Muslims Or Christians More Popular? Evangelical In Azerbaijan Hopes To Convert Muslim Population To Christianity

The man who claims to be the first ever Muslim from Azerbaijan to convert to Christianity is now an evangelical church leader with a mission: to persuade the overwhelmingly Muslim former Soviet nation to follow in his path.

Sari Mirzoev made his personal journey from Islam to Christianity shortly after Azerbaijan proclaimed its independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. In a country where government estimates put the percentage of Muslims at 96 percent, he remains a small minority. But, now the leader of the country’s largest evangelical church, he believes he has been given a grand mission.

“The Lord said that, even though the church at that time was made up of mostly Russian people, soon it would be filled with Azeri people, and the Lord would do it through me,” he told the Christian Broadcasting Network in a story published Friday.

Mirziev said between 30 and 40 people now attend a regular service, the majority of which are Muslim converts.

While overwhelmingly Muslim, Azerbaijan is a secular country, which protects religious freedom in its constitution. Under the law, people have the right to choose and change religious affiliation.

However, religious organizations must be registered with the government. And the law often sees “non-traditional” groups denied registration, while restrictions have also been put in place in printing some religious literature, according to a U.S. State Department report.

One member of an unregistered, underground Christian group has claimed that Muslims who discover Christianity are often left impressed.

“Muslims often notice that we live joyful lives, and they wonder where our joy comes from,” a man identified as Hafiz told CBN News. “We tell them that we are Christians, and by seeing how our lives have been changed, Muslims can see the Gospel.”

In recent months, there have been reports of large numbers of Muslim refugees converting to Christianity in countries such as Germany and Lebanon.

However, the global trend is expected to go in the opposite direction. Indeed, by 2050, Christians are expected to record a net loss of 66 million from religious switching, the largest such loss of all religious groups, according to the Pew Research Center. Meanwhile, Muslims are expected to gain 3 million followers over the same period from people converting to Islam.