Ex-Muslim Sues Church Over Baptism Announcement He Says Almost Got Him Killed
A Muslim convert to Christianity is suing the church who baptized him because of an alleged mistake that led to severe persecution.
The anonymous Tulsa, Oklahoma ex-Muslim claims that when he visited Syria shortly after his baptism, he was bound and beaten for days. He was stabbed, shot and nearly beheaded, according to a local news source.
The radical Muslims who kidnapped him in Damascus, he says, learned of his conversion on the Internet—where the Oklahoman First Presbyterian Church had allegedly published his baptism information online.
The convert claims that he and the church had agreed that his conversion and baptism would not be publicly announced.
“We understand the skepticism toward the claim,” the former Muslim’s attorney Keith Ward told the media, “but his injuries and all the allegations are well documented.”
The reason for the John Doe’s return trip to Syria? To pick up his bride and bring her to the U.S., where he was preparing to file for citizenship.
The Presbyterian church cannot discuss many details without compromising the identity of the new convert. But their pastor, the Rev. James D. Miller, released a statement through his lawyer, stating:
“I would however, like to speak to the church family and the entire Tulsa community. The lawsuit is brought by a person who received the Sacrament of Baptism before the congregation during a regular Sunday service at First Church. As the facts and truth of these events are revealed during the judicial process, it will become clear that First Church followed its normal procedures in baptizing this person and the claims made in the suit are not proper.”
Read more about the unusual case on Tulsa World.
