Fearless Love in the Midst of Terror: Answers and Tools to Overcome Terrorism with Love

A Tribute to Fearless Lovers

Mujahid and I (David) want to acknowledge the team of people who made this book possible. First, I want to thank my bride Cindy for the great sacrifice of time and editing, along with my children Jonathan and Kaitlyn for their encouragement and prayers. The beyond the call wisdom and financial investment from my parents Bill and Shari.

This book would not have been possible without the work and coaching of our editor Joy Gage and her husband Ken. The graphic and format contribution of Jay Myers is a true inspiration from God. I want to thank Jay’s wife Raynna for her sacrifice and support of her husband and the ministry of Spirit of Martyrdom.

I want to thank the Board of Directors of Spirit of Martyrdom for the many hours and generous leadership they have offered. We owe a great debt of love to the leadership of The Voice of the Martyrs and the staff. We could name everyone on staff, for all have been a blessing. Especially, we want to express our gratitude for the support offered by Executive Director Tom White and my friendship and leadership coach Paul Gustafson. Thank you for the leadership and friendship from Jim and Peggy Dau, and Dave and Cheryl Brackemyre. We want to especially recognize the dedication, faithful friendship, and management of Matt Rose who was our supervisor for ten years with The Voice of the Martyrs. Special tribute is due to Burton Swartz who is now living in the presence of our Lord Jesus and his lovely wife Evangeline who were the first ones to encourage me to complete this book. Tim and Darcie Gill, Robert Brock, Tom Tremble, and Getaneh have been our co-laborers, speaking and traveling with testimonies of the persecuted church. The appreciation we have for their lives and ministries is beyond words.

The true foundations for this book are the prayer warriors. First, we want to thank JoAnna Chandler. She has labored for us in prayer for over a decade. Her reward in heaven is great. She has become part of our family. Thank you to the prayer team of nearly one hundred whom I e-mail every week. Thank you for the amazing love, support, and prayers I have received from my in-laws Bob and Marie O’Connell. My extended family members’ encouragement at many moments in the journey include Leif, Heather, and Ashley Edon; Rob, Debbie, Christina, Austin, and Andrew Witt; Wesley and Liddie Witt. I owe love and gratitude to my Bible study guys who have continued to support and encourage me. Especially, I want to thank Bill Hickey for his contribution in the completion of this book with his insightful feedback and suggestions. My pastor, Robb Williams, who only took the leadership of my home church two years ago and from the first day has stood behind me. Thanks for my Sunday school teacher Jim Ayers. The years of faithful support to help me at this point of life come from Larry and Linda Peterson, Tom and Sandy Sharp, Ron and Lois Pollard, and Montie and Heidi Fortkamp. We also thank Len and Jan Turner, Mark and Maggie Hillis, and Mike and Jody McRoberts. I want to thank one of my newest friends and supporters Ray and Bobbie Roles, who in the final stages of this book helped complete the project. There are many others I could name, and God knows of their contribution.

Of course, this list of heroes would not be complete without mentioning my special friendship with Mujahid El Masih who is like a blood brother to me. This book certainly would not have been possible without his collaboration. My life is ultimately dedicated with gratitude to my heavenly Father, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and my comforter and guide – the Holy Spirit.

Part 1

Islamic Martyrdom

The Call of Allah (Jihad)

Note to Christian and Muslim Friends

Peace (Salaam) dear friend,

We are delighted that you are reading this book. We hope it will raise some important questions in your mind, as well as provide some significant answers. Does the violence in our world and within Islam among fundamentalist Muslims disturb you? Are you perplexed that the adherents of a religion that claims to be peaceful can act so destructively and do it in the name of Allah? Are you angered about the terrorism and suicide bombers by the so-called martyrs? Are you aware that martyr is an important ideal in both Islam and Christianity, but that the meaning of the word in each religion is diametrically opposed? Have you seen hypocrisy among Muslims and Christians alike? You are not alone!

Jesus condemned the religious leaders of his day for similar issues and called them a brood of vipers, whitewashed tombs, and hypocrites. In the Bible, John 13:35 states: By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. As we meet people from different parts of the world, we see a hunger and a thirst for peace and a yearning to experience authentic love. Jesus, the Prince of Peace, explains: These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world (John 16:33). He also told them, I am the way, and the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but through Me (John 14:6).

In this book we invite you to consider a few issues: Is Islamic martyrdom the greatest hope of peace for you and people everywhere? Christ told his disciples to love their enemies and return good to those who do evil.

Wouldn’t the greatest act of martyrdom be to love your enemies and die in the pursuit of bringing them love? Someone has said, We can avoid making up our minds, but we cannot avoid making up our lives. With this perspective, we must all choose what is greater: fighting the enemies of Islam and dying as a martyr for Allah or living and dying as a martyr for Christ by freely laying down our lives for the benefit of our enemies.

If by the end of this book you are convinced that love is the greatest power, then we invite you to surrender your life to the Lord Jesus Christ. True peace and love will enter your heart. You will join thousands of other Christians around the world and Muslims who have been transformed by a loving relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. In the pages to follow you will hear some of their stories.

You will also understand why this book is written mainly for Christians. We are calling all Christians to consider a Biblical martyrdom by laying down their lives for the love of Muslims.

May peace be upon you,

– Dawoud (Arabic for David) and Mujahid (Warrior)

By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:35)

Part 1

Why And How to Use This Book

Fear is the greatest block to the freedom of love and life. Christ came to bring freedom from the fear of suffering and death. What is the antidote to fear? It is love! Perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). The Scripture goes on to tell us, the one who fears is not perfected in love . In other words, when God’s children mature in love, they have less fear. When fear grows, it drives out love. Fearless love means less fear and more love. It is the essence of courage.

This book has teachings and stories regarding Biblical martyrdom, Islamic martyrdom, and persecution, but do not be intimidated. These are powerful subjects, and they are written with the intent to bless you and change your life forever. It is first written for Christians who are looking for purpose and hope in these days of world-wide terrorism and second for Muslims who are seeking the heart of God in true worship. Our hope is that the fruit of this book will produce a fearless love to help you enjoy the journey of an obedient life that God intends for all His children.

What is The Spirit of Martyrdom? Acts 1:8 records the words of Jesus: but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth. Christ says My witnesses. The word here for witnesses in the Greek is martus from which we get our modern English word martyr. Jesus is literally saying you shall be My martyrs. Christ wants His martyrs to be lovers who sacrifice and risk themselves for others. The spirit of martyrdom is Christ’s Holy Spirit of love indwelling His children. It is a love so great that fear dissipates and joy abounds in doing the right thing, even when the cost is great.

This is a Rediscovery of the spirit of martyrdom because Christ’s Holy Spirit has always been with His church. The spirit of martyrdom is the heart of God and a theme of Scripture. In modern history many have forgotten or lost the depth of this characteristic of God, so much that many people today have a difficult time even remembering how to spell martyr.

Do we have your attention yet? Read on; we promise not to disappoint as we contrast Islamic martyrdom with Biblical martyrdom. While the subject of death, persecution, and Islamic martyrdom can be difficult and even scary, we encourage you to persevere. Ultimately in the following pages, you will find hope, faith, and a depth of love that most people have never considered, let alone lived out.

Individual, Church, and Small Group Study Help

For Individuals

We have designed this book to be user-friendly and suitable in many different contexts. We arranged it for use by individuals and/or groups and broke the chapters into bite-size segments to help readers absorb the material. The book has seven parts, divided into twenty-nine chapters, and ends with the Appendix. Therefore, a person can choose to read the whole book in about a week by covering a one part every day. For a more thoughtful pace, we have created short chapters, which can be enjoyed by reading one chapter a day for a month. Most readers can read our chapters in five to fifteen minutes. At the end of every chapter is a meditation that is focused on God’s love in light of the subject material, and at the end of every part is a discussion guide pertaining to that section.

For Churches

We invite churches to use this book in their small groups as an eight week study that will expose the doctrine of Islamic jihad to the average Christian. Christians need to understand the depth of the problem and the conflict ahead for the church because this conflict between fundamental Islam and the West is not going away. We hope every church in America might use this book as a text to enlighten their congregations and help lead Christians to a loving Biblical response.

For Small Groups

For a small group study we recommend that every participant purchase a book, and the group study one part each week. The book is divided into seven parts plus an Appendix, which should take most groups eight weeks to complete. Encourage everyone to read a chapter a day and then meditate on the reading during the week. We also suggest that every small group purchase the audio book to allow you to play short sections at the meetings to remind participants of the material, stimulate thoughts, and jump start the discussion time. We have suggested the sections of the audio book for you to play and have laid out the discussion questions in a step-by-step format, so the least experienced facilitator can have easy success in guiding small group meetings. Little preparation is necessary for a very positive experience.

The most important objective is to let people come together and answer the questions put forth. The process of sharing will instill greater insight, memory, and revelation. We suggest that a small group be no bigger than ten persons to help facilitate participation. Depending on the size of the group, the questions and discussion should only last one hour when following the guide. If less time is available, use the even numbered questions only.

A wonderful synergy comes out of group interaction, and we hope that fresh ideas and action plans grow out of these communal studies. In fact, we want to hear how God uses these studies, so please e-mail us with your testimonies at contact@SpiritofMartyrdom.com.

Fearless Love

This study will also help believers overcome their fear of Muslims as they discover what God is doing and God’s love for the Muslim world. It will help Christians overcome their fear of suffering and death as they trust God in complete obedience and walk by faith in a spirit of fearless love. Another benefit in this study is gaining a layman’s understanding of the religious teachings of Islam as laid out in the Appendix. Last of all, we give seventeen suggestions in Part 7 of how Christians can reach out with the love of Jesus to Muslims worldwide without ever leaving their home town. We pray that small groups might brainstorm projects of outreach that they can do as a team. The principles are universal in sharing God’s love with people of all faiths, and therefore we believe this book will help congregations grow in boldness and courage for their witness of Jesus Christ.

This is our testimony. Most of the stories are from our personal travels, and the Scriptures are from the insight God has given us in our journey of life. We have traveled many miles and met thousands of people. Our faith and understanding of the kingdom of God has grown as we have heard and seen the stories of many lives. Most of the pictures used in this book have been taken by us and are used with the permission of The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) and The Spirit of Martyrdom (SOM) ministries.

Part 1: Chapter 1

Faithful Unto Death

At 11 p.m. on October 22, 2001, Sara, a sixty-year-old Indonesian Christian, woke up with a roaring sound above her. With alarm, Sara yelled to her husband Tio, Pap, wake up! Where does the wind come from?

Tio responded, Fire mama, the roof is on fire! They immediately realized they were under attack from Muslims who are members of Laskar Jihad.

Laskar Jihad is the name of a fundamental Muslim organization for the training and implementing of jihad. In the last eight years Laskar Jihad and other Al Qaeda networks have been responsible for the destruction of over a thousand churches, for burning thousands of homes, and for the death of over five thousand Christians. This is a Holy War for fundamental Muslims.

Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world. The call to jihad is powerful throughout Indonesia, but the call of love is even stronger!

Just a month before Tio’s home burned, his granddaughter was playing in the jungle when she accidentally ran into several Muslim men training for jihad. One of the men vehemently said, Do not tell anyone about us or we will kill you! These Muslim men were in training at a jihad encampment nearby. Little did Tio and Sara know, but this jihad compound had trained one of the men involved in the attack on the World Trade Center in New York City, September 11, 2001.

Tio’s village had been previously attacked, and many of the homes had been destroyed. Only three families from their church remained in the village. During the first attack, Tio and Sara stayed in their home and prayed. Thankfully, their home and the church were spared. Tio was a man of principle and loved the Lord Jesus. He told Sara, As long as the church building remains, I will not leave the village. Tio was a deacon and the sole person left in the church leadership; his determination remained steadfast.

Several times individuals approached Tio to leave his Christian faith and become a Muslim. The local primary school headmaster urged Tio to convert to Islam. When he refused, the Muslim man said, I want to see whether you are of pure gold or fake gold.

One week later, four Muslims came to Tio’s home. One Muslim man said, Pull those pictures of Jesus down!

Tio held true to his allegiance to the Lord and replied, I will not take down those pictures, even if you behead me! They were furious at Tio and told him that he would pay a price for his stubborn refusal.

In the middle of the night, Tio and Sara woke up to the sound of a roaring fire and the smell of the grass roof in flames. They ran out of their home with their granddaughter. Outside, people ran in a panic, and many headed for the safety of the jungle nearby. Sara heard the attackers yelling, Allah Akbar, which means Allah is Greater in Arabic. Tio could see that the church was on fire too, so he ran toward the burning church, and Sara and their granddaughter followed behind with the hope of saving it.

When he saw the silhouette of the steeple in the starlight, Tio planned in his heart to rebuke the Muslims. He stood in front of the