Hiding in the Light by Rifqa Bary

Leaving Islam for Christianity cost her more than she imagined
but gave more than she could have dreamed.


“After four years of hiding my faith from my family, I knew that it was time. I wrote with shaky hands, ‘Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. I refuse to deny him….’ There was no turning back now. I had to get out of that house if I wanted to live. Was this worth risking everything for? Yes.”

Rifqa Bary grew up in a devout Muslim home, obediently following her parents’ orders to practice the rituals of Islam. But God was calling her to freedom and love. He was calling her to true faith. He was calling her to give up everything.

Hiding in the Light is the story of Rifqa’s remarkable spiritual journey from Islam to Christianity. It is also the untold story of how she ran from her father’s threats to find refuge with strangers in Florida, only to face a controversial court case that reached national headlines. Most of all, it is the story of a young girl who made life-changing sacrifices to follow Jesus—and who inspires us to do the same.

Author Bio

Fatima Rifqa Bary, a native of Sri Lanka, moved with her family to the United States at the age of eight. She secretly converted from Islam to Christianity at age twelve. When her family discovered her secret four years later, she ran away from home—and her story made national headlines. Still living in an undisclosed location, Rifqa’s passions are prayer, missions, and people. She also cherishes long talks with loved ones over coffee and eating lots of chicken curry.

My Thoughts:

What an amazing story of faith and devotion to Jesus Christ. Rifqa's journey to Christ and her journey through her unwavering faith brought me near tears at times, but also left me feeling a new found joy and thankfulness for my faith and salvation in Jesus. Rifqa's story although hard to read and seemingly unreal brought to light the truth of Islam in a very scary and dramatic way. Reading through this story made me long to give Rifqa a hug and tell her I loved her and supported her. Her story was very real on the pages and I felt as if she was speaking directly to me as she was writing. The trials she went through as a young girl/woman were hard for me to even read about. I can't imagine having to go through what she went through just so she could follow Jesus.

I really enjoyed Rifqa's writing. She was very easy to understand and she made each situation she was in jump off the page and made me feel as if I were there with her. The pages flowed easily and I found myself not being able to stop reading.

Reading Rifqa's story should make us all appreciate our freedom to worship Jesus whenever we want and be happy to share our faith with others.
I received this book from the publisher through the blogging for books program in exchange for my review. A positive review was not required.