PLAINVIEW, Texas (ABP) — Fedha Mohamed Elyas has visited her children in Texas before and returned home to Africa with no problems. But this time, she's afraid to go home.
Elyas is a resident of the Comoros Islands, off the southeastern coast of Africa. She professes faith in Jesus Christ, which puts her in a tiny minority in her native land — and perhaps in danger.
The country, which is 98 percent Muslim, already has a reputation as not being open to other faiths. But the recent election of a new ruler has produced a much more hostile environment for Christians. Many have already been imprisoned, fined and tortured, Elyas said, and she has no reason to believe she will receive any different treatment. Friends already report her house has been searched while she has been gone and the Comorian government now has her name on a list of Christians.
She first visited Plainview last summer to see her son, Daniel, then a senior at Wayland Baptist University, and a daughter, Maureen, a sophomore. She returned in the spring to see Daniel receive his diploma from WBU and planned to stay for a few months. News from home, however, has left her afraid to return.
Under the rule of Islamic fundamentalist Ahmed Abdallah Mohamed Sambi since May, the Comoros Islands are currently ranked 15th on the Open Doors list of the top 50 worst persecuting countries in the world. Elyas and her fellow Christians have to worship in secret for fear of being discovered by the government.
The government does “not give you liberty to preach or worship,” she said. “People would come to my house, which is far from town, to worship. Someone would stand outside so if they saw anyone coming, we could hide the Bibles.”
Though raised in the Muslim tradition, as a young adult Elyas would sneak away to attend church.
“Sometimes when I found myself in real trouble, I would pray the Christian way. I would pray to Jesus,” she said. “But whenever my prayers were answered, I would tell myself it was just coincidence, and go back to the Muslim way.”
Elyas chose Christianity in 1996. Family members immediately turned their backs on her. But she has been an outspoken leader among Christians in the Comoros.
Since she is a diabetic who controls her condition with diet and exercise, Elyas and others believe a prison sentence would be almost a death sentence. In prisons in the Comoros, all basic necessities such as food and clothing are provided by the family, not the state. Christians attempting to bring food run the risk of being arrested themselves.
“One of the Christians [in prison] was sick with malaria , and some people brought him medication, which they gave to the guards,” Daniel said. “But it never reached him. Even if a family member brings you food, there's no guarantee that it will get to you — especially if you are Christian.”
With two children in the United States and another son, Nicky, studying in France, Elyas has no one in Comoros to care for her should she end up in prison.
Her only hope is to apply for political asylum in the United States and hope to wait out the political storm in her own country. She intends to return there as soon as conditions are safer, as do her children, who are now also Christians.
Despite the dangers, her children talk of returning to the Comoros. Daniel studied business at Wayland and hopes to do humanitarian work in his home country. Maureen, pursuing a degree in criminal justice, wants to make a difference there as well.
And both hope to keep their mother in the States long enough to see the political winds change. Her travel visa expires in September, so time is limited to get her legal paperwork in order. It's also a costly venture; one immigration lawyer estimated expenses at $8,000 to $10,000.
Money deposited in her bank account in the Comoros can only be withdrawn if she appears in person — an impossibility in the current political climate. She must try to apply for a temporary work permit in the United States if she wants to support her family. She worked as a translator, fluent in six languages, and is trained in the medical field as well.
For now, Daniel, who is pursuing a master's degree at Wayland and working in the admissions office, is supporting the family.
“It's an awful big load to put on the shoulders of a young man just out of college,” said Elaine Seagler, a Plainview resident who is helping raise money for Elyas' application. “This is a genuine need. We've got a very caring, giving community.”
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— Teresa Young is a writer for Wayland Baptist University. Photo available from Associated Baptist Press.