Hello, and welcome back to Nations 4 Jesus. Today I want to talk about something that should break our hearts and move us to action—the plight of women and girls living under Islamic law. But I also want to share hope, because the same Jesus who elevated women 2,000 years ago is still reaching Muslim women today.
Their eyes... their eyes can speak volumes. Volumes of hope that someone will love them, protect them, tell them they are important. They plead for justice, equality, and liberation. They show strength of character, determination, and love for family. But they can also convey loss, fear, hopelessness, and despair.
[Jesus and women - breaking all norms]
Jesus saw this in the eyes of women throughout His time on earth. He saw it in the eyes of the widow whose son had just died. He saw it in the Samaritan woman at the well. He saw it in the woman caught in adultery. Their eyes spoke volumes about their suffering. And His heart was moved with tenderness and compassion for them.
He reached out not only to heal and free them but to touch them and call them "daughter". Think about that! In a world where women were often considered property, where many men, especially the religious Pharisees, wouldn't speak to women in public, where the testimony of a woman was often doubted —Jesus called them "daughter." He elevated them. He dignified them. He included them.
Jesus broke all societal norms in His inclusion and outreach toward women. He elevated the status of women more than any other human ever has. And it is a testament to the power of the Gospel that wherever true, heartfelt Christianity spreads, women and girls benefit.
[William Carey - a case study in Gospel impact]
Let me give you a powerful historical example: William Carey, the missionary to India in the late 1700s and early 1800s. An Indian female social science scholar writes:
"William Carey was the first man to stand against both the ruthless murders and widespread oppression of women, virtually synonymous with Hinduism in the 18th and 19th centuries. The male in India was crushing the female through polygamy, female infanticide, child marriage, widow-burning, euthanasia, and forced female illiteracy—all sanctioned by religion."
The British Government timidly accepted these social evils as being an irreversible and an intrinsic part of India's religious customs. They didn't want to offend Hindu sensibilities. But William Carey couldn't stay silent.
Carey began to conduct systematic sociological and scriptural research. He published his reports to raise public opinion and protest both in Bengal and England. He influenced a whole generation of civil servants—his students at Fort William College—to resist these evils.
Carey opened schools for girls. When widows converted to Christianity, he arranged marriages for them rather than allowing them to be burned alive on their husband's funeral pyres. It was Carey's persistent 25-year battle against sati (widow-burning) that finally led to Lord Bentinck's famous Edict in 1829, banning one of the most abominable religious practices in the world.
One man, motivated by the Gospel, changed the fate of millions of Indian women. That's the power of Christianity when it's lived out faithfully.
[Muslim women today - a similar plight]
Today, the eyes that haunt me most are those of Muslim women and girls. Their fate is similar, in many ways, to the Indian women of Carey's time. Polygamy—men can have up to four wives, and women have no say. Female infanticide—in most Muslim cultures, girls are less valued than boys. Child marriage—girls as young as 9 or 10 married to grown men. Honor killings—women murdered by their own families for perceived violations of Islamic honor codes. Forced female illiteracy—in many Muslim countries, girls are denied education. All sanctioned by religion.
And yet the American government, in many ways, seems to mirror the British government of Carey's time by timidly accepting these social evils as being an irreversible and intrinsic part of Muslim religious customs.
[Mahsa Amini - a spark of uprising]
But something significant happened in September 2022 that captured the world's attention and revealed the deep longing for freedom among Muslim women, especially the younger generation in Iran. A 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman named Mahsa Amini was arrested by Iran's morality police for allegedly not wearing her hijab head covering properly. While in custody, she was brutally beaten and fell into a coma. She died three days later.
Her death sparked the largest protests Iran has seen in decades. Young women and men took to the streets across the country, chanting "Woman, Life, Freedom!" Women burned their hijabs publicly. They cut their hair in defiance of the regime's oppressive dress codes. They risked everything—arrest, torture, even death—to demand basic human dignity.
The Iranian government responded with brutal force. Hundreds of protesters were killed. Thousands were arrested. Some were executed after sham trials. But the uprising revealed something crucial: the younger generation in Iran, especially women, are fed up with Islamic oppression. They want freedom. They want dignity. They want to be treated as fully human.
Mahsa Amini's eyes—captured in photographs before her death—spoke volumes. They spoke of a young woman with dreams, with hopes, with a future that was stolen from her. And her death became a rallying cry for millions who are tired of living under the crushing weight of Islamic law.
[The broader context - oppression sanctioned by Islam]
This isn't just about Iran. According to current data, in countries governed by Sharia law or heavily influenced by Islamic tradition:
- An estimated 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone female genital mutilation, primarily in Muslim-majority countries in Africa and the Middle East.
- Child marriage remains legal and common. In some countries, there is no minimum age for marriage if the girl’s father consents.
- Honor killings claim an estimated 5,000 lives per year globally, primarily in Muslim communities.
- Women's testimony in Islamic courts is worth half that of a man's testimony.
- In many Muslim countries, women cannot travel, work, or marry without a male guardian's permission.
- Domestic violence is often sanctioned by Islamic teaching—the Quran explicitly permits husbands to strike disobedient wives (Surah 4:34).
This is the reality for hundreds of millions of Muslim women and girls around the world.
[Why the silence? Political correctness and fear]
So why doesn't the Western world speak up more forcefully? Why do governments timidly accept these evils? Political correctness. Fear of being called racist or intolerant of Islam. Misguided multiculturalism that says we shouldn't judge other cultures' practices, even when those practices violate basic human rights.
But as in the time of William Carey, it is not going to be governments that speak up for Muslim women. It MUST be the Church.
[The Church's responsibility - speaking for the voiceless]
We have a responsibility. Proverbs 31:8-9 says, "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy."
Muslim women living under oppressive Islamic law often cannot speak for themselves. If they do, they risk honor killing, arrest, or public shaming. So we must speak for them. We must allow God to break our hearts for these women and girls.
[Jesus is reaching Muslim women - hope in the darkness]
But here's the hope: Jesus is reaching Muslim women! In Iran, despite the brutal crackdown after Mahsa Amini's death, Christianity is growing faster than anywhere else in the Muslim world. Many of those protestors burning hijabs and chanting "Woman, Life, Freedom!" are also secretly exploring Christianity.
Why? Because they've discovered that Jesus offers what Islam never can—dignity, equality, love, and freedom. They've learned that Jesus elevated women, spoke to them, taught them, included them in His ministry, and appeared first to women after His resurrection. They've discovered that in Christianity, women are made in the image of God, equal in worth and value to men.
Satellite Christian television like SAT-7 broadcasts into Iran and throughout the Middle East, and millions of Muslim women are watching. They're hearing the Gospel. They're seeing Christian women who are free, dignified, and joyful. And they're hungry for what they see.
Underground house churches in Iran are led by women. Former Muslim women are becoming evangelists, disciplers, and church planters. The Iranian church is experiencing unprecedented growth, and women are at the forefront.
[How we can respond - five practical steps]
So what can we do? Let me give you five practical ways to respond.
First, pray for Muslim women and girls. Pray specifically that they would find Isa (Jesus), the One who loves them and can provide them with hope they have never known. Pray for protection for women in dangerous situations. Pray for the women arrested during protests in Iran. Pray for victims of honor killings, forced marriages, and domestic violence.
Second, reach out to Muslim women in your area. Ask God to show you one or two Muslim women, and then pray for them and become their friends. Invite them for coffee. Show them the love of Christ. Be the kind of friend who sees them as fully human and valuable. Many Muslim women in the West are isolated and lonely—your friendship could be life-changing.
Third, support organizations that help Muslim women. Groups like Nazarene Compassionate Ministries, Samaritan's Purse, and others provide education, healthcare, and trauma care for women in Muslim countries. Support ministries that create safe houses for women fleeing honor killings or forced marriages.
Fourth, speak up. Don't be silent about the oppression of women under Islamic law. Write to your congressional representatives. Support legislation that defends human rights. Don't let political correctness silence you when women are suffering.
Fifth, share the Gospel. The greatest gift you can give a Muslim woman is the truth about Jesus—the One who calls her "daughter," who died for her, who offers her dignity and freedom. Learn how to share your faith with Muslim women sensitively and effectively.
[The power of the Gospel - transformation is possible]
Here's what I want you to understand: Where the Gospel goes, women flourish. This isn't just true historically—it's true today. In countries where Christianity is growing, women's literacy increases, child marriage decreases, and women gain legal rights and protections.
The Gospel transforms cultures because it transforms hearts. When men encounter Jesus and see how He treated women, they begin to treat women differently. When women encounter Jesus and hear Him call them "daughter," they discover their worth and dignity.
This is why missions matters. This is why Bible translation matters. This is why Christian radio and TV broadcasting into Muslim countries matters. Every Muslim woman who hears the Gospel is one step closer to the freedom and dignity that Jesus offers.
[Their eyes - from despair to hope]
Their eyes... they can speak of pain that most Western women cannot even fathom. Pain of being treated as property. Pain of being married as a child. Pain of watching their daughters suffer the same fate. Pain of knowing that if they speak up, they could be killed by their own family.
But their eyes can also speak of peace and joy that only Jesus, the lover of their souls, can give them. I've seen the transformation. I've met former Muslim women whose eyes once held only fear and despair but now shine with hope and joy because they've encountered Jesus.
[Closing reflection and prayer]
When I think about Mahsa Amini—a 22-year-old woman beaten to death for not wearing her hijab properly—my heart breaks. But her death sparked something that the Iranian regime cannot extinguish: a hunger for freedom, a rejection of oppression, and a search for something better.
And we know who "something better" is. His name is Jesus. He's the One who liberated women 2,000 years ago. He's the One who continues to liberate Muslim women today. And He's calling us to be part of that liberation—through our prayers, our friendship, our witness, and our advocacy.
Let me pray:
Thank you for joining me today. Please share this episode, and please pray for Muslim women around the world.
Until next time, remember—keep your eyes on the nations, and see them through the eyes of Jesus!
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