{"id":49024,"date":"2024-02-13T14:00:30","date_gmt":"2024-02-13T05:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/?p=49024"},"modified":"2024-02-13T14:03:04","modified_gmt":"2024-02-13T05:03:04","slug":"vomk-report-290","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/2024\/02\/13\/vomk-report-290\/","title":{"rendered":"Yemen: Beatings in Prison Led This Former Arms Smuggler to Christ"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”49016″ img_size=”full”][vc_custom_heading text=”Zamir has a dangerous job. He is one of the only Yemeni Christians broadcasting from the Middle East into Yemen, a country where converting to Christianity from Islam is a crime punishable by death. But danger is nothing new for Zamir. He was once a Muslim gun smuggler, and according to Voice of the Martyrs Korea Representative Dr. Hyun Sook Foley it was as the surprising consequence of beatings Zamir received from prison guards that he came to know Christ.” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:1.2em|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” el_class=”headline”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no point at which <\/span>Zamir\u2019s life<\/span> wasn\u2019t dangerous,\u201d says Representative Foley, whose organization partners with persecuted Christians, including in the Middle East. \u201c<\/span>After losing his parents at a young age, he married in his early 20s only to see his wife die while giving birth to their first child, a baby boy, who also died.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Depressed, struggling with alcoholism and angry at Allah, Zamir had reached a low point and needed income to support himself. <\/span>Zamir told Voice of the Martyrs that it was a<\/span>round that time<\/span> that<\/span> he was recruited to smuggle weapons for fighters on one side of Yemen\u2019s 1994 civil war.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was d<\/span>esperate for money,<\/span>\u201d says Representative Foley. <\/span>\u201c<\/span>So<\/span> he took a job transporting guns between his hometown and the large port city of Aden, on Yemen\u2019s southern coast.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Zamir told Voice of the Martyrs that o<\/span>n one of their trips to pick up a shipment of weapons, 25-year-old Zamir and his colleagues were arrested for smuggling, for which they each received 8-month prison sentences.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Zamir<\/span> said that when his <\/span>siblings learned of his crimes, they refused to talk to him.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt sad and alone,\u201d he <\/span>told Voice of the Martyrs<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]But w<\/span>hile in prison, Zamir reached new depths of despair.<\/span> The prison guards brutally beat Zamir and his friends, leaving them with scars and injuries that caused lasting pain.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span> <\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Authorities offered Zamir an early release if he could pay bail, but he had no family support and could not come up with the funds on his own<\/span>,\u201d says Representative Foley<\/span>. <\/span>\u201cBut e<\/span>ventually<\/span> he received hope in the most unexpected way \u2014 through the ongoing torture.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Zamir told Voice of the Martyrs that a<\/span>s the guards continued to beat him, <\/span>his <\/span>wounds required medical care. <\/span>A<\/span>uthorities allowed <\/span>volunteer <\/span>doctors and nurses to provide care to inmates once a week under <\/span>watch<\/span> of the guards.<\/span> Some of those volunteers <\/span>were connected with<\/span> a local church, according to Zamir.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>In Zamir\u2019s case, those medical missionaries not only treated his wounds; they arranged for his bail to be paid and, upon his release, encouraged him to begin attending their church<\/span>,\u201d says Representative Foley<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Based on what <\/span>Zamir <\/span>had heard of Christian worship as a Muslim, he expected <\/span>the church service <\/span>to be a party with an abundance of alcohol and promiscuous women.<\/span> To him, it <\/span>sounded like <\/span>a great time<\/span>. But when he attended the evening service, he found something <\/span>very different<\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt like, \u2018Here is my night!\u2019 you know?\u201d Zamir <\/span>told Voice of the Martyrs<\/span>. \u201cThen [a man] opened the door, and there is this old lady on the keyboard and <\/span>really old<\/span> people inside. There was no whiskey or any other drinks. Nothing.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”49019″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Zamir said h<\/span>e became even more disappointed when an elderly man began to pray and teach from the Bible in English. Zamir <\/span>couldn\u2019t<\/span> understand a word he was saying. \u201cI was shocked,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Still, Zamir was touched by the pastor\u2019s care.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>The pastor told him he could stay at the church and help at the church-run clinic and pharmacy,<\/span>\u201d<\/span> says Representative Foley. \u201cBut the church gave him more than a place to stay. They also gave him an Arabic-language New Testament.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cI was excited to get the Bible because it is illegal in Yemen,\u201d Zamir <\/span>told Voice of the Martyrs<\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Zamir recalls <\/span>open<\/span>ing the Bible <\/span>and read<\/span>ing<\/span> a passage from the Sermon on the Mount, in which Jesus teaches his followers to love their enemies.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cMy head became heavy when I read that because it was like I saw a movie in front of me,\u201d Zamir <\/span>told Voice of the Martyrs<\/span>. \u201cAll the<\/span> people in my life were in front of me, and this book said, \u2018Love them.\u2019 That was not easy to read.\u201d<\/span> Still, <\/span>he <\/span>continued to read from <\/span>that afternoon until the next morning.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]A<\/span>s he <\/span>encounter<\/span>ed<\/span> Jesus Christ through God\u2019s Word, Zamir <\/span>said he <\/span>conflicted about the teachings of Islam. \u201cI had never seen such an image of God in all my life,\u201d he <\/span>told Voice of the Martyrs<\/span>. \u201cBefore, I was afraid of God. He killed people and he put people in hell. I never saw this part of God. He is love. If I am guilty, he accepts me. [Before] that time, I felt very guilty, but I felt nobody would accept me.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]The next morning, Zamir <\/span>told a co-worker<\/span> he wanted to become a Christian. \u201cI love Jesus,\u201d he told <\/span>the co-worker<\/span>. \u201cI love his character. I <\/span>can\u2019t<\/span> explain it to you more than that, but his character is amazing.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]After <\/span>the co-worker<\/span> explained more deeply what it means to become a Christian, Zamir <\/span>says he <\/span>placed his faith in Christ.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Soon, Zamir started attending church regularly, despite the risk of his Christian faith becoming known.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>In Yemen, leaving Islam for another religion is considered apostasy, which is punishable by death<\/span>,\u201d says Representative Foley<\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]While walking to the clinic one day, Zamir noticed a car following him. Thinking it was <\/span>probably the<\/span> police, he started running and was able to get away from the car.<\/span> He learned that some of his foreigner co-workers<\/span> had been expelled from the country.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”49021″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”Zamir hosts a Yemeni-dialect Christian radio program, encouraging those curious about Christianity by talking about his own journey to faith in Christ.” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:13px|text_align:center|color:%230f0f0f|line_height:1.45em” google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Assuming that the authorities had been watching him and would pursue him for becoming a Christian, Zamir <\/span>told Voice of the Martyrs he <\/span>fled and eventually made his way back to his <\/span>childhood home<\/span>. There, Zamir\u2019s <\/span>oldest brother <\/span>discovered Zamir\u2019s<\/span> Bible<\/span> amidst the few belongings he had brought<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>When Zamir\u2019s brother later confronted him about the Bible, Zamir explained that he had become a follower of Christ<\/span>,\u201d says Representative Foley<\/span>. <\/span>\u201cZamir\u2019s brother became enraged by this news and told<\/span> Zamir he would kill him if he wouldn\u2019t return to Islam.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]With the help of his former foreign co-workers,<\/span> Zamir fled <\/span>to another country in the region.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cZamir learned quickly that <\/span>Muslim converts to Christianity face death anywhere they go in the Middle East<\/span>,\u201d says Representative Foley<\/span>. <\/span>\u201c<\/span>In the midst of attending Bible college, marrying a Christian Arab woman, and together having a child, Zamir and his new family ultimately had to relocate to several different countries in a short period of time.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Still, <\/span>Zamir\u2019s <\/span>heart remained in Yemen. So<\/span> Zamir <\/span>said he was <\/span>delighted when he <\/span>soon <\/span>met some believers <\/span>in a Middle Eastern country <\/span>working for a Christian radio ministry. After telling Zamir about their plans to start a Yemeni radio station using the Yemeni dialect, they offered Zamir a job on the spot.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Zamir <\/span>took the job and <\/span>today continues to <\/span>host a radio show in which he reads Scripture and takes questions about the Bible<\/span>,\u201d says Representative Foley<\/span>. <\/span>\u201c<\/span>The radio broadcasts make God\u2019s Word more accessible inside Yemen and also help believers like Zamir who have fled Yemen and now live in nearby countries.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Zamir told Voice of the Martyrs that s<\/span>ome of the Muslims who call <\/span>his <\/span>show are critical and even aggressive.<\/span> He says h<\/span>e uses those calls as an opportunity to share the love of Christ over the airwaves. \u201cThen they start to become more relaxed,\u201d he sa<\/span>ys<\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Zamir says that w<\/span>henever he speaks with a new believer through the radio program, he makes sure they understand that they will <\/span>likely face<\/span> persecution. \u201cI don\u2019t want anyone to make this decision before they understand the cost, as Jesus did with the rich man,\u201d he <\/span>told Voice of the Martyrs<\/span>. \u201c[Jesus] told them, \u2018If you want to follow me, go and sell everything.\u2019 You <\/span>don\u2019t<\/span> come to Jesus and your life is beautiful. <\/span>It\u2019s<\/span> nothing like that. When you come to Jesus, you <\/span>have to<\/span> be ready. There is a cross on your shoulder; there is a <\/span>cost<\/span> you have to take. Sometimes <\/span>it\u2019s<\/span> your life, sometimes <\/span>it\u2019s<\/span> your country, sometimes <\/span>it\u2019s<\/span> your family.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

According to Representative Foley, Zamir\u2019s radio ministry <\/span>continues to <\/span>put him at special risk<\/span> for persecution<\/span>. <\/span>\u201cFor more than a decade, the Lord has been using <\/span>Zamir to <\/span>reach people who were once like him <\/span>in Yemen<\/span>,\u201d says Representative Foley.<\/span> \u201c<\/span>That does not go unnoticed by enemies of the gospel. <\/span>So<\/span> we call on Christians everywhere to pray for Zamir as he continues to show love for his enemies by proclaiming to them the news that transformed him from an arms smuggler to a faithful witness for Christ.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Individuals interested in a detailed update on the current situation of underground Christians in Yemen can find more information at <\/span><\/span>https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/country-profile\/yemen\/<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][\/vc_section]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"[vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”49016″ img_size=”full”][vc_custom_heading text=”Zamir has a dangerous job. He is one of the only Yemeni Christians broadcasting from the Middle East into Yemen, a country where converting to Christianity from …","protected":false},"author":659,"featured_media":49017,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[235,869,140],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49024","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-special-column","category-china-special","category-vomk-report"],"translation":{"provider":"WPGlobus","version":"3.0.2","language":"en","enabled_languages":["ko","en","zh","ru"],"languages":{"ko":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"en":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"zh":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"ru":{"title":false,"content":false,"excerpt":false}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49024","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/659"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49024"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49024\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49036,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49024\/revisions\/49036"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49017"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49024"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49024"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49024"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}