My Name Used to Be Muhammad: The True Story of a Muslim Who Became a Christian

by: Tito Momen, Jeff Benedict,

Meet the Author

Tito Momen

Tito Momen was raised Muhammad Momen. Born in Nigeria, he was taught to observe the strict teachings of Islam. Beginning at age five, he woke at 4:45 every morning to attend the mosque and perform dawn prayer with the other men in his village. At age six, he began memorizing the Qur'an by copying the entire book word for word. He was preparing to become a cleric capable of leading a jihad, or holy struggle, to convert nonbelievers to Islam. But Tito's path took an unexpected turn when he was introduced to Christianity. His decision to believe in Jesus Christ cost him his family and his freedom. Sentenced to prison, Tito expected to spend his remaining days enduring a life sentence in an uncivilized Egyptian prison. For fifteen years, he suffered and waited and prayed. "I never gave up hope," Tito says. "I never stopped believing." Although he was falsely imprisoned, beaten, and ridiculed, Tito's remarkable true story is one of faith and forgiveness, as well as a witness that God does hear and answer prayers.

Books of Tito Momen

My Name Used to Be Muhammad: The True Story of a Muslim Who Became a Christian

Meet the Author

Jeff Benedict

Jeff Benedict is an author, a special features writer for Sports Illustrated, and a television and film producer. His feature stories and essays have appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated and in the pages of the New York Times and Los Angeles Times, as well as been the basis for segments on 60 Minutes, 20/20, 48 Hours, Good Morning America, and the Discovery Channel. He is a New York Times bestselling author who has written fifteen books on topics ranging from violence against women to a deadly E. coli outbreak to the discovery of a 10,000-year-0ld skeleton in North America. Jeff’s most recent book – The System: The Glory and Scandal of Big-Time College Football – is being developed into a television drama by Starz. Jeff is a producer and writer for the series. Jeff is also an executive producer on the forthcoming motion picture film “Little Pink House,” starring Catherine Keener and Jeanne Tripplehorn. The movie is based on Jeff’s book by the same title. Jeff has also written numerous autobiographies. My Name Used to be Muhammad – the autobiography of Muslim-turned-Christian Tito Momen – was a Book of the Year finalist in 2013. Jeff also wrote the forthcoming autobiography of Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young (Houghton Mifflin/October 2016). He is also a writer and creative consultant for NFL Films on a documentary based on Young’s autobiography that will air on the NFL Network in the Fall of 2016. Currently, Jeff is writing a biography on Tiger Woods for Simon & Schuster. His popular blog is at www.jeffbenedict.com. Jeff is licensed to practice law in Connecticut and he's a Distinguished Professor of Writing and Mass Media at Southern Virginia University. He is represented by Richard Pine at InkWell Management in New York City.

Books of Jeff Benedict

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My Name Used to Be Muhammad: The True Story of a Muslim Who Became a Christian

Overview

IndieFab Award Finalist 2013 Religion/Adult Nonfiction

Born in Nigeria, Tito Momen was raised to observe the strict and radical teachings of Islam. As early as age five, he was waking before dawn every morning to attend the mosque and pray with the men in his village. By age six, he was training to memorize the Qur’an by copying the entire book word for word. And as he grew he was being raised to emerge as a leader among clerics, capable of leading a jihad to convert nonbelievers to Islam. As a young student he was introduced to Christianity and later baptized in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a decision which lead to estrangement from his family and harsh cultural and legal consequences. A memoir of faith, freedom, and redemption, this is an inspirational story of a man whose faith journey lead to a life sentence at a notoriously harsh Egyptian prison until his physical and spiritual release.

Excerpt:

“I was raised in a village in Nigeria where my family practiced a harsh form of Islam. When I was a teenager my father sent me to a radical Islamic school in Syria. Later I studied with members of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt while pursuing a degree in Islamic studies. It was there, of all places, that I discovered Christianity, a faith I had been taught to despise, along with Judaism. I am the last person you might expect to become a Christian. But I did. And for that I was disowned by my family and sentenced to life in prison.

That’s right. My decision to believe in Jesus Christ cost me my family and my freedom.

But that decision also saved my life and taught me to believe in divine miracles. Some of my fellow inmates committed suicide. Some died of illness brought on by abuse and inhumane conditions. Others simply succumbed to hopelessness. But during my time behind bars, I never gave up hope. I never stopped believing. And after fifteen years I was released. That alone is a miracle.

I’ve written my story to shed light on the suffering of countless others who are victims of religious persecution. Freedom of expression and freedom of worship are sacred rights. Yet still in many parts of the world religious minorities are arrested, abused, or worse.

Although I was falsely imprisoned, beaten, and ridiculed, I don’t harbor any bitterness. Nor do I blame Islam. I recognize that my life experience with Islam has been one of extremes in terms of intolerance and violence. But there are millions of good and sincere Muslims in many countries who love God and family while practicing Islam in a tolerant and positive manner. I consider them my brothers and sisters. At the same time, I am indebted to Jesus Christ and countless Christians from many sects and churches who have accepted me. This book is a tribute to their kindness.”