Hamas member's son changed by Jesus’ message

By Carla Hinton Comments 1
Published: October 10, 2009

ENID — Sitting in the balcony of Emmanuel Baptist Church this past Sunday, I saw the faces of many of the people who had come to hear Mosab Hassan Yousef’s testimony.

Yousef held the crowd captive with his Gospel message.

His story was compelling in one sense because he is the son of a member of Hamas, the group in control of the Gaza Strip. He spoke of seeing his father go in and out of Israeli prisons. He also spoke of his own desires to follow in the older man’s footsteps as a Muslim leader.

A crisis of faith when Yousef himself was imprisoned caused him to question everything he had been taught about Islam.

I, like others in the Emmanuel audience, wondered what had made this young man who had been the leader of an Islamic student movement turn from all he had known since his birth in the West Bank.

Yousef said it was Jesus’ simple yet radical words found in Scripture that most Christians know as the Sermon on the Mount: "love your enemies.”

What made Yousef’s story seem so much more compelling was the knowledge that his public acknowledgement of his conversion has placed his life in danger from radical Islamic extremists.

Upon reflection, I wondered how many among us have converted to a different faith. What courage it must take to make such a decision.

Yousef, who now goes by "Joseph,” obviously has much courage in wearing his faith on his sleeve.

His conversion set him at odds with everything he had once stood for with the exception of the love of his family.

Yousef, 31, said he had an opportunity to speak to his imprisoned father recently, and they have entered into a dialogue about their beliefs. He said his father was very hurt by his conversion when he learned of it years ago, but "we still love each other.”

"I am Christian. He is Muslim. We are still family,” he said.

If you have converted to a different faith or perhaps you have changed from one Christian denomination to another, I’d like to hear your story. E-mail me at chinton@opubco.com or write to Carla Hinton, c/o The Oklahoman, P.O. Box 25125, Oklahoma City, OK 73125. Please include a daytime phone number. Your information may be used for a future story.