Religious Persecution in Ghana

The following story was retold by Richard Koomson:

Sentenced for Life for My Religion

I was born and brought up in a very strict Islamic tradition in Borno State, in the Northern part of Nigeria. After I graduated from high school, I was chosen to do Islamic studies in Damascus Syria with the hope to be able to, one day, replace the religious leader back home. This was a tradition of my family for decades. But it was against my choice for a career. I could not protest for that means an unacceptable act of disobedience and the consequences would be very great. I did my best while at the institute in Damascus and was at the top of my class. But, the more I studied the more I lost faith in the Islamic religion. Before long I was marked out as an atheist. I was eventually kicked out of the institute. My life was threatened and I had to leave the country and escape to Lebanon where I ended up in a Shi’at Institute. This institute was sponsored by Iran with more hard line Islamic ideology. It took a lot of effort and a trick or two on the part of a Northern Nigerian Christian Ambassador to get me out of that school after a period of 9 months.

I was sent home to Nigeria and attended a Tribunal and then a few weeks later I had to face another tribunal set up by my folks. To appease the community and my parents, I had to teach Islamic studies at an Islamic school for one academic year during 1978-79. I also attended a year course at an Islamic institute during 1979-80 and then further Islamic studies at the Al-Azhar University, the chief school of Islamic and Arabic learning in the world located in Cairo. While studying at Al-Azhar, the events of Damascus start repeating themselves to me. I discovered a few things which had to do with Mohammed, the Islamic Seer, his wives and revelations. While I was conducting a research for my essay I asked a few questions that are not allowed to be asked. I was ostracized for this and had my life threatened. I was then kicked out of school, and as a result of this trouble I turned to alcohol and women, something that no one ever did in my family. I was wrecked by alcoholism. I had a terrible car accident in which I got injured and spent a couple of weeks at the hospital with a fractured hand. A friend died as a result of that accident and another friend suffered from two leg factures. I suffered terribly in every way during this time in my life, physically, socially, mentally and emotionally. My alcoholism worsened. During this time I hurt many people besides myself. My life was a living hell. I tried several ways and means to overcome my alcoholism but nothing helped.

During the summer of 1988 a friend of mine took me to see his friend’s home whom I knew, but only met in bars, discothèques, and parties. This was my first time to see this friend during the day at his home. I offered him a cigarette, but he refused. I was curious; I asked why he would not take the cigarette, because I knew he smoked. He told me that he had quit smoking. I asked him if it was because of religion, and he indicated that it was. He told me a little about his church. I was shocked to know that it was because he joined a church that had a doctrine against smoking cigarettes, drinking coffee and tea, or drinking any alcoholic drinks. He showed me the book of Doctrine and Covenants, section 89 and read me verses 1-9. We spoke a lot and I was compelled to accept his invitation to spend the night at his place to have more discussions on the subject the next day. He offered to take me to his church the next Sabbath day. I accepted and all was done as agreed.

On my first day at the church I was drawn by the power of the Holy Ghost to accept the invitation by the missionaries to teach me the Restored Gospel. I believed and was baptized by Elder Ross Whitecote in 1989. I was soon ordained to an office in the Melchizedek priesthood. It was such a blessing to me to be a member of the God’s true church on earth, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

When I began to learn the Gospel I found it not only possible but quite natural to give up my alcoholic habit and live a godly life and accept the Word of Wisdom. Life seemed so precious as I came to realize that I was on my journey to Exaltation. I shared this excitement with others who later informed authorities about me.

My new found faith in Jesus Christ and my membership in the Church triggered the ire and jealousy of many, especially my folks. My life was threatened once again, most especially when I began the process of changing my names to more Christian names. When things started getting out of control I got help and decided to flee to Spain, but was stopped at the Cairo Airport and was not permitted to get on board the airplane. I was kept in detention in Egypt for a few days. My passport was replaced by an Egyptian document that demanded that I report to the police station once a month. My church attendance was reduced only to attendance at Sacrament meeting.

On April 7, 1991, I was detained. A few days later I was taken to my apartment where the Consular of the Nigerian Embassy, and other police, were waiting for me when I arrived. All of my books and papers and everything of mine was taken to police headquarters. Many African Islamic students were brought in as witnesses against me to prove my illegal preaching of prohibited theology. I was kept in a state of incommunicado for three years and experienced every kind of torturing.

Between April 13, 1991, and January 5, 1992, I appeared in front of 26 DA’s and judges and was given life (25 years) sentence and a fine of $22,000 under State Security law 105, and all kinds of alleged charges were ascribed to me. No appeal, no retrial, or even visitation was allowed. Life was made unbearable for me. But my faith in Jesus Christ gave me enduring strength. In 1995 I was brought to Kanater Prison and was given free movement and was allowed to communicate with The Church and have my scriptures and Church literature but still no visitors were allowed. At Kantar I was placed into the section that contained the fanatic Islamic terrorists, including Aboud El-Zumr, the militant terrorist, who was the one responsible for the killing of Anwar Sedat. The guards then gave hint to the terrorists that I was a convert to the Christian faith, and the terrorists started mobbing and beating me. Aboud El-Zumr, the head of the Brotherhood Muslim group, appeared and told the others to stop what they were doing to me. After conversing, he was admired by my cause and the religious persecution that was my course, and he decided to help me if I would teach him English. He then protected me from others in prison, gave me food and clothes, helped smuggle my letters to the Cairo Branch members and helped smuggle in a copy of the Book of Mormon, the Bible, and a Marvelous Work and a Wonder for me.

On February 15, 1999, I was diagnosed as having a terminal illness, congestive heart failure, which required open-heart by-pass surgery. The Egyptian penal system offers no medications or surgery and made it impossible to let the Cairo Branch help me. I also came down with diabetes, resulting in blindness, and suffered a stroke that paralyzed the left side of my body for a period of time. I deeply know that if not for the love of God for me, I would be dead by now. Today, while still suffering severe medical challenges the Lord has permitted me to have sight and has healed me from my paralysis. During this period of time, I wrote the following from prison to friends in the church and to my Christian fellowship church within the prison:

Imagine a man who has been ill for so long that he can almost not remember what it is like to be well, or live a normal life without pains or feeling fatigue...

The doctor diagnosed me with a terminal illness, a heart condition that needed a by-pass operation, without which I could live no longer than five years. Each day seems to run into the next, moment of despair marking the hours, the week and the month, and the years. And it is now five years since then. But is it five years of hopelessness? No! Why? Because there was hope, when there was no reason to hope.

We all know that hope, like faith, is a step forward, but helplessness stands still or sits down and gives up. But hope moves on towards something stronger, more solid. As believers we know there is only one direction for our hope, which is in Jesus Christ, our Liahona. Because hope leads to faith, and faith to trust, and trust to fulfillment of all God’s promises in Jesus Christ. (Palms 42:11)

As such I find my life is filled by the power and effect of hope as I remember moment by moment to allow thoughts from God to overcome doubts that sometime creep in whenever illness or constant trials come, or how bad my condition seemed to be, I have hope in God and trust in Him. And through prayers, I always sought His help and He took care of me for the past five years. As such I have so much to thank the Lord for. For the healing I am experiencing, for His providence, love, care and protection.

We can always count on God each day no matter what the situation may seem to be. I am more and more grateful to know of the wonders we can witness through hope, faith and trust in our Lord Jesus. May all glory and honor be His. I pray in His name.

After some time I was finally allowed visitors. Many church members comforted me. I also was allowed to paint pictures which I could sell to members and others to raise money for medications. I once recorded this observation while in prison. I am so grateful that I am prayed for at the Cairo Branch, at a branch in Woodstock VA., in the Washington Temple and at the temple in Utah.

I am grateful to the Lord for providing for all my needs, medications and for giving me the strength to accept my illness and learn how to live with it. I am grateful that now I can have visitors from the church. I am grateful to know that the Lord cares and loves me no matter what the situation may seem to be. I deeply know that He has His purpose for letting me be here and that as soon as I have completed that purpose He will make it possible for me to be released and be where he has another mission for me to be. As for now I consider this place to be my monastery, a Gospel college and mission field. I am learning from the inspiring people in the Book of Mormon and our pioneers in the Ensign who have made peace amidst adversity. This gives me enduring meaning. My hope is upon the Lord who promised us through our latter-day prophet that, “After much tribulation comes the blessing.” (D&C 58:4). I am grateful to the Lord for I deeply know if not for His love for me I would now be counted among the dead. I am very grateful to our Heavenly Father for my membership in His true Church on earth. How delighted I am to always know that there is a true latter-day seer and prophet to lead our Church in this dispensation. Despite all the odds and obstacles, the Saints can visit me. I can worship and share the Gospel with others. How grateful I am to our Heavenly Father for the gift of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. I am also very grateful that the Lord will protect the members of the Cairo branch and give them all the desires of their heart

Christian groups working on the outside persuaded the government to set me free. On Easter day, in the year 2006, I was suddenly freed after 15 years of imprisonment. I share below a letter I wrote at that time, to the Cairo Branch around the time of my release:

Kanater Prison, Egypt
March 22, 2006, (9:09 pm)

"Dear John and Sherie, my precious Brother and Sister in Christ Jesus,

May the peace, love and joy of the Lord be always yours and all the Saints at Cairo Branch. May you all have a blessed Easter.

Thank you so very much for your visit with me last Saturday, it was such a blessing to see you and the sisters, Meg and Laura. May our Heavenly Father continue to bless you for all you are doing for me. May it always be for His ever glory, amen!

I prayerfully hope that your trip to Dubai is a blessed one, and that you are back to Cairo safely, and that your reunion with President Karim in Dubai was such a blessing to you all.

It’s hard to believe that my release is scheduled for a few days from now. The past months have been a crucial time for me as the time (April 8) draws nearer and nearer, I found myself compelled to look back to the past 15 difficult years in retrospective moments. But instead of letting my thoughts wander aimlessly along mental paths of sadness, injustice, illness or bad experiences, I keep on to the blessing of our Heavenly Father for me throughout this journey, and it was His steadfast love and grace that brought me this far. I’m deeply grateful to the Lord for I deeply know that if not for His love and grace I would have been long among the dead. Praise Him for His love and grace endure forever!

Isn’t it a great miracle that I’ll go out of the jail walking on my feet considering all I’ve been through: torture, hardship, terminal illness, and restrictions? The Lord has been so good to me and I wonder how I could have survived all these without His love for me. It was His grace and love that enabled me to endure and overcome. His grace has taken me beyond my natural abilities by compelling me to forgive all of those I can look at their faces and smile, as I found it not only easy but quite natural to forgive purely and love them as the Lord commands us in Matthew 5:44. Praise be to Jesus for His love endures forever!"

Being in prison was all about a battle of forces. I was under constant pressure from all sides to let me fall and give in to the ploy of the evil one as to render me faithless. But the desire of the wicked one was put in check by the hands of the Lord our God. How grateful I am to our Heavenly Father for He was strengthened me with the presence of His Holy Ghost in my life, His inspiring word and restored gospel, and His love through you my brethren.

I would like to extend my gratitude to you all for standing by me at this most difficult time in my life. You’ve all extended your loving kindness to me in various ways, and the Church has been generous to me during my illness; fervent prayers were lifted up in fasting, words of encouragement, funds, medications, inspiring guidelines of how to deal with my illness. The primary children compelled me to begin paintings, something I loved doing but was not allowed during my childhood by my folks. Your visits with me, food supply, inspiring Church materials and supporting me by bringing my paintings and crafts, donating towards my fine and release process just to mention a few. How grateful I feel to each of you for your many kindnesses. May God bless you.

I do believe that the Lord has used my time in here to equip me for His glorious purpose. He has chosen Israel in their captivity in Babylon, “in the furnace of affliction,” (1 Nephi 20:10), and I deeply know that the result of the furnace of affliction is eternal blessings, and those blessings are made possible to us because of the resurrection and atonement of our Lord, Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ. As such my desire is to serve the Lord by dedicating my life to His work, advancing the restored gospel upon my release.

Since my conversion, Ghana stood up for me, even though at that time the Church had some problems out there. How grateful I am to the Lord when I read all about President Hinckley dedicating the temple Ghana. I was not surprised because the Lord has promised that “…the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the water covers the sea,” for there will not be a temple of the Most High God unless there is His knowledge in that land. What a miracle that I live to see two temples stand in the West African nations of Nigeria and Ghana. Praise the Lord for his love endures forever.

Through your help, support, prayers and generosity, I’ll be going to Ghana as soon as I finish my release process, where I can be free to worship and serve our Heavenly Father and prayerfully hope to be worthy of going to His temple. I’m grateful to you for making it possible for me. May the Lord richly bless you for your fasting and prayers (March 17), that very day I was told that I can go to Ghana directly without stopping in Nigeria, to avoid possible persecution by my folks, especially now that they are practicing “Sharia Law” in our state of origin in Nigeria. I’m very optimistic because I deeply know that in a situation like this turning to our Heavenly Father for guidance and protection renews our faith in Him and assures us that all things are possible to those who wait upon Him (D&C 90:24). Now that I’m to gain back my freedom I need your prayers more than ever. May the will of the Lord be done in my situation.

I know that the Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ want us to pass the tests of life and they have prepared the way for us through the restoration of the gospel in this dispensation, and we’ve the right to claim the promise of companionship of the Holy Ghost, and as such we can endure and overcome the world.

Jesus Christ says in John 15:5: “…without me ye can do nothing,” therefore, for the truth of the gospel to blossom and bless our lives we’ve got to abide in Him. He is the vine that is our true source of strength and the only source of our eternal life. I thank our Heavenly Father for my testimony of Jesus Christ. He is our true and personal “Liahona.” I solemnly testify that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and as such is our spiritual “Liahona.” I deeply know within my heart that Joseph Smith is a true prophet through whom the Lord restored His divine church and true gospel.

I do testify that the heavens are not sealed anymore in these latter-days as we’ve a prophet of God, President Gordon B. Hinckley, who communicates with the Infinite and leads this most true Church on earth, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

May heaven smile upon you. May there be harmony, peace, love and goodness in your homes. May you have a blessed Easter in Jesus’ name. I love you and will miss you a lot.

Your Brother in Christ

Brother Tito Momen

P.S. Tito Momen arrived in Ghana shortly after Easter 2006. He returned to Nigeria to reconcile matters with his family. When he arrived in Nigeria his father was ill in the hospital. He then contacted his father at the hospital, his father told Tito that a funeral had already been held ten years earlier for him, because to them, Tito was already dead. In the hospital he told Tito that his new faith was true, because he had prayed to God that if Tito had found the truth He would bring Tito back, so they could visit one last time before his death. Tito’s father died three hours after he visited him at the hospital. On this trip his brothers again tried to have him arrested. Tito however was able to settle things with his family by rescinding all rights to his family name and possessions, through an Islamic Sharia court case. Tito is now living in Accra, Ghana and will be receiving the blessings of the temple shortly.