From Middle East to Bible Belt: One Ex-Muslim’s Journey
From Middle East to Bible Belt: One Ex-Muslim’s Journey
By Michelle A. Vu
ICC Notes:
From fleeing persecution in Iraq to enjoying freedom in America , an Iraqi Christian tells her story.
3/15/2010 Iraq (Christian Post) – A few years ago, the former Baghdad correspondent for NBC and devout Christian brought over to the United States a young Iraqi Muslim he had known for only a month.
Not only that, he also made her a part of his family.
“God has something in mind for Rafraf, and it wasn’t for her to die at the hands of Iraqi insurgents,” Teague recalls thinking.
It was at NBC’s Baghdad bureau that Teague first met Rafraf Barrak, who – at the age of 22 – was hired in the summer of 2003 to be the news bureau’s youngest translator.
But after surviving several near-death experiences – the defining moment being the bombing of a newly built school for children –Teague forged a special bond with Barrak, whose strong will, intelligence and beauty caused her many problems in Iraq’s conservative Muslim society, including being locked in a sweltering storage room for four months after being seen eating lunch with a boy at school.
Before it was time for Teague to return to the United States , he shared with his wife back home his concerns for the young and ambitious translator, who did not conform to the social norms expected of Muslim women in Iraq .
“Suddenly, I realized why I was in Baghdad ,” Teague wrote in his new book, Saved by Her Enemy, released this month. “My purpose is to get Rafraf out!”
His wife, Kiki, agreed, though she cautioned him to be careful.
“We don’t really know anything about her,” said Kiki. “If you think God is telling you to do this, then the answer is yes. If we can really help her, then I’m all for it. But we just need to be careful.”
After a string of bureaucratic roadblocks, Barrak finally was able to leave for the United States . But between the time Teague left and Barrak received her permission, she was the victim of a kidnapping attempt – in which she had to escape by jumping out of a moving vehicle and on to a busy highway – and she was caught in the middle of a cross-fire.
“I realized that I don’t need to be scared,” Barrak recalled. “If I do trust this God who has helped me all these years, if I do trust Him, then I need not to be scared because He would be my protector and He would be my shield and I just need to trust in Him.”
Although not mentioned in the book, Barrak said during the interview that her mother knows she is now a Christian. Initially, her mother was angry and disappointed and would not talk to her. But more recently the mother and daughter have been able to put aside their differences aside and talk.
“I’ve been praying over and over and over that one day God will just put it on her heart to speak to me again,” the former Iraqi Muslim shared. “It happened. I am talking to them again. We are avoiding the religion discussion, but they still love me and I love them. And at the same time I gained God.”