Hedieh grew up in the Los Angeles area to Iranian immigrants that came before the hostage crisis of 1979. Her upbringing consisted of a normal American life with no particular regard and connection to Islam. To her, Islam was more of an inherited identity than a lived out faith.
Throughout her high school and university years, Hedieh felt an inherit guilt for the way she conducted her life and started the search for truth. Naturally, she felt Islam would be her answer and the fulfillment she was looking for. After encountering various sects of Islam, some more conservative and fundamentalist, and others more progressive, Hedieh decided to join a more progressive sect as she saw it better aligned with her Western upbringing. Despite an initial sense of belonging, Hedieh faced much backlash from her more conservative muslim counterparts. One instance in particular, regarding the improper removal of her headscarf led to the turning point in Hedieh’s life. The subsequent backlash from her Muslim community led her to question her pursuit of Islam. She wondered how something as simple as a headscarf could determine her eternal destiny.
One day, after coming across a sermon on Twitter, Hedieh was captivated by the message of the gospel and wondered how in a life full of religious rites and rituals, she never heard about Jesus Christ. This moment led to months of research and prayer until one day, her prayer for God to reveal Himself to her was answered with “Hedieh, it’s me.” Hedieh discovered that the truth did not lie in endless rules and rituals in the pursuit of God. The truth was in Jesus Christ, who conquered death on the cross.
Religion is man’s attempt to either get to God or become God, but Christianity is God’s attempt to get to man and He did it through Jesus Christ. Salvation does not come from man’s own works but by the work of God through Jesus Christ on the cross. As Ephesians 2:8-9 puts it: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Muslims rely on their own works to achieve salvation and they do not put their faith in the saving power of Jesus on the cross.
As we are inspired by Hedieh’s conversion story, we must continue to pray and ask God for courage to share our faith amongst those who do not put their trust in Jesus Christ for their salvation.