• Why Jihad Watch?
  • About Robert Spencer and Staff Writers
  • FAQ
  • Books
  • Muhammad
  • Islam 101
  • Privacy

Jihad Watch

Exposing the role that Islamic jihad theology and ideology play in the modern global conflicts

Imam converts to Christianity, father holds knife to him and threatens to kill him, builds gravestone for him in Muslim cemetery

Nov 19, 2013 2:14 pm By Robert Spencer

MarioJoseph.jpgThe courageous Mario Joseph

Muhammad said: “Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him” (Bukhari 9.84.57). The death penalty for apostasy is part of Islamic law according to all the schools of Islamic jurisprudence. So Joseph’s father was just being pious, you greasy Islamophobe.

“Imam embraces Christianity,” from Pravoslavie, November 15 (thanks to Filip):

The Linga portal with the reference to the Spanish radio station Сadena Сope tells about the joys and tragedies of a young man who turned to Christianity from Islam.

Mario Joseph was born in an ordinary Muslim Indian family. His father prepared him””the third among six brothers””as a spiritual leader: thus, aged 10, Mario entered a Koranic school, and when he returned from it at the age of 18, he became an Imam-khatib in a local village Mosque.

However, the young man turned to Christ, and this choice made him a target even for his own father who, having known about his son’s conversion to another faith, threatened to kill him. Moreover, his father erected a gravestone in advance in a local Muslim cemetery with the epitaph containing the young man’s name and date of birth.

The Spanish radio station Сadena Сope managed to talk with this young Catholic preacher and learn certain facts from the history of his tremendous trials.

“From age 18, I was an imam and regularly delivered sermons,” begins Joseph. “One Friday I was fervently talking about Isa al-Masih [Jesus the Messiah], saying that He was not Allah. When I finished my speech, someone asked me: “But, after all, who is the Messiah?” On that day I could not find a proper answer; my knowledge in this sphere was extremely poor”.

Again and again Mario returned to the Koran, to the Muslim Holy Tradition (the Sunna), to various commentaries of the exegetes of authority, but could not find the answer. To the contrary, he noticed instead that the only woman’s name mentioned in the Koran, was the Name of the Most Holy Mary; moreover, according to tradition Muhammad died, while Isa was taken to Heaven alive. “Then, after long thought, I decided to leave the dead one and to follow the Living one,” explained the young man.

According to Mario, the choice was not an easy one: “Before making the final decision, I besought the Lord for a long time to give me true guidance… Once, still hesitating, I opened the Koran, and I came across the following ayah (inexact translation): “If you doubt what we granted to you, then ask those who read the Scriptures before you. The Truth from your Lord has come to you; so do not be among those hesitant!” Then I started reading the Bible, and upon its completion I was absolutely convinced of truthfulness of the Christian Scriptures; and at last found my God-Redeemer!”

Knowing that apostasy in the Muslim law is punished by the death penalty, Joseph ran away from his home to the nearest Catholic educational center.

However, the father found the young man, and after beating him violently, he locked him naked, bound hand and foot, without food, in one of the rooms in his house for 28 days.

“When I opened my eyes, I saw my father, holding a knife in his hands,” remembers Mario. “I was sure that he would kill me, as he was a Muslim-Wahhabi… He asked me: do I still accept Christ? When I said “yes”, I was literally blinded by a bright light that gave me strength. Immediately I cried loudly: “Jesus!”… The light disappeared and I saw that my father had fallen down and caught himself on his own knife (Glory to God, though the injury was deep and bleeding, it was not dangerous), and saliva was flowing from his mouth. Relatives at once took him to the hospital and in their hurry left the door open. I took advantage of the opportunity, freed myself and ran away back to the educational center”.

The young man firmly believes that a true miracle occurred to him: “This light gave me who am by nature weak and thin, then exhausted and hungry, enormous strength and endurance… Nevertheless, I still cannot recover from ulcers that appeared as a result of prolonged confinement”.

Since then Mario Joseph has not returned to his native village, where the gravestone with his name and date of birth still stands…

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)

Follow me on Facebook

Filed Under: Apostasy


Learn more about RevenueStripe...

FacebookYoutubeTwitterLog in

Subscribe to the Jihad Watch Daily Digest

You will receive a daily mailing containing links to the stories posted at Jihad Watch in the last 24 hours.
Enter your email address to subscribe.

Please wait...

Thank you for signing up!
If you are forwarding to a friend, please remove the unsubscribe buttons first, as they my accidentally click it.

Subscribe to all Jihad Watch posts

You will receive immediate notification.
Enter your email address to subscribe.
Note: This may be up to 15 emails a day.

Donate to JihadWatch
FrontPage Mag

Search Site

Translate

The Team

Robert Spencer in FrontPageMag
Robert Spencer in PJ Media

Articles at Jihad Watch by
Robert Spencer
Hugh Fitzgerald
Christine Douglass-Williams
Andrew Harrod
Jamie Glazov
Daniel Greenfield

Contact Us

Terror Attacks Since 9/11

Archives

  • 2020
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2019
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2018
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2017
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2016
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2015
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2014
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2013
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2012
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2011
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2010
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2009
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2008
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2007
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2006
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2005
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2004
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January
  • 2003
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • March

All Categories

You Might Like

Learn more about RevenueStripe...

Recent Comments

  • gravenimage on Uighur leader: ‘We’re actually quite worried’ about what Biden might let China get away with
  • OLD GUY on UK: Woman converts to Islam, distributes Islamic State jihad terror videos
  • OLD GUY on Al-Qaeda Calls on Jihadis to Kill Non-Muslims With Poisoned Coronavirus Masks
  • Boycott Turkey on Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, France and UAE conduct joint military exercises amid rising Turkish threat
  • Michael Copeland on New study reveals that Muslim religiosity strongly linked to hatred towards the West

Popular Categories

dhimmitude Sharia Jihad in the U.S ISIS / Islamic State / ISIL Iran Free Speech

Robert Spencer FaceBook Page

Robert Spencer Twitter

Robert Spencer twitter

Robert Spencer YouTube Channel

Books by Robert Spencer

Jihad Watch® is a registered trademark of Robert Spencer in the United States and/or other countries - Site Developed and Managed by Free Speech Defense

Content copyright Jihad Watch, Jihad Watch claims no credit for any images posted on this site unless otherwise noted. Images on this blog are copyright to their respective owners. If there is an image appearing on this blog that belongs to you and you do not wish for it appear on this site, please E-mail with a link to said image and it will be promptly removed.

Our mailing address is: David Horowitz Freedom Center, P.O. Box 55089, Sherman Oaks, CA 91499-1964

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.