What Would You Do in a Prison Cell with ISIS Members

Ali and Dari are longtime Christians and viewers of our broadcasts who are evangelists at heart. In 2015, they had to leave Iran for their security and settled in neighboring Turkey, where they promptly continued spreading the Good News of salvation.

When several Muslims sued Ali and Dari for “insulting the sanctities of Islam” through their evangelism, Turkish officials designated the couple for deportation back to Iran with no regard for what awaited them in their home country.

Before boarding the plane, Dari became overwhelmed by the fear and worry of\ returning to Iran. She broke down crying, and medical personnel were called to the airport gate to treat her. Ali began praying for his wife, and she turned out to be okay. But instead of being placed on another flight, Ali and Dari were taken to a police station. They were sentenced to eight months in prison, had their Bibles taken from them, and were ordered not to talk about Jesus with other prisoners. Over the first two months, they were allowed to see each other only four times and for no longer than five minutes each time.

“We survived by the power of God,” Ali said. “We were imprisoned in a dungeon where there was no sunlight, but the true light of Jesus never left us. We felt His sweet presence.”

After the third month, Ali and Dari were finally given their Bibles but still forbidden from sharing the Gospel.

Near the end of their sentences, Ali was placed in a cell with 15 ISIS members. The ISIS members had committed, upon their release from the prison, to participate in suicide missions targeting innocent people in Syria and Iraq.

Of course, Ali had to tell the ISIS members about the One who had given His life for them. All 15 gave their hearts to Jesus!

“It was there that I realized God has a plan for us, and that made the suffering times easier,” Ali recalled. “I owe this blessing from God to Channel 7, which led us to believe in Jesus Christ so that through us—and others like us in the darkest places in the world—we could prevent the killing of innocent people.

When Ali contacted our ministry, he and Dari had completed their prison sentences and were awaiting a trial. A judge had rejected their appeal, declared them “dangerous,” and designated them for deportation to Iran. Ali said they are receiving no support from the Turkish government, not even needed medical assistance. However, the United Nations has selected the United States as a “third country” to which Ali and Dari could be deported.