Finding unconditional love in Egypt
Mounir had a comfortable life—but gave it all up to follow Jesus. So why does he say his sacrifice was worth it?
From the outside, Mounir* had it all.
He lived a comfortable life in Egypt. His family was caring, and his wealthy father was willing to support Mounir’s dreams and help him pursue a successful career. He was on the path to doing whatever he wanted—an easy life.
But then, he discovered the unconditional love and mercy of God. And at great cost, he gave up the easy life for something better: a life with Jesus.
Mounir’s interest in Christianity began, ironically enough, when he was annoyed by discrimination against believers at school. “An incident in my classroom, where Christians were insulted, sparked my curiosity about Christianity,” he says. “Witnessing the sadness and shame on [my Christian classmates’] faces during a discussion on Christian disillusionment left me feeling ashamed as a Muslim. The insult stemmed from a question posed by a fellow Muslim student, and I felt compelled to be supportive, sensing the unfairness of the situation. This prompted me to delve deeper into Christianity, a religion I had never been particularly interested in before.”
Born into a Muslim family, Mounir cherished his Islamic faith but began to investigate Christianity. He talked about the classroom incident with his older brother, who, unlike Mounir, did not share the same opinion and tolerance for freedom of belief and mutual respect. Dissatisfied with his brother’s defensive attitude, Mounir challenged him to provide evidence and examples of how Christians were unfaithful and their scriptures distorted. This conversation set him on a personal journey of discovery.
Driven by the question of how a supposedly distorted book could advocate love, peace and mercy, Mounir’s interest in Christianity grew. As he researched, he stumbled upon a verse in the Quran that troubled him, one advocating fighting until people declare Islamic faith. This contradiction between a call for violence and Christianity’s message of love compelled him to question the true nature of religion.
Months and years passed as Mounir’s fascination with Christianity deepened. Graduating from law school, he encountered a Christian colleague at work who loved challenges. Expressing a desire for a hard copy of the Bible, Mounir issued a provocative statement about Christians heading to hell, hoping to prove distortion in the text. His colleague handed him a Bible and challenged him to find proof.
Over the next hours and days, Mounir voraciously read the Bible, starting with Matthew and concluding with Revelation. The profound messages of love, devoid of violence, left him in awe. Mounir realized why Muslim religious leaders discouraged and forbid reading the Bible—its teachings contradicted the narrative he had grown up with.
Eager to share the newfound love in his heart, Mounir faced rejection from his family, who believed he was under some Christian spell. His brother tied up Mounir and beat him. Eventually, Mounir decided his new faith in Jesus was worth the cost, and he ran away, leaving his comfortable life.
Despite the hardships, Mounir doesn’t regret his decision. He found a place to stay and a job in a new city, ready to testify to the transformative love that Jesus ignited in his heart. He is thankful to the Voice that called him and calls to each one of us. “‘If today you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts,’” he says,. “He unconditionally loves each one of you.”
Mounir has counted the cost of discipleship and found that it’s still worth it. This kind of faith from a young Egyptian man should encourage all of us as we walk with Jesus, whatever our circumstances.
*Name changed to protect security.
Finding unconditional love in Egypt
