Manaar*, a 21-year-old Somali woman living in Sweden, first heard about Jesus from a classmate.
Wanting to know more, she read the Bible, comparing it with the Qur’an. ‘In the Qur’an there is no love. In the Bible there is the love of Christ,’ she concluded.
When Manaar became a believer, word quickly spread among her family and fundamentalist Islamic neighbourhood. Even an aunt living in the States got involved. ‘You’re a shame to the family. You must come back to Islam,’ she wrote her niece.
Despite the pressure, Manaar didn’t budge. ‘Have you even read the Bible?’ she challenged her family members. ‘Do you even know what you’re talking about? Have you read the Qur’an?’ In fact, they had not read either book, so Manaar sent them electronic copies of both to study for themselves before chastising her.
Her mother, however, would not give up pressuring Manaar to return to Islam. She arranged for three men to speak to her daughter: a 25-year-old Somali Muslim, a former Hindu-turned-Muslim, and a Swedish theologian who had also converted to Islam.
Not swayed
Manaar agreed to speak with the men on one condition – that her mother come with her to church. The mother accompanied her daughter to a service, but she was not impressed with the African congregation. Likewise, Manaar was not swayed by the arguments the three men proffered. Later, she overhead one of the men in the kitchen telling her mother: ‘This will be a hard nut to crack.’
Following the failed attempt with the three men, Manaar’s mother also asked the local Imam to speak to her daughter. Again, Manaar agreed with a condition: that the Imam join her at church.
The girl continues to be a bold witness to those around her.
