Former Muslim Hopes to Take Gospel Into the Heart of Islam
by Chad Groening
April 15, 2005
(AgapePress) - The president of a ministry dedicated to sharing the love of Christ with Muslims says Christians must not be afraid to go into mosques with the gospel. As a former Muslim, she is doing exactly that -- even though, under strict Islamic tenets, it could mean a death sentence.A year and a half ago, Zennah Ministries president W.L. Cati led a group of Christians into the Islamic Center of Sarasota and Bradenton, Florida. Since that venture, she has visited several other mosques in places like Idaho, New Jersey, and all over Florida.
Normally, Cati points out, it would be dangerous for a former Muslim to go into a mosque. In traditional Islam, a follower who converts to another religion is guilty of apostasy, an offense punishable in some Islamic states by ostracism or even execution. But even though it could mean the death penalty for her, Cati says, "I know that, but I'm bold enough that I believe nothing can touch me without my Father God's permission."
The head of Zennah Ministries believes visiting mosques and other Islamic centers is an excellent way to fulfill purposes of her ministry, which include reaching out to Muslims in love and proclaiming the truth of the gospel. "It just opens these incredible doors," she says, "and so I get to share, and it usually creates an audience. And I've been even ushered into some of the top imams in the country."
Cati says Christians must not be afraid to carry out the Great Commission, even if they are called to travel into the pit of hell. She says believers "tend to walk by fear and say, 'We can't, we can't.' Nobody says we can't. I would encourage people -- always in the name of Jesus, and only if you're called, and it has to be in a spirit of love -- to go. The Bible says to go."
The ministry founder says people often ask her how she goes into a mosque. Her answer? "Well, I walk in, just like anybody else," she says. "Of course, being a woman, I do put the cover on and do the necessary things, and walk in and just kind of sit in the back and not really participate. But it never fails -- someone's going to come up to me and ask me, 'Hi -- how are you?'"
After the typical greeting, Cati says most times the first question she gets asked when visiting a mosque is "Are you a Muslim?" To that, she says she usually responds, "'Well, no; I'm not, but I used to be.' And, as I say that, I know that's the death penalty for me."
But the Christian convert continues to witness, walking in God's protection. Each visit marks another step in her quest to carry the gospel of Jesus Christ to every mosque in America -- an evangelistic vision that has already taken her into the heart of many Muslim venues and even into the presence of some of the most prominent imams in the country.
Chad Groening, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
