What’s Ramadan like when you’re the only Christian in your Muslim family?

Christians from a Muslim background can be particularly vulnerable to persecution and discrimination during Ramadan. Here are two stories of converts for whom Ramadan is a difficult month.

Ramadan can be a difficult time. For Christians who have converted from Islam, it is a period during which their new faith comes under particular scrutiny. Secret believers might be exposed for not joining in with Ramadan fasting, and converts may face a time of particular pressure to return to Islam. For many, this pressure and persecution comes from their own family. That’s what Elisya* in Asia and Sharifa* in Sri Lanka face each year.

Anger and sorrow from Elisya’s family

“The way my family took the news of me becoming a believer was worse than I expected,” shares Elisya. “My father tried to kill himself. He believed he had failed as a father – as someone who failed to educate his daughter about religion.”

Elisya grew up in a Muslim home, but gradually drifted away from practising the faith of her family. She was doing well at a demanding corporate job, but often felt a sense of emptiness. Then, one day, a Christian friend invited her to church. In her country in Asia – which we can’t name, for security reasons – being a Christian is legal, but converting from Islam to Christianity is illegal and very dangerous. But when Elisya encountered the love of Christ at the church, she knew she had to choose Him. Overjoyed, she made that decision – and has steadfastly followed Him ever since.

‘Rewards’ in Ramadan

Eventually, after several months, Elisya’s family stopped being so angry with her. “They still believe that I’ve made a mistake,” says Elisya, “and they still believe that, in the future, I will revert back to Islam.”

During Ramadan, it becomes clearer than ever that Elisya is on a different path from her family. While her family fast from dawn until sunset, Elisya doesn’t join in. She sees the contrast between her family’s faith and the grace that is offered by Jesus.

Muslims believe that the rewards for good deeds are calculated and granted at the end of their life, and this determines their eligibility to enter into heaven. “During Ramadan, they believe the reward is multiplied,” explains Elisya. “Sometimes two times, ten times or even a hundred times.”  By contrast, Elisya knows wholeheartedly that no work of her hand would ever grant her access into heaven, and it is only possible through the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

“It’s a reminder that I’m not alone”

Despite opposition, and the danger she could face for converting from Islam, Elisya remains unwavering as a follower of Jesus. A local Open Doors partner supports Elisya with legal advice and guidance. She has to keep her faith secret from most people, and so it is especially valuable to her to know that Open Doors supporters are standing with her in prayer. That’s particularly true during Ramadan, when her new faith can make her feel very isolated.

“I am happy knowing that so many of you are lifting me up in prayer,” she says. “It’s a reminder that I’m not alone on this journey.”

A painful Ramadan

For Sharifa in Sri Lanka, choosing to leave Islam and become a Christian was initially straightforward. She chose to follow Jesus in 2018, and her parents accepted her decision. That all changed during Ramadan in 2021.

“During that time, my dad woke me up at 3am every day and forced me to eat and pray,” remembers Sharifa. “He told me to pray [Islamic prayers] five times every day, just like they did, and he forced me to cover my head with a shawl.”

Most painful of all was Sharifa’s mother. She had declared her new Christian faith at the same time that Sharifa converted – but, during Ramadan 2021, decided to return to Islam. Sharifa was now the only Christian in her family, and her father saw the opportunity to increase his opposition. “He told me that he will beat me if he finds me on the way to the church,” says Sharifa.

Sharifa’s choice

By the end of the Ramadan season, Sharifa’s parents gave her an ultimatum. “They told me that if I continue to be Christian, they will not treat me as their child.” It was a shocking thing to hear. “I prayed for three days and told them that I would continue to follow the Lord,” says Sharifa.

Just like her parents had stated, she does not get treated as their daughter even to this day: “Recently, I heard my mom telling someone over the phone that I was not a part of their family because I was a Christian.”

Sharifa’s parents’ efforts to forcibly convert her to Islam have escalated over the years. She still lives with them, but often they refuse to let her share their food. They lock her out when she goes to church. She has to read her Bible in secret, in the middle of the night.

And tensions are heightened every Ramadan. Sharifa lives with the fear that her parents will force her to take part in Islamic rituals, and that their rejection will be even more evident during the month.

Please keep praying

Sharifa has seen a change in her own attitude, since local Open Doors partners supported her study at Bible school in 2022. She says: “Before going to the Bible school, I reacted furiously towards my parents when they forced me to convert to Islam, but now I have learned to be patient and even share the gospel with them in any possible way.”

Both Sharifa and Elisya – and countless other Christians who have converted from Islam – need our prayers during Ramadan. Please pray, so that they know they are not alone during a period of particular vulnerability and opposition.

*Name changed for security reasons