In speaking to Muslim women and hearing stories of their lives, one’s heart can become callous toward Islam and it’s followers whereas in reality, the LORD has called us to love our neighbors. What does that mean especially during their holy month of Ramadan? It means that the LORD is drawing us to pray as well. During this particular time, thousands of Muslim women are bowing their knee and seeking mercy from Allah to free them from the life that now entraps them:

- A slave to a cruel mother-in-law who’s home she was destined to live in after marrying the woman’s son.
- A “used up” wife whose husband who took a second wife because she was younger, prettier and able to still conceive children.
- A school age girl longing to gain an education but is not able to go attend school since her school was burned down because it was a school for “girls.”
- A mother who had 2 sick children die in her arms because they were girls and girls were not wanted or seen as worthy to save.
- An outspoken woman for women’s rights who got acid thrown in her face for standing up for what she believes. She now suffers with painful scars and rejection.
- A young woman who was sent to prison on trumped up charges when in reality her family was shamed because the girl refused to marry the man her family had chosen for her to marry.

Rabbi Akiba in the early second century said, “Neither man without woman, nor woman without man, and neither without the Shekinah.”

Shekinah (Shuh-KI-nuh) means “the glorious presence of God.” Men and women in partnered marriage and ministry manifest the glory of God! The creation story of Genesis 1 and 2 gives a beautiful picture of the marriage God desired for all couples in all cultures. God gave the man and woman the same blessings and responsibilities. He commanded them BOTH to be fruitful, BOTH to increase in number, and BOTH to fill the earth and have dominion over it. He directed the husband and wife to rule the earth together!

God creates woman as the man’s “ezer k’neged,” which means the “equal helper” or “equal strength.” The majority of the time the Old Testament uses the word “ezer,” it refers to God who “helps,” or gives “strength” to humans. “K’neged” means “complementary or equivalent.” By this one phrase, God demonstrates that neither man nor woman is superior – both are equal strengths. Side-by-side, man and woman are designed to live for God’s purposes on earth to advance His glory and redemption!

The Qur’an teaches that woman is inherently inferior to man (Sura 2:228). Sadly, this mindset has negatively influenced most Christians in North Africa and the Middle East. A Middle Eastern pastor said, “It is true that the Islamic culture has influenced Christians more than the Christian community has influenced the Muslims regarding marriage.”

Not just in marriage, but also in the Church, God’s glorious presence is revealed when men and women minister together in unity. Believers in North Africa claim, “Muslim tradition locks women away, but Christian women need to be delivered from the Muslim straightjacket.”

In October 2010 we sat at a table at the Lausanne Congress. A man from Algeria was there and shared how he and his wife co-pastor a church of 200 Algerian Muslim Background Believers. Their testimony of partnership and reconciliation between male and female serves as an example and inspiration for many.

As men and women partner in marriage and ministry, Muslims will see the glory of God on display!

• Pray Christian marriages in North Africa and the Middle East will demonstrate the Shekinah of shared love, respect, honor, and service to one another.
• Pray Christian men will serve with humility and treat women like Jesus did, rather than fulfilling their common cultural expectations.
• Pray Christian women will hear and obey God. Pray they will be courageous when growing in ministry responsibilities.

When Pam and I established the Haven children’s home in Eldoret, Kenya more than six years ago, we brought in three Muslim brothers, Hamisi, Hassan, and Salim. Sadly, their story is not unusual in AIDS riddled sub Saharan Africa. Hamisi is the eldest brother, and when his parents passed away he would milk the family cow, reserve some of the milk for his brothers and himself, and then sell the remainder of the milk for some shillings to buy a little corn meal and greens to make ugali and sukuma wiki. Hamisi is perhaps the most hard working and selfless person I know on this earth!

As we approached our first Christmas with the Haven, Hamisi said to me, “Dad, can we bring my brother Mbarak home to live with us?” I said, “Who is Mbarak?” Unbeknownst to me, there was a fourth brother who had been taken in by their uncle to serve his own family as a slave. This, too, is not an uncommon story in Africa. I told Hamisi, “I wish you had told me about Mbarak before we filled the house with other children.” I pointed out that the only way to provide Mbarak a place to sleep would be to stack a third bunk on top of a set of bunk beds, but if we were to do that, there would be very little clearance between the bed and the ceiling. Without hesitation, Hamisi said, “Dad, I’ll sleep up there if only you’ll bring Mbarak home.”

Pastor Hillary went on our behalf to beseech the uncle to release Mbarak to join his brothers at the Haven. The uncle agreed, and Mbarak joined the Haven family a few days before Christmas 2005. All four of these brothers from a Muslim family placed their faith and confidence in Christ Jesus. These “cousins” became my brothers in Christ. Some well meaning church members counseled me to change the boys’ names because “Hamisi, Mbarak, Hassan, and Salim” are obviously Muslim names. I considered this counsel but decided that to change the boys’ names would have to be their own decision, not mine. The only one who changed his name is Mbarak, and that is another story!

Others will always assume these brothers are Muslims because of their names, but that assumption will simply give them opportunity to share their own testimonies…”We were born into a Muslim family, but we since came to know Christ Jesus. He saved us physically and spiritually. He gave us a family and a home on earth. He has made us children of God and He has prepared a place for us in heaven, and He’s coming back for us!” Amen.

(The other story about Mbarak’s name change…when President Obama was elected, Mbarak began calling himself “Barack” which is simply a variation of Mbarak. Both names are related to the Arabic and Swahili words that mean, “blessing.”)

“I knew for certain that my brother was preferred over me. I was not as valued as him,” stated an Egyptian Christian woman. A veiled Muslim woman shared, “My dream is to feel the wind blowing through my hair.”

Throughout the Middle East, daughters of both Muslim and Christian families, are often valued less than sons. Females receive fewer social and academic privileges and many suffer from low self-esteem. A Middle Eastern TV drama series demonstrates vividly what the Qur’an teaches, “As to those women on whose part you fear disloyalty and ill-conduct, admonish them (first), (next) refuse to share their beds, (and last) beat them” (Sura 4:34).

Islam teaches that God created women inherently inferior to men. While Muslims may say that women and men are equal in some ways, the vast majority believe that men remain “a degree above them (women)” (Sura 2:228). In the contexts of both hard patriarchy and soft patriarchy, domestic abuse commonly occurs. In a 2009 study of Islam in India, over 50% of wives had been hit by their husbands in the last 2 years, and over 90% claimed to have been hit at some point over the course of their marriage.

Additionally, “honor killings” make up 25% of all murder cases in Jordan, which actually sanctions killings of “honor.” Article 340 of the Jordanian criminal code states that family members who murder because they are “suspicious of adultery will be totally exempt from sentence.” When a woman is raped and therefore brings “shame” on the family, if she is murdered Article 98 guarantees light sentences for the murderer (usually 3 months to 1 year).

A spiritual veil keeps Muslim women in darkness. As *Rana began to seek Truth, the veil of Islam’s culture and teaching slowly lifted from her heart. She saw that Islamic courts considered the testimony of two women equal to one man, and she observed from the Qur’an that “a woman lacks the insight and religious commitment of a man.” She further learned that Mohammed reportedly stated, ‘I was shown hell-fire and the majority of its dwellers are women.” As Rana became dissatisfied with these unjust religious teachings, she read in the Bible that God made both men and woman “in His image.” Rana counted the cost and gave her allegiance to Jesus.

Women of the Muslim world have some of the least access to Jesus due to illiteracy, persecution, and lack of opportunity. Millions would be thrilled to know that Jesus says that it is not just women who give birth to baby boys who are honored and blessed, but all who “hear the word of God and obey it” (Luke 11:28).

• Pray for Muslim women to understand what their religion teaches about women.
• Pray that women will seek the Truth of Jesus, and that the veil will be lifted from their hearts and minds. Pray for an abundant spiritual harvest among Muslim women.
• Pray that Christian men and women will demonstrate accurately how Jesus values women.

There are over 200,000 international students currently studying in the USA. Thousands of them are Muslims who are coming from many different countries with varying degrees of openness to the gospel. The students who come here earn top marks in their universities, often come from wealthy families and are on the path to becoming some of the most influential people in their countries in the years ahead.