SAN JOSE, Calif.  Donald Fareed, an ordained Christian pastor and former Shiite Muslim, recently delivered a sermon entitled "Why I am Not a Muslim," and provoked major controversy in his local San Francisco Bay Area media and in the Muslim community, according to a news release.
Fareed, founder and president of the San Jose-based Persian Ministries International (PMI) (www.PersianMinistries.org), was invited to deliver the message to the Sunnyvale Nazarene Church in Sunnyvale, Calif., on Nov. 28. Without Fareed's knowledge, the little church put the title of his sermon on the marquee to promote the event, and after an outcry from two members of the community  one Muslim and one not  the result was explosive.
The San Jose Mercury News' article headline read, "Sermon Subject Raises Hackles." NBC 11 called it, "The Message that Links the Church to a Global Debate!"
Fareed is an Iranian American from a Shiite Muslim background who fled his homeland following the Islamic Revolution in Iran in the late-1970s. Rebelling against the perceived harshness of Islam's holy laws as interpreted by its leaders, he moved to the United States. After a long spiritual journey during which he dabbled in Sufism, New Age religion and Scientology, he converted to evangelical Christianity about 14 years ago.
"The goal of the message was not to offend Muslims, but to communicate why I changed my religion," Fareed said.
In November, Fareed's ministry launched a national campaign to equip churches in North American to reach Muslims in their own communities. "Our goal is to help Christians not only understand Islam, but also communicate the Christian Gospel with Muslims in a way they can understand," he said.
Not surprisingly, Fareed has come under fire in his home country for his work. Iran National TV recently ran his picture and characterized his work as "anti-Islamic activities against the government of Iran [with the intent to topple the government.]" Several Iranian evangelical pastors have been martyred by the Iranian regime.
This harsh criticism stems from the fact that Fareed has been targeting the 70 percent of Iran's population who are under 30 years old, as well as the women who have been abused by the application of harsh interpretation of Islamic laws. In this manner, he has brought awareness of the atrocities being committed by Iran's radical regime to the international community and to the Iranians themselves.
After hearing the message Pastor Fareed preached in Sunnyvale and interviewing him first hand, the follow up media changed its tune:
CBS 5 reported, "His message promoted communication and understanding between Muslims and Christians after 9/11." NBC 11 reported, "It appears that he achieved his goal of starting that dialogue. …"
