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Fariza Gulomikova grew up in a Shia Ismaili family in Tajikistan. As a child, she saw how much a person could lose by leaving Islam. Then her cousin became a Christian, and the kindness she encountered at his church challenged everything she thought she knew about Christians.
In part three of our Understanding Islam series, Fariza tells Preston about her childhood, her encounter with Jesus at age 11, her family’s response to her conversion, and the challenges of starting over in the United States. She also shares what she wishes Christians understood about their Muslim neighbors.
Chapters
0:00 Fariza’s decision to become a Christian
0:32 Introduction to part three of Understanding Islam
2:23 Growing up in Tajikistan during a civil war
5:31 Sunni, Shia, and Fariza’s Ismaili background
12:22 Growing up as a girl in a Muslim majority country
17:47 The pressures and dangers Fariza saw women face
26:41 Fariza’s people, language, and culture
29:10 Her childhood view of Christianity
31:34 The cousin who changed her view of Christians
33:32 The kindness that drew her toward Jesus
34:30 Fariza’s encounter with Jesus at age 11
36:45 What she was taught about Jesus in Islam
38:44 Fariza’s advice for Christians talking with Muslims
43:39 How her family responded to her conversion
47:33 Starting over in America
52:28 Islam, terrorism, and stereotypes
55:28 Searching for belonging in Christian communities
58:41 Fariza’s final word to Christians
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