Ex-Muslim Violently Attacked for Following Jesus Urges Christians To Share the Gospel With Confidence

Ahmed Joktan, a Saudi-born Christian evangelist, says his conversion from Islam to Christianity cost him his family and left him with lasting physical injuries. Despite the persecution he describes, Joktan is encouraging Western Christians to share their faith with Muslims confidently, while rejecting stereotypes and advocating respectful, personal conversations about religion.

In an interview with The Christian Post, Joktan recounted how a dream in New Zealand led him to Christianity, the alleged violence he experienced after returning to Saudi Arabia and his subsequent work supporting Christians from Muslim backgrounds. His message centres on overcoming fear, understanding Islamic beliefs and building genuine relationships rather than approaching Muslim communities with suspicion.

Ahmed Joktan's Journey From Islam to Christianity

Joktan grew up in a strict Muslim household in Saudi Arabia. His father served as a mufti, an Islamic scholar authorised to issue religious legal opinions. Joktan said he memorised the Quran by the age of 13 and attended an Islamic school where English was not taught because it was regarded as the language of unbelievers.

After high school, he enrolled in medical school but struggled with English-language coursework. He subsequently travelled to Auckland, New Zealand, to improve his language skills. According to his account, he had no intention of changing his religious beliefs.

That changed after he experienced what he described as a vivid dream. Approximately two and a half months after arriving in New Zealand, he dreamed of a building with white pillars and heard an instruction to seek the truth there.

Joktan told his English teacher about the experience, and she suggested that he might have encountered Jesus. Later, while walking around Auckland, he said he found a building resembling the one in his dream. It turned out to be a church, where he met Pastor Brian Johnson.

Johnson introduced him to Christian teachings over three days, discussing sin, salvation and the identity of Jesus. Joktan said references to Jesus in the Quran helped him engage with ideas that had previously been unfamiliar to him.

He initially resisted reading the Bible because he had been taught that Christian Scripture had been corrupted. However, reading John 14:6, in which Jesus declares himself to be 'the way, the truth, and the life', influenced his decision to convert.

'To that I said yes, not knowing what will happen next,' Joktan told The Christian Post.

Alleged Persecution After Returning to Saudi Arabia

Joktan said the consequences of his conversion became apparent after he returned to Saudi Arabia with an Arabic New Testament concealed among his English textbooks. According to his account, a household employee discovered the book, revealing his new religious affiliation to his family.

He alleged that his brothers beat him and that his father threatened him with an AK-47. He also said his father ordered him to burn the Bible, which he eventually did. Joktan subsequently described being disowned and removed from his family's lineage.

'The cost of believing in Jesus is real,' he said. 'I have experienced that myself. I have scars on my face, on my back. I have lost 13 teeth because of that.'

These allegations are based on Joktan's account of his experiences and should not be taken as evidence that similar treatment is typical of Muslim families. His broader message explicitly challenges the tendency to treat Muslims as a uniform group.

Evangelist Calls for Respectful Conversations About Faith

Despite the reported violence and family estrangement, Joktan said he has not regretted converting to Christianity. He co-founded Mecca to Christ Ministries International, an organisation focused on evangelism, discipleship and supporting Christians from Muslim backgrounds.

He believes Christians should begin conversations about faith by sharing their own experiences rather than turning encounters into confrontations. He recommends briefly explaining life before becoming a Christian, describing how faith developed and outlining the changes that followed.

Joktan suggests keeping such testimonies under three minutes before inviting the other person to share their own experience.

'There's nothing wrong about sharing your own testimony,' he said.

He also encourages Christians to learn about references to Jesus in the Quran and use that knowledge to explain differences between Islamic and Christian beliefs. His approach, he argues, should be grounded in understanding and respectful dialogue rather than assumptions about Muslims' views or intentions.

Joktan also expressed concern about young Americans encountering Islamic apologetics on social media without a strong grounding in Christianity. He recalled speaking to a 16-year-old from a Christian family in North Carolina who had converted to Islam after engaging with Muslim content creators online.

The example reinforces his call for Christians to understand their own beliefs while engaging thoughtfully with people of other faiths.

Joktan has also appeared alongside Egyptian-born pastor and evangelist Michael Youssef at AWAKE Houston. His published work includes From Mecca to Christ: A True Story from the Son of the Meccan Mufti.

Reflecting on the loss of his family relationships, Joktan said Christian communities had helped fill the resulting void, with believers welcoming him as family in different towns, cities and countries.

His appeal to Western Christians is to combine conviction with compassion and to begin sharing their faith with people in their own communities.

'Go ye and make disciples of all nations, and don't forget your neighbourhoods,' he said.