Samir will never forget what happened on 9/11. That was the day he turned away from Islam and began his journey toward Jesus.

Samir grew up in a conservative Muslim society in North Africa. His family belonged to a slave caste. Even though his country had banned slavery, Samir and others of his caste lived in poverty and faced discrimination in most areas of life. In spite of this, he excelled in school and landed a good job at a large company.

As a devout Muslim, Samir prayed consistently, attended the mosque, and tried to obey all the tenets of Islam. But the hypocrisy of other Muslims disturbed him. Some of his colleagues who worshiped with him at the mosque cut corners at work, stole from the office, and mistreated their wives and children at home. Why did Islam lack the power to really transform hearts? he wondered.

When 9/11 happened, Samir was horrified to hear that fellow Muslims were responsible. He felt deep shame when conservative men from his own neighborhood went onto the streets to cheer and celebrate the acts of violence committed against America. At that moment, Samir knew that the spiritual path of Islam was leading him the wrong way.

Samir began searching for other religions for the transformative power that was missing in Islam.

Meanwhile, he was in an English class sponsored by his company, and I was his teacher. I had spoken openly about Jesus Christ and the ways God answers prayer. He asked me for a Bible.

Within days, Samir read through the entire New Testament and then asked if I could answer some questions he had. Instead, I arranged for him to meet with a man on my team. When they met, Samir said Jesus’ character captivated him. He was drawn to the stories of His miracles and the forgiveness of sin. And he especially loved the story of the woman who had been caught in adultery—how Jesus saved her from being stoned to death and how her life was transformed by His grace.

Samir and my teammate kept studying the Bible together, and soon he was baptized. He began praying for his children at bedtime, and they stopped having nightmares. Samir’s wife noticed how he was growing in caring for her and helping around the house. At work, his co-workers expressed annoyance toward him because he was more honest and responsible—and this made the rest of them look bad by comparison. Praise God for introducing Samir to the power of transformation through Jesus Christ!

Samir’s faith experience is not unique. Whenever Muslims commit acts of violence, many other Muslims hear the news and realize, like Samir, that they are on the wrong path. When there is a follower of Jesus to show them the true path to God, those men and women are ready to follow.

Each time a violent terrorist attack hits the news, it’s time to pray. It will be a day of chaos and pain for many. But for a few it will be a day of spiritual transformation.

**Lisa and her husband lived overseas for more than 20 years and raised two daughters in West Africa.**