Fatima grew up in a Muslim family in Saudi Arabia. From a child her chief desire was to know and live for God. She belonged to a distinguished Bedouin tribe in the Province of Qassim. From her childhood she was a brilliant student who had the ability to learn off by heart all she heard at school. This led her mother to enrol her in a Koranic school which emphasised religious instruction. She soon became a devout Muslim who practised her faith meticulously. She dressed in the traditional black hijab and niquab, and she fasted every Monday and Thursday. She refused to join her family in watching television or listening to secular music. She isolated herself almost completely and had no friends her own age. She sought to find and serve God in this manner and to find satisfaction by it. Because of this her mother deeply regretted sending her to this school so placed her in a public school. As a result Fatima fell into a deep depression accompanied by headaches. Soon she returned to a normal life with her family and began to live life like other girls her own age but would still listen to strong Islamic teachings. She went through religious duties but found that her heart was far from God. Finally she found and read the Holy Gospels. She wept as she read. The Lord was speaking to her heart. She cried out, “But you are my God! It’s you I’m looking for since my childhood…Where are you Lord?” She later wrote, “I was searching the Bible for Jesus. When I started reading the Bible, Jesus attracted me. I saw a huge difference between what I knew about Mohammad and what I was reading about Jesus…While I was reading the Bible, I felt that God was very near, that there were no barriers between us and that I had no fears…What really attracted me to the Bible was Jesus’ story; in my view, this is the greatest story in human history.” She read Matthew’s Gospel four times and what impacted her most and led to her conversion was the Sermon on the Mount. She downloaded a copy of Matthew and kept it in her purse at all times. She saw for the first time that God was good and merciful, that He loved her and sent His Son to die for her on the Cross. Her Christian friend warned her that she was in danger of the death penalty if she declared her conversion to Christianity openly in Saudi Arabia. In 2007 she arranged to travel to France where she was baptized in water as a Christian. Upon her return she continued as a secret Christian. She maintained contact with a Christian ministry called “The Voice of Martyrs” and read Christian books online. In July 2008, several days before her death, she found herself in a heated argument with her parents and two brothers who now were beginning to suspect something. Her brother called her to repent. After visiting her uncle’s house that night she returned home at one o’clock in the morning to find her room open and her laptop gone. She found it with her brother who had been reading her personal journal which revealed her journey from Islam to Christ. She took it off him, returned to her room, and emailed her friends concerning her fears. “Don’t worry as, the Lord is with me. He is my light and salvation so from whom do I fear?” This was her last communication. After this her brother tortured her and then beat her to death. It was several days before news got out of her martyrdom. She was only 26 years old but a faithful and fervent follower of Christ.
The Persecution of Christians Part 17
