Rachid Hammami, best known as Brother Rachid (born 1971, Morocco) is a Moroccan former Muslim and

convert to Christianity Conversion to Christianity is the religious conversion of a previously non-Christian person that brings about changes in what sociologists refer to as the convert's "root reality" including their social behaviors, thinking and ethics. The sociol ...

whose father is an

Imam Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...

. He is a

Christian apologist Christian apologetics (, "verbal defense, speech in defense") is a branch of Christian theology that defends Christianity. Christian apologetics have taken many forms over the centuries, starting with Paul the Apostle in the early church and Pa ...

and

critic of Islam Criticism of Islam can take many forms, including academic critiques, political criticism, religious criticism, and personal opinions. Subjects of criticism include Islamic beliefs, practices, and doctrines. Criticism of Islam has been present ...

, and hosts a weekly live call-in show on

Al Hayat TV Alhayat TV, also known as Life TV (), is an evangelical Christian Arabic-language television channel that airs in countries in North Africa, West Asia, the Middle East, America, Canada, Australia and some of Europe.

where he compares

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

and

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

Biography

Rachid was born in Morocco to a conservative Muslim family"Arab broadcast ridicules boycott of Jewish products" By Aryeh Savir

San Diego Jewish World The ''San Diego Jewish World'' is a publication that covers Jewish-interest news and cultural affairs in the San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United Stat ...

, March 10, 2014 and raised in

Doukkala Doukkala (, ) is a natural region of Morocco made of fertile plains and forests. Nowadays it is part of the Casablanca-Settat administrative region. It is a plain stretching from the Atlantic Ocean south of Sidi Rahal Chatai up to some 50 ...

.Morocco World News: "Moroccan Converts to Christianity told their stories"
10 February 2013 His father was an

imam Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...

.Ministries Network - Our Hosts: "Brother Rachid"
retrieved September 4, 2014 He memorized one-sixth of the

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

by age 6. He studied economics and computer science at

Hassan II University Hassan II University of Casablanca (UH2C) (Arabic: جامعة الحسن الثاني بالدار البیضاء‎; French: Université Hassan II de Casablanca) was established in 1975 and is regarded as the best academic institution in Morocco. ...

Casablanca Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Chaouia (Morocco), Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a populatio ...

. In 1990, at the age of 19, he converted from Islam to Christianity after studying the differences between the two faiths with the original intent to defend Islam. When his parents found out about his conversion, they ejected him from their home, and he went to live with a missionary but was eventually forced to flee Morocco. After determining that over 80 million Arabs did not truly understand the

Classical Arabic Classical Arabic or Quranic Arabic () is the standardized literary form of Arabic used from the 7th century and throughout the Middle Ages, most notably in Umayyad Caliphate, Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphate, Abbasid literary texts such as poetry, e ...

dialect that the Quran was written in, he undertook the translation of the Quran into local Arabic dialects believing that if more Muslims understood the words of the Quran, they would leave the faith. In 2005, he began hosting his own television program on

comparing the virtues of Christianity over Islam, including 55 taped episodes of ''Lifting the Veil'' and 555 live episodes of ''Daring Questions'', ending in 2018, after 12 years which allowed Muslims to call in and ask questions about Christianity, and also featured testimonies from former Muslims who have converted to Christianity. The channel is controversial in the

Islamic world The terms Islamic world and Muslim world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs, politics, and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is ...

and is banned in several Muslim countries. The channel was founded in

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

in 2003 by Al Hayat Ministries, an evangelical organization. In 2006, new evangelical partners joined Al Hayat TV, including

Joyce Meyer Pauline Joyce Meyer (née Hutchison; June 4, 1943) is an American Charismatic Movement, Charismatic Christian author, speaker, and president of Joyce Meyer Ministries. Joyce and her husband, Dave, have four grown children and live outside St. L ...

Ministries.

Views and beliefs

Rachid asks that all Moroccans be allowed: 1. To change their religion; 2. To own the translated version of the Bible in Moroccan Arabic or Arabic language without the fear of being arrested; 3. To give Christian names to their children; 4. To teach their children Christianity in school instead of Islam; and 5. The right for free practice of Christianity. In a video called “A Message to

President Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. Ob ...

From a Former Muslim”, he asserts that the actions of

Islamic State of Iraq and Syria The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist organization and unrecognized quasi-state. IS occupied signi ...

(ISIS) do speak for the religion of Islam, despite assertions to the contrary,Western Journalism: "Watch: This Former Muslim Just Sent Obama A Wake Up Call On ISIS That Is An Absolute Must-See" by Tom Hinchey
September 4, 2014 and asserts that terrorism begins in the schools and mosques: :''“How many Saudi

Sheiks Sheikh ( , , , , ''shuyūkh'' ) is an honorific title in the Arabic language, literally meaning " elder". It commonly designates a tribal chief or a Muslim scholar. Though this title generally refers to men, there are also a small number of ...

are preaching hatred? How many Islamic channels are indoctrinating people and teaching them violence from the

Koran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

and the

Hadith Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...

? How many Friday sermons are made against the West, freedom, and Democracy? How many Islamic schools are producing generations of teachers and students who believe in

jihad ''Jihad'' (; ) is an Arabic word that means "exerting", "striving", or "struggling", particularly with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it encompasses almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with God in Islam, God ...

and

martyrdom A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In colloqui ...

and fighting the

infidel An infidel (literally "unfaithful") is a person who is accused of disbelief in the central tenets of one's own religion, such as members of another religion, or irreligious people. Infidel is an ecclesiastical term in Christianity around which th ...

s? And finally, how many websites are funded by governments, your allies, that have sheiks who issue

fatwa A fatwa (; ; ; ) is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (sharia) given by a qualified Islamic jurist ('' faqih'') in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government. A jurist issuing fatwas is called a ''mufti'', ...

s against basic human rights? If you want to fight terrorism, start from there.”'' :''“Unless the Muslim world deals with Islam and separates religion from state, we will never end this cycle. ... If Islam is not the problem, then why is it there are millions of Christians in the Middle East and yet none of them has ever blown up himself to become a martyr, even though they live under the same economic and political circumstances and even worse?”'' Rachid believes that the rise of the ISIS has created an unprecedented crisis of faith in the Islamic world: "Many Muslims are saying, 'If ISIS is Islam, I'm leaving.' Some are becoming

atheists Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

...There is a huge wave of atheism in the Arab world right now and many are turning to Jesus Christ. Islam was never faced with this crisis before." Rachid believes that a Christian "awakening" is happening in the Middle East with many Muslims becoming either Christians or atheists after they find out what Islam really is about and that Islam is unlike other religions because "Islam does not accept any law besides Allah's law".CBN News: "Accepting Muslim Refugees: American Charity over National Safety?" by Dale Hurd
January 7, 2016

Personal life

His wife is also a Moroccan Christian and they have three children.

References

External links

Al Haya TVDaring Questions Facebook Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rachid, Brother 1971 births Berber Christians Christian critics of Islam Converts to Christianity from Sunni Islam Christian apologists Critics of Islamism Former Muslim critics of Islam Living people Moroccan Christians Moroccan former Sunni Muslims Moroccan television personalities Anti-Islam sentiment in Morocco Television evangelists Television talk show hosts