Matti (his new name after accepting Christ) finally packed his bags and left his house in Baghdad without saying goodbye to those he loved, and they were many. He went to Lebanon, knowing that there, at least, he wouldn’t be killed for deciding to cover to Christianity. Back in his home country, he would be targeted by Iranian-backed militias or jailed by the Iraqi authorities for what he had done.
Matti, who is currently 35-years-old, converted to Christianity in 2017. He was later baptized in Lebanon by Pastor Amal Saad of the Church of Ain Zhalta, who got to know him through an Iraqi pastor. Matti fled Iraq amid death threats and came to Lebanon as a refugee seeking asylum in a Western country. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees asked him to submit a letter justifying the reason for his conversion to Christianity. A large number of those seeking exit visas to a European or other Western destination do so on the pretext that they have converted to Christianity and as such are facing persecution. They needed...
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