Karwan’s friends and family became enraged when he placed his trust in Christ.
“They started a fire to burn my books,” he said, “especially my Arabic Bible.” Karwan cut one Bible into pieces so he could hide it more easily.
Although Karwan’s family tried to force him to return to Islam, he continued to study God’s Word and tell others about his new faith.
Then, one day the local security chief summoned Karwan for a talk. “Why are you living here?” the official asked. “You know radicals are planning to kill you. One day, they will kill you.”
Seeing the wisdom of the man’s warning, Karwan reluctantly decided to leave his hometown. After moving, however, he resumed witnessing for Christ and growing in faith. And as he studied the Bible through a correspondence course, he felt the Lord leading him to start a church.
Most of the people who have become followers of Christ through Karwan’s ministry are former Muslims who rejected Islam in search of the true God. His church has grown to more than 100 members.
Local officials, however, have closed Karwan’s church several times. And radical Muslims regularly send him abusive and threatening messages through the internet. He said a typical warning is, “If I knew where you lived, I would come kill you.” Someone once hacked into the church’s website, deleted all the contacts and conversations, and posted a large image of the ISIS flag.
Regardless of the pressures that he faces, Karwan is determined to share the gospel. He regularly reminds his church members of Christ’s example. “They were looking to kill [Christ],” Karwan said. “We are not higher than our teacher. If he died, if he was executed, of course it will happen for us. It is normal.”