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It is widely believed that Muslims do not abandon [[Islam]]. This widespread opinion is, however, only partly true. It is true that it is difficult to convert Muslims, but it is not so much the difficulty of converting Muslims as it is the scarcity of Christian missions among them that leads us to believe they are hard to convert. Still, if many think that Muslims are difficult to convert to Protestantism or Roman Catholicism, even more would think it impossible to convert Muslims to the Orthodox Faith. This later opinion has its basis in a general lack of knowledge about the [[missionary ]] labors of the Orthodox throughout the ages and the world in places as diverse and far apart as Africa, India, Siberia, China, Japan, and Alaska. Indeed, the history of Orthodox missions among the Muslims is a particularly important and fascinating part of the overall mission of the [[Orthodox Church]]. As it is impossible to fully cover the history of Orthodox missions among the Muslims here I have only attempted to highlight some of its facets to give those interested a better idea about this part of the Orthodox Church's missions.
Although it is generally known that many of Muhammad's followers found refuge in Ethiopia during the early years of Islam, it is not well known that one of his followers, Ubaidallah ibn Jahiz, became a Christian while in Ethiopia and was baptized [[baptize]]d there. He was the first Muslim, but certainly not the last, to discover and embrace the truth. Here are two stories from the early history of Islam, both set in the reign of the fourth 'righteous' caliph, Muhammad's nephew and son-in-law Ali: "One Muslim converted to Christianity. Ali ordered him to return to Islam, but he refused. Ali killed him and would not give his body to his relatives, though they offered much money. Ali burnt the body. "Another man from the tribe Bani-Ijl became a Christian. He was brought shackled to Ali, who spoke at length with the convert. In response to Ali's questions the man said, "I know that Isa [Jesus] is the Son of God." Then Ali stood up and stamped on him. When the others saw it they also started to trample the man down. And Ali said: "Kill him." He was killed and Ali ordered that the body be burnt."
'''Missions within the East Roman or Byzantine Empire'''
'''Missions of the Russian Orthodox Church'''
The [[Russian Orthodox Church]] has a long history of mission work among the Muslims. St. Michael of Kiev (who lived in the 10th century) sent the [[monk ]] Mark to preach Christ to the Muslim Bulgars, and thanks to his efforts four Bulgar princes were converted and baptized. St. Peter of Moscow (who lived in the 13th century) publicly debated with Muslim preachers and triumphed over them. St. Makary of Moscow (who lived in the 16th century) baptized Ediger-Mohammed, the last khan of Kazan, and preached the Orthodox Faith among the Tatars. Thanks to over four centuries of missionary work a new subgroup developed within the Tatar people, the Krjashens or Orthodox Tatars. According to the 1926 census the Krjashens numbered around 200,000.{{Ref|11}} Today they number nearly 320,000.
Another Turkic people who converted from Islam to Orthodoxy are the Gagauz, their total number today being around 220,000. Since 1994 they have had their own autonomous territory within the Republic of Moldova - the "Gagauz Yeri." The Gagauz descended from the Turkic Oguz, Pechenegs, and Polovzy who adopted Islam as early as the 9th century but later converted to Christianity in the 13th century. A sprinkling of Arabic words and Muslim terms found in everyday Gagauz are the main evidences of their Islamic heritage. In the Russian-Turkish wars at the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th the Gagauz fought for the Russians, at the same time settling the depopulated steppes of southern Bessarabia (modern day Moldova).
'''Saints of the Orthodox Church who converted from Islam'''
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 Saints [[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 on (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 of one person, [[Archimandrite ]] Daniel Byantoro, to see that 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]] make today very succesfull mission among muslims in Adjaria - since 1990s many thousands people receives the holy baptism.
Furthermore, in the [[Russian Orthodox Church]] there are Kazakh, Tatar, Chechen, Ingush, and Tabasaranian priests[[priest]]s. Many of them converted from Islam, and as far as laymen are concerned there are several thousand faithful who converted to Orthodoxy from Islam. Especially after the tragedy of Beslan many muslim osetins Osetins became orthodox christians, so every year bishop [[Bishop]] Feofanos of Stavropol baptize 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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