North African society is predominantly Muslim and families often turn on those who reject their traditional beliefs.
SCRIPT:
*Batoul
I thought it would be easy to be a Christian. I was mistaken.
North African society is predominantly Muslim, and families often turn on those who reject their traditional beliefs. But when Batoul chose as a girl to follow Jesus, she didn’t imagine the suffering that would follow.
Batoul
I was so excited to tell my mother and sisters that my mother thought it was just a teenage phase.
But then they saw that I was persevering. My sisters beat me and said, how much did you get paid to be an infidel? They told my mother to beat me with a cane and said that she hadn’t raised me well. My family would say, you are not allowed to sit and eat with us.
In my culture, we eat from the same plate. So I felt like an animal eating alone. But that was their intention.
As Batoul so grew old enough to get a job she also encountered opposition at work.
Batoul
I had to hide my faith to keep my job. But they realized that I wasn’t a Muslim.
They began to harass me. They pushed me so hard that I had to quit my job.
Faced with all these troubles Batoul came to feel as if Jesus wasn’t with her anymore and she lost all hope. But then she met Open Doors local partner *Youseff, who taught her about persecution and invited her to his house, church.
Batoul
Jesus intervened. He chose the person to intervene who brought me back on track. Before I met him, I was in darkness. Meeting brother Youseff was like a candle leading the way. I don’t feel alone anymore. But sometimes I still feel the pain. Every time I feel this pain, I cry. But I also pray.
It’s through prayer that I can get through this. In the end, I made my decision that I will follow Jesus no matter how hard my experiences. I am staying with Christ. Although my misery isn’t yet over, Jesus has filled my heart with hope, joy, and love.
]*Names changed for security reasons.
Story Provided By:
Open Doors UK
Recording Location
North Africa
Reporter / Producer
Peter Wooding
Organization featured in this Story
Open Doors UK – www.opendoorsuk.org
People Interviewed and their Titles
Batoul* – name changed for security reasons.
EN 
ES