Pakistan: Former Muslim Shares His Stories Of Persecution After Coming To Faith In Christ

Matthew 7:7-8, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

When Masood knocked on the door of Truth, it was Christ who answered …

By Marian Rizzo, Ocala Star-Banner – “Buried alive, nearly beheaded and jailed numerous times, Steven Masood acknowledged he has many reasons to be bitter over the persecutions he says he suffered in Pakistan for having turned from his Muslim faith to Christianity. But after finding freedom in America eight years ago, he says he is filled with words of gratitude on this Thanksgiving weekend.

‘First of all, I am thankful to God,’ Masood said. ‘Had it not been for the food sent from America and Canada to the northern region of Pakistan, my generation, at that time, back in the ’60s, would have died. Secondly, I am thankful that these American missionaries brought us spiritual food. God already sent someone to die for me. So, I’m thankful for that, as well.’

Born into an Islamic reformist sect called Ahmadiyya, Masood left home at 18 to become a Sunni Muslim. Prior to that, he had received Christian Bibles in the Urdu language on separate occasions. They were immediately taken from him. Even though he continued studying the principles of Islam and memorized the entire Quran, Masood began to question the tenets of his faith. While a student of Islamic studies, he faced persecution from other college students for speaking out, he said.

‘I would say, ‘No, that is wrong,’ and I would get myself in trouble by telling the truth,’ Masood said. ‘One day, Muslim students at the same university drugged me and buried me alive in an open grave in the graveyard.’

Masood believes his escape was something of a miracle.

‘It was the rainy season,’ he said. ‘In the middle of the night, the monsoon rain came. The graveyard was at the bottom of the hill, the reservoir overflowed from the top. Not only was it full of water, but more rain came and washed away everything, including the grave where I was. I started breathing in and became aware that I was going to be drowned in the water. I was floating. I didn’t know how to swim. I started worrying about what should I do. There was a big banyan tree. I climbed in it and sat there. Anyway, God saved my life. The next day, I was reading in the newspaper that 238 people died because of the monsoon rain, and you can imagine, here I was alive.’

When Masood announced his concerns about Islam to his family, his father disowned him. According to Masood, his father dragged him by the collar into the street where a Muslim priest uttered a funeral prayer over him. His hands bound, he was placed on a donkey and was about to be beheaded when the donkey became agitated and ran off. Masood believes God protected him again that day.

Suppressing fear for his life, Masood continued to seek answers, he said.

‘The more I wanted to be a good Muslim, the more I had these questions, but there was no assurance for me,’ Masood said. ‘I was performing all the prayers and everything. I was studying the traditions of Islam. Mohammad said, ‘By works we will not be saved.’ So, people asked him, ‘What about you?’ And he said, ‘Even I, unless God covers me with his grace and mercy.’ So, here I was, searching for that grace and mercy. I was so upset, because nobody was telling me the truth.’

In December 1971, while India and Pakistan were warring over what is now Bangladesh, Masood huddled in the dark as shells fell all around. Afterward, he went to a church in Karachi. The pastor gave him a Bible and Masood spent the next two years studying it.” Read more.

Exposing The Qur’an: Islam’s ‘Holy Book’ Teaches A Flat Earth

Ephesians 5:11, “… have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.”

If the “holy” Qur’an were truly holy it would need to be divine in origin, and to be divine in origin would, by definition, necessitate that any and all its claims be free from error, be they historical or scientific. In the case of science, it has shown us that the sun does not set in a spring of murky water. The Qur’an says otherwise (Sura 18:86). Science discovered that the earth revolves around the sun, not the other way around. The Qur’an says otherwise (Sura 21:33; 36:38, 40 and 91:1-2). Science discovered that the stars are not close to us. The Qur’an says otherwise (Sura 37:6). Science discovered that the moon does not emit light but rather reflects it. The Qur’an says otherwise (Sura 71:16). Science discovered that the earth did not exist before the creation of the universe. The Qur’an says otherwise (Sura 2:29). Science discovered that male sperm comes from the testicles, not from between the backbone and the ribs. The Qur’an says otherwise (Sura 86:6-7). Science discovered that flesh is formed before bones. But, again, the Qur’an says otherwise (Sura 23:14). We can go on and on, but these blatant errors alone (that Muslims are forced to somehow rationalize and explain away) all beg the following question: How on “Allah’s” flat earth can any reasonable human being believe an error-filled book like the Qur’an, a book that isn’t even arranged chronologically yet tells its followers to ignore earlier verses?  …

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From Zekeriya Kazvinî’s “Acaib-ül Mahlûkat” (The Wonders of Creation). Translated into Turkish from Arabic. Istanbul: ca. 1553. This map depicts “a traditional Islamic projection of the world as a flat disk surrounded by the sundering seas which are restrained by the encircling mountains of Qaf”.

By Ibn Kammuna, Islam Watch – “Muslims claim that the Qur’an mentioned the shape of the earth to be like an egg in the 7th century, long before modern science discovered this fact. Such a scientific fact, and similar ones, Muslims claim, convince us of the divine origin of the Qur’an.

On the other hand, many non-Muslims claim that the Qur’an did not mention the above fact at all. In fact, to the contrary, the Qur’an specifies that the earth is flat, thus reiterating false scientific fact believed by the 7th century humans.

Who is correct? And who is not? This article aims at answering such a question. I will divide this article into the following sections:

Logical analysis of Muslims claims

What are the Qur’anic verses involved in this controversy, and what is their interpretations by a major Tafsir; Jalalyn

Substantive conclusion

1) Logical Analysis of the Muslims claims

According to Muslims, the Qur’an says that the earth is shaped like an egg. Modern science affirms this fact. The Qur’an affirmed this scientific fact in the sixth century, long before modern science discovered this fact. Hence, the Qur’an must have a divine origin.

Let us formulate this claim in its argument form:

Premise 1 : Modern science shows that the earth is shaped like an egg

Premise 2: This scientific fact was not known to any human, and impossible to be known for any human, in the 6th century

Premise 3: The Qur’an mentioned this fact in the 6th century

Conclusion: The Qur’an must have a divine origin

Needless to say this argument is invalid. The conclusion does not follow from the premises. Even if one accepts all the above mentioned premises, one isn’t obliged at all to accept its conclusion. There is no relation between a book containing a scientific fact that is ahead of its times, and the claimed divine origin of such a book. I can believe that the Qur’an is a unique wonder in the world, and not believe at all of its divine origin.

So, it seems clear that a Muslim cannot convince any person of the divine origin of the Qur’an based on claimed scientific facts contained in the Qur’an. There is no logical connection between the ‘science’ of the Qur’an, and claiming the Qur’an as a divine book.

2- What are the Qur’anic verses involved in this controversy, and what is their interpretation by a major Tafsir; Jalalyn

The following Qur’anic verses, with their related Tafsir quotes, do speak about the earth formation

Syria: Islamists Attacking Christian Children, Schools In An Effort To Rid Country Of Christianity

John 16:2b-3, “… the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.”

By Elisa Pinna, ANSAmed – “A young Syrian Christian MP has accused rebel forces of targeting children and schools in government-held areas, especially ones with a Christian-majority population.

Some 11,000 children have already died in the conflict, but the Syrian deputy Maria Saadeh – in Rome to meet with Pope Francis and raise awareness in the West about ‘what is really happening in Syria’ – said they have now become a target for Al-Qaeda-linked and jihadist groups fighting to overthrow the Damascus regime. ‘There have been five attacks alone on Christian schools over the past few days, injuring and killing children,’ she said, claiming that it is a strategy ‘to get Christians – who are secular and moderate – to flee the country.’ Some 450,000 of the just over two million Christians in Syria have left the country. Saadeh blames the media for the slanted take on what happens in Syria. ‘It is not a war against the regime, as the international media has long portrayed it to be, but a war to destroy the Syrian State by a group of extremists and criminals controlled by foreign powers,’ she said. The deputy did not want to identify with the regime, but said that the top priority right now is to defend the State. ‘If the Syrian State collapses, it will mean the total disintegration of the country,’ leaving 23 million citizens without wages, pensions, schools or healthcare in the hands of Al Qaeda-linked groups that are dreaming of a ‘Sunni caliphate’. Saadeh said that the rebels are destroying ‘the country’s administrative facilities, factories, agro-food system, and archeological sites.’ ‘How can the West think that the killings, the car bombs, the attacks on civilians and the beheadings,’ she asked, ‘are synonymous with democracy?'” Read more.

Flashback: Syria: At Least 9 Children Killed After Islamist Rebel Mortars Hit Christian School, Bus In Damascus – “Nine children were killed and 27 people wounded when mortar rounds hit a school and a school bus in the Syrian capital Damascus on Monday, state television reported. ‘The toll in the terrorist targeting of the St. John of Damascus school with mortar rounds has risen to five dead, all of them children, and 27 injured,’ a news alert on Syrian state television said. Another four students were killed when a mortar hit the vehicle they were in …” Read more.

Flashback: Video: Syrian Rebel Admits Using Chemical Weapons, ‘We’ll Kill Their Women And Children’ – “Looks like America’s Islamist ‘allies’ in Syria have already crossed President ‘I-Didn’t-Set-A-Red-Line‘ Obama’s red line long ago. Unfortunately for many lawmakers, even news like this will not be enough to sober up the ‘inebriated johns’ who continually rationalize the irrational …” Read more.

Flashback: Syria: Thousands Of Families Flee, Children Crying In Fear As Islamists Besiege Two Villages In Search Of Christians To Kill – “Islamist rebels besieged two Christian villages in Syria, killing around 13 people and forcing thousands of families to evacuate their homes… 60 armed vehicles entered Saddad: ‘As the vehicles and armed personnel made their way through the streets, the shouting of ‘Allah Akbar’ [‘Allah is great’] and the touting of the Quran made it clear to both permanent and displaced that their time of relative tranquility was quickly coming to an end.'” Read more.

Flashback: US-Backed Syrian Rebels Reportedly Massacre Christian Village, Including Women And Children – “Members of the Free Syrian Army reportedly attacked the Christian-dominated al-Duvair village in Reef on the outskirts of Homs on Monday, where they massacred its citizens, including women and children, before the Syrian Army interfered… The U.S. and other Western governments that are backing the FSA have acknowledged the presence of jihadists but insist that they’re only a small part of the rebel movement. However, al-Qaeda and other Islamic extremist groups have been at the front of the rebel movement since day one of the Syrian war …” Read more.