They Cry in Silence Nov/Dec 2006
Some of you will remember the terrible atrocity we wrote about last year when radical Islamists in Indonesia beheaded three Christian schoolgirls on their way to class-es. Although the tragedy did not touch the hearts or headlines of news agencies in the Western world, fellow Christians prayed for the victims’ families and others in Indonesia who were suffering for their faith.
Perhaps the single greatest tragedy in the entire story of global violence against believers is the affliction forced on innocent children and young adults by Muslim terrorists determined to eliminate everyone whom they deem to be infidels.
A recent article by WorldNetDaily. com titled “Christian Pakistani Teen Escapes Death” gives us yet another chilling account of the horrific situations confronting young people who choose faith in Christ in a world we little understand.
It is the story of a Pakistani girl called Diana who grew up in a strict Islamic family. Her early years might be termed typical until she met a girl named Mary who was a Christian. Although difficult to do in an Islamic country like Pakistan, Mary’s life and testimony evidently evoked the New Testament principle of drawing others to Christ through a life of commitment to Him. Consequently, Diana became a believer in Jesus and began life as a new creature in Christ.
Her joy, however, was soon clouded by the hostility of her Muslim family. First came the beatings and insistence that she recant her faith and return to Islam. After she repeatedly refused to do so, an uncle decided to take matters into his own hands. He forced the girl to accompany him to a local canal where he had more than beatings in mind. He took out a pistol, pressed it to her head, and gave her one last chance to return to Islam or be shot. Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) reported that Diana courageously replied, “You can kill me if you want. I will not leave Christ.”
According to a spokesperson for VOM, “It was then that Diana’s uncle noticed an extremely poisonous black cobra swimming in the canal. Believing he could escape any prosecution for his niece’s death, he threw her into the path of the cobra.” Miraculously, Diana, unable to swim, escaped and fled.
Today Diana has joined the host of former Muslims whose faith in Jesus has forced them into hiding in order to save their lives. WorldNetDaily said she recently told VOM, “Jesus was crucified for us. Can we not endure some of the same for Him?”
Her words should be an inspiration to all of us, as well as a reminder of what so many young Christians have taught us over the centuries: Youth is no hindrance to courage, nor does it diminish the ability to stand with the Lord in the darkest of times or during the most significant tests of our personal faith.
