Facing Violence and Opposition
“Since then, I started to see how the Lord is working and how he is protecting me,” Amal said. She needed protection often. In addition to her mother burning her Bibles, her brother assaulted her when she was eighteen.
One night, after visiting a Christian in a hospital, she returned home late.
“Where were you?” he demanded.
“At the hospital.”
“No, you are lying. You were at a service.”
Surprised that her brother even knew the term for a gathering of Jesus followers, she repeated that she had been at the hospital. He grabbed her and smashed her head into a window, berating her with a torrent of words.
When her father arrived, she hoped he would intervene. Instead, he began to beat her too. She fled to the bathroom, but her brother dragged her into her bedroom and slapped her in the face. She fainted.
Family Tragedy and Healing
When she awoke, her family was in anguish—her father had just had a stroke. They blamed Amal and confined her to her room for two weeks, restricting her food and access to her phone and identification. Her health deteriorated, and she fainted a second time. The family finally took her to the hospital, where medical workers suspected child abuse and contacted the police. Amal chose not to reveal the truth to the authorities. “I wanted to be like a testimony and prove that I am God’s daughter,” she said.
After recovering, Amal moved out and attended a Bible college, telling her family she was studying social work. On her graduation day, her father picked her up and thrust a newspaper at her, having seen a story and photograph of her earning a theology degree. “Just ask God that your brother won’t see the photo,” he stated. He did not speak to her for two months.
Courageous Leadership
Despite her family’s violent response to her faith, Amal returned home and led three of her sisters and her younger brother (not the one who attacked her) to the Lord. Slowly, healing has come to her family. Her parents now accept her faith, even though they do not personally embrace it. Her older brother is married and no longer lives with the family, though he still threatens her. “I am just waiting to do something to hurt you,” he has warned.
Amal now leads a group of people in their twenties who have converted from Islam to Christianity. The obstacles she has overcome testify to the depth and strength of her faith.
THE END
Date: 23rd August 2025
Martyr: Amal
Location: Israel
Source: The Voice of the Martyrs ‘I am n’
Author: Not Specified
Suffering Saturday 157
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