Everything that they used to provide for me stopped. At the time I had no one to ask for help and I was confused and hurt.
But during that time when I was confused, God was the one who reached out his hand to me and praised God. In that situation, he did not forsake me, but he carried me through that time.
Open Doors local partners stepped in to support Zamzam with her education and rent. She also connected with a church community where her faith could grow.
Together with other believers I study the Bible, pray, and fast. We hold programs each day depending on how peaceful and stable the situation is. Sometimes they come and throw stones at the roof and the door. They just want to disturb us and make us leave the community for another place.
Whatever I face for Christ. I will face it, but I will not turn back many of my. Jesus said that it is not by our strength or power, but by His Spirit. I want to be strong in prayer because I believe that everything is possible through prayer. I firmly believe that God will help me.
People Interviewed and their Titles
Zemzem – name changed for security purposes.
Recording Location
Ethiopia
Organization featured in this Story
Open Doors UK – www.opendoorsuk.org
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