The Qur’an says “There is no compulsion in religion” (2:256). However, what constitutes “compulsion” is in the eye of the beholder. The institutionalized subjugation of the dhimma, with its regular humiliation and harassment, from which one can be freed for the simple price of converting to Islam, is not considered compulsion.
“Christian Man Jailed, Forced to Convert to Islam,” International Christian Concern, April 29, 2024:
4/29/2024 Nigeria (International Christian Concern) — Zachariah, a Christian living in Nigeria, has been imprisoned since January and was forced to convert to Islam to be reunited with his family.
In a recent interview with International Christian Concern, Abishag Sambo, an attorney working to help persecuted Christians living in Nigeria, discussed the details of the case.
Sambo explained that Zachariah met and married a formerly Muslim woman whose name will remain anonymous for security reasons. The woman converted to Christianity before she met Zachariah. After the two married, they had three children and lived as a family for seven years. Zachariah and his wife are in their late 20s, Sambo said.
The woman’s parents never accepted her conversion to Christianity. According to Sambo, “because she married a Christian,” her parents filed a police report claiming Zachariah had abducted their daughter and forced her to convert.
“Before we knew it, Zachariah was arrested by the police and then taken to the Shariah court,” Sambo explained. “It was at the Shariah court that they sentenced him … There was no legal representation … nobody to stand for him. He was just all alone … They sentenced him and took him straight to jail.”
Sambo was notified of the case, and due to Zachariah’s status as a Christian, she was able to move it from the Islamic Shariah court to a non-religious magistrate court.
The magistrate court, however, was not sympathetic to Zachariah’s case. It rejected the evidence of several eyewitness testimonies and legal documents attesting to Zachariah’s innocence. It then ruled to continue to detain him unless he converted to Islam. The court decided that if he became a Muslim, he would be freed and allowed to reunite with his wife and children despite the allegations that he abducted his wife.
Zachariah’s yearning to be with his family proved too difficult to endure.
“Because of the torture that [Zachariah] was in, he had no option but to convert and become a Muslim,” Sambo explained.
Additionally, authorities detained Zachariah’s wife for converting to Christianity and gave her the choice to reconvert to Islam. She did so and was released on bail after two weeks due to her conversion and the fact that she had 6-month-old twins who were nursing.
“The condition [the court] gave her was that, if she wants to see her children, she must convert and become a Muslim,” Sambo stated. “If she didn’t do that, she would never, ever see her children again. They would take the children away and assign purported parents for the children.”…
Shally says
I would like to know where in Nigeria this happened. Thank you.
somehistory says
The children of demons are ruling in Nigeria.
This is fulfillment of what Jesus gave to John in the Revelation of things to expect in this time. (chapter 13)
The “wild beast, the dragon/original serpent (satan the devil) and the false prophet” forcing people to bow down to “the image of the wild beast” on threat of death.
islam is death. islam is from satan the devil, and the demon is using willing humans to do his evil desires.
tharmon says
+1
somehistory says
Thank you.
S says
True.
Barbara says
This family needs to move to another country.
somehistory says
Yes, like so many others there, they do need to. The problem is, most of these people are too poor.
Rick Smith says
There is only one solution for Islam and the Muslims, the same solution they have for us…our way or the highway.
They don’t want to live in peace and harmony with us….so we must oppose them until Islam is gone. The trouble is that so few people realize this is the answer until it’s too late.
I think Bibi understands this in Israel so that’s why he’ll push into Rafah…we need to learn from the example of Oct 7.
Start with the vermin pro-Hamas protesters. Deport and then move onto other Muslims.
Often times I’ve seen these ragheads dragging their kids around in stores….I’ve wanted to tell them off-that Islam doesn’t belong here, but I’m not interested in making a scene, getting arrested and ending up on the news…but they all need to go….and I guess sadly even the nice ones…because Islam is the problem.
James Lincoln says
Rick Smith says,
“…but they all need to go….and I guess sadly even the nice ones…because Islam is the problem”
They may be “nice” – until they decide that they want to become more “devout”.
Impossible to predict, and certainly not worth taking the chance.
simba says
i hope they dont remain in islamic false confession for too long… i cant imagine being in his situation,, so cruel and evil system in sharia court/ islam society.