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The There have been established a 2,500 person Orthodox community in Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world. In addition to Indonesia, there are active Orthodox missions in the Muslim regions of Bulgaria and in the predominantly Muslim country of Albania, while in many Muslim countries there are thousands of underground Christians.[citation needed] In the late 1980s [[Church of GeorgiaArchimandrite]] make today very succesfull mission among muslims Daniel Byantoro labored to see that Orthodoxy remains involved in Adjaria - since 1990s many thousands people receives the holy baptismevangelizing Muslim peoples. [citation needed]
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There are other vivid stories that can be recalled. At the end of the 9th century and the beginning of the 10th century a Spanish Muslim, Omar ibn Khaphsun, converted to Christianity with his sons and ruled over several mountain valleys for nearly fifty years, having the castle Bobastro as his residence.{{Ref|7}} During the same period of time the Kurdish prince Ibn-ad-Dahhak, who possessed the fortress of al-Jafary, abandoned Islam for Orthodoxy.{{Ref|8}} Additionally, the contemporaries of the Muslim theologian Abdallah ibn Kullaib (who died in 955) write that he secretly converted to Christianity.{{Ref|9}} It is also known that Bunei ibn Nefis, a military commander and confidant of caliph al-Muktadir, became an Orthodox Christian and fought with the Byzantines against arabs.
Looking at all of these sources we can say that as many as 100,000 Muslims converted to Christianity during the 9th and 10th centuries. It is also interesting to note that in the 15th century the great Muslim city of Baghdad and some regions of Asia Minor ruled by the Turkish Kara-Kiunglu dynasty adopted Christianity, they having been condemned by Egyptian historians for [[apostasy]].{{Ref|10}}
'''Missions of the Russian Orthodox Church'''
The people dealt with here are special cases, for they converted from Islam and subsequently bore so much spiritual fruit that they were glorified by the Church who saw them as worthy of joining the ranks of the [[Saint]]s who have shone forth in this dark world. Let us briefly look at some of their lives.
On 6 January 786 the Baghdadi Arab, St. [[Abu of Tbilisi]], was baptized. On 14 April 789 the Palestinian Arab, St. Christopher Sabbait, received the [[martyr]]'s crown by taking the vows and performing ascetic labors in the lavra of St. Sabbas (Mar Saba). On 25 December 799 St. Antony-Ruwah, a Damascene Arab of the Quraish tribe, was beheaded for converting to Christianity.{{Ref|15}} Around 800 St. Pachomy, a nephew of the caliph, was murdered after taking vows at [[St. Catherine's Monastery (Sinai)|St. Catherine's Monastery ]] near [[Mount Sinai]]. Around 820 St. Barbar, a North African Arab and soldier in a Muslim army, was baptized in the territory of the Byzantine Empire (6/19 May).{{Ref|16}}
On 1 April 1229 the Bulgar merchant St. Abrahamy was killed for preaching Christianity to the Bulgars.{{Ref|17}} In 1552 Sts. [[Peter and Stephan of Kazan]], baptized Tatars, suffered at the hands of their former coreligionists and were killed (24 March/6 April).{{Ref|18}} In 1555 the Tatar Tursas was baptized. He later became known as [[Serapion of Kozheozero]] (27 June/10 July 1611) after founding the Theophany/Epiphany monastery at Kozheozero in northern Russia and raising seven Saints for the Church of Russia.{{Ref|19}} In 1614 St. Hodja Amiris the Soldier, who saw the miracle of the descent of the holy light, was martyred.{{Ref|20}} On 3 May 1682 St. [[Ahmed the Deftedar]], a high-ranking Muslim Turk, was martyred for the Faith.{{Ref|21}} At the beginning of the 19th century St. [[Constantine Hagarit]] (2/15 June 1819){{Ref|22}} and St. John (23 September/6 October 1814), the son of an Albanian sheikh, converted to Christianity and died for Christ.{{Ref|23}} These Saints are the greatest evidence and fruit of the Orthodox Church's missionary labors and its great spiritual (if not statistical) triumph. God, not willing that any should perish, but that all should repent (III Peter 3:9), has gathered together a worthy harvest from the Muslim peoples.
'''Orthodox missions to the Muslims today'''
Orthodoxy continues to evangelize the Muslims today. It is enough to note the establishment of the now 2,500-strong Orthodox community in Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world, in the late 1980s through the labors There are still many conversions of one person, [[Archimandrite]] Daniel Byantoro, Muslims from Islam to see that Holy Orthodoxy remains involved in evangelizing the Muslim peoples. In addition to Indonesia there are active Orthodox missions in the Muslim regions of Bulgaria and in the predominantly Muslim country of Albania, while in many Muslim countries there are thousands of underground Christians.
The [[Church of Georgia]] is making successful missions among muslims in Adjaria; since 1990, many thousands people have received the holy baptism.[citation needed] Furthermore, in the [[Russian Orthodox Church]] there are Kazakh, Tatar, Chechen, Ingush, and Tabasaranian [[priest]]s. Many of them converted from Islam, and as far as laymen are concerned there are several thousand faithful laymen who converted to Orthodoxy from Islam. Especially after the tragedy of Beslan many muslim Osetins became orthodox christians, so every year [[Bishop]] Feofanos of Stavropol baptize baptizes thousand people. In Moscow work community of orthodox tatars. Overall there are still many conversions of Muslims from Islam to Holy Orthodoxy.
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Copyright © 2004 Yurij Maximov. Submitted by the author.
==See also==
*[[Gospel]]
*[[Missionary]]
*[[Evangelist]]
*[[Evangelization]]
*[[Evangelism]]
[[Category:Church History]]
[[Category:Orthodoxy and Islam]]
[[Category:Contributed Articles]]
