‘Coming Out’ as a Faith Changer: Experiences of Faith Declaration for Arabs of a Muslim Background who Choose to Follow a Christian Faith

Abstract

Abstract:In the process of conversion, one of the greatest challenges faced by Arab Muslims who choose to follow a Christian faith, is determining how to relate to their birth communities, especially their immediate families. They continue to identify with their family and desire to function within its communal system and expectations, but also desire to be true to their new faith. For most converts in the Middle East, ceasing to adhere to the Islamic creed per se is not an act of apostasy, but declaring that one has left Islam and chosen another faith is, and is seen as an act of rebellion by the community. The process of self-disclosure, or "coming out", is complex, and many converts consider their decision about how to do this to be very important. There are various approaches converts may take, and various ways their families may respond, but one implicitly shared understanding between many converts and their families may be labelled "don't ask, don't tell", whereby converts speak openly about their changed beliefs without explicitly declaring they have converted, and their families respond in kind, deliberately not asking if they have converted, in order to maintain a strong relationships with their loved ones.

Justice meets justification: Women’s need for holistic ministry in world mission

“…In this sense, shaming is not seen as a negative personal emotion but is instead a positive force for “self-improvement” and maintaining the well-being of society (Sheikh, 2014: 387). The focus is on the morality of the person more than the deed itself (Kraft, 2013; Sheikh, 2014). Relationships, therefore, hold an important key to self-identity in honor and shame cultures (Rosen, 1984).…”

Handbook of Leaving Religion

“…Some struggled to keep ties alive-or concentrated on other relatives than parents. Like the Middle Eastern converts discussed by Kraft (2013) and Barnett (2008), relations with family members were generally portrayed as important, despite the difficulties some converts experienced.…”

“…Studies from "sendercountries" capture important aspects, for example that leaving Islam does not necessarily mean leaving a Muslim identity. With empirical material from the Middle East, both Kraft (2013) and Barnett (2008) show some of the complex ways conversions are negotiated (and often hidden) in family-oriented societies. In the following, we do not meet such "closeted apostates" (see , but rather converts who have taken a step out into the open.…”

Leaving Islam for Christianity: Asylum Seeker Converts

“…Studies from "sendercountries" capture important aspects, for example that leaving Islam does not necessarily mean leaving a Muslim identity. With empirical material from the Middle East, both Kraft (2013) and Barnett (2008) show some of the complex ways conversions are negotiated (and often hidden) in family-oriented societies. In the following, we do not meet such "closeted apostates" (see Cottee 2015), but rather converts who have taken a step out into the open.…”