In some Islamic countries it is illegal for a Muslim to officially change his or her religion without the fear of some kind of retribution from family, relatives, friends, community or officials. In some Arab countries it is common for a person that is sentenced for the crime of apostasy (usually one who has become Christian) to receive the death penalty.

In the Islamic world, Jordan is known as being one of the more moderate countries, however, a recent decision by Jordan’s Appeal Court highlights more of what it is really like.

In an historic case (the first such one), a young married man by the name of Samer was found guilty of changing his religion from Muslim to Christian. Samer became a follower of Jesus 10 years ago. As a result life was made very difficult for him by the authorities and all his ‘rights’ were taken from him.

Samer appealed to the Courts for justice and that his rights should be restored to him. He confessed to the court that he was a Christian and stated that he believed he had the right to be a Christian, to have a Christian wife and bring his children up as Christians.

In the judgment handed down by the Jordanian Appeal Court, Samer has had all his rights removed except his right to return to Islam. If he is willing to return to Islam then all his rights will be restored.

Here is the written sentence of the judge of Samer’s case which was supplied to us by a well-known Christian leader in Jordan who has known Samer for many years. It has been signed and approved by the Appeal Court. This sentence is far worse than the local believers thought would be handed down.

“Given in the name of King Abdullah II of Jordan:

Because Samer has refused to return to Islam and he is therefore an apostate:-
a. He is stripped of all rights
b. His marriage is annulled, whether his wife is Muslim or of another religion
c. All documents he has signed, including his marriage certificate, are annulled
d. Because he is a backslider, he has no religion, he cannot follow any religion,
and can only return to Islam
e. He has no right to have an inheritance from anyone
f. He has no right as a husband as he has been separated from his wife
g. He cannot re-marry his wife unless he returns to Islam
h. The judgement would not take effect until it was signed the Appeal Court
i. It was signed by the Appeal Court on 25/1/2005.”

The Christian leader continued, “What this means for Samer is:-

 · That all his rights have been removed (i.e. no human rights), this includes
 · his right to marriage (he is not even allowed to stay with his present wife),
 · his right of having children (therefore his child can be taken and given to another Muslim),
 · he may be placed in a mental institution, and his life is in very real danger.
 · when he needs to renew his Identify Card it would be marked to reflect the above.”

At the present time, Samer has found refuge by being in another nearby country but his future will remain uncertain. Samer can be deported to Jordan or he may be found by his brother who seeks to harm him.

This decision also means that authorities will be likely to take further action against other Muslim Background Believers (MBBs).

This decision makes us very concerned for other MBBs here. Already they have been hassled and sought to be intimidated by authorities in Jordan for a number of years. Also other Christians, including pastors, who associate with these MBBs have been hassled and called in for questioning and interrogation by the authorities.

Our brothers and sisters in Jordan and the Middle East region would ask us to remember them and pray for them.

Please pray that –
a. the believers in the Jordanian Church will know the Lord’s leading in what
steps to take and have courage to do so
b. Samer, his wife and child, will be safe and know his leading
c. all believers, especially MBBs, will not be afraid and will stand firm in the Lord
d. all will be encouraged as they see how the Lord can turn this situation around
e. this will not hinder church growth, but cause increasing growth
f. this will bring glory to our Lord and Saviour
g. the verdict will be overturned by some means

For those of us who do not live under the rule of Islam the above is often difficult to comprehend. It is hard to fully understand this in the west. This decision only confirms how restrictive Islamic authorities can sometimes be.

Middle East Christian Outreach (MECO) has sought to stand prayerfully alongside Samer in his ordeal. We also encourage and call upon believers in Australia to pray for our brothers and sisters in similar situations and countries.

Rev Richard Coombs