Qeita Sumaila had a serious family problem. Through an assistant’s invitation, he ended up attending a meeting at the Universal Church. But there was only one problem: he was a Muslim ...

Since he came into the world in December 1977 in Guinea, a country in West African, Qeita only knew one truth: he was born into a Muslim family and nothing would ever change that reality. From a young age, he prayed to Allah every day, five times a day; he read the Koran, went to the mosque every year and did the 40-day fast of the Ramadan.

“I thought I was doing the right thing and following the Living God,” he confessed. But everything in his life revolved around a single word: Family. They determined his past, his present and his future. They took care of Qeita and predetermined all of his steps, so that he wouldn’t stray from the path that had been traced for him. And it was because of his family that at the age of 26, Qeita walked into the Universal Church on a Tuesday night. He couldn’t stand the family conflicts anymore and didn’t have a clue of the irony that was yet to come.

6 months of “comfortable” anonymity

With relatives living in Portugal and France, Qeita knew that nothing would come in between his family’s unity, not even the distance. For six months, Qeita was the happiest he’d ever been. He attended meetings at the Universal Church where he would hear teachings that contradicted nearly everything he’d ever learned. He was taught that something as natural as polygamy, which was practiced by the religion he professed just a few months before, contravened the laws of God, who taught that a man should only be the husband of one wife. As he learned to let go of the Muslim traditions, he also began committing and molding himself to the character of the One True God.

Mohammed’s Traitor

The young 26 year old always knew the innate “power” his family possessed, but he soon came to know their disappointment and the consequences that stemmed from opposing their will. Qeita embraced the new teachings he learned about at the Universal Church. He began going out to evangelize and soon became an assistant. It was during one of these incursions, that he was seen and “denounced” to his relatives. That’s when Qeita found out how it felt to be persecuted. “Among other insults, they called me Muhammad’s traitor. By this time, my father had three wives and according to Muslim tradition, I was to have that many wives too. If my brother were ever to die, I would have to take full responsibility for his wives and his children. That is, if I had two wives and my brother had two wives, I’d end up with four wives,” he explained.

The family council

According to Muslim law, Qeita risked being disowned by his family because he went against their religious traditions. 30 of Qeita’s family members gathered to decide his future, while he sat at the center awaiting their decision. He was given a choice and he chose the life he’d been searching for and was now living. The consequences came immediately after. His family decided to hold a funeral for him. They requested that a ditch be opened at the local cemetery and his name be buried there. Even though Qeita was now considered “dead”, he didn’t back down, even after being tempted with the things he wanted the most. Then, a new decision was made: he would be sent to Europe, where they had other family members; everything to keep him away from the church.

Portugal: the end and the beginning

When he arrived in Portela, his Muslim relatives who lived in Portugal were there waiting for him. The first and only word they said when they saw him was: “Traitor!” He was taken to a house in Póvoa de Santo Adrião and locked away. He had no contact with the outside world, until one day, they forgot the door unlocked. As he fled from the house where he was being held captive, he noticed that there was a Universal Church next door. He began attending meetings, which gave rise to the assembly of a new council.

The only possible choice

“I prayed to God day and night for Him to help me resolve my situation because the persecution came back full strength,” Qeita explained. He was tempted with material goods, but nothing caused him to go back on his decision. His family thought he was rebellious and that there was no way to mend his disobedience. To Qeita, it was all about happiness; it was about the only choice he could possibly consider making: Christ.

He was disowned and denied any of his family’s comforts for choosing to follow the Lord Jesus. Qeita is now a man of God; he’s a pastor of the Church Universal. He doesn’t deny having doubts about his decision or that there was an ebb and flow during his decision making as a result of his family’s pressure, but he’s sure that he made the right choice for his life. What about his family? He prays for them every day so that they’re awakened to the truth, that is, the Living God and not religion or traditions; that He’s present in the hearts of those who seek Him in Spirit and in Truth!