Review: The Cost: My Life on a Terrorist Hit List by Ali Husnain with J Chester

Title: My Life on a Terrorist Hit List
Authors: Ali Husnain and J Chester
Publisher: Zondervan
Publication Date: March 8, 2016
Edition: Hardcover (240 pages)

The Cost: My Life on a Terrorist Hit List by Ali Husnain

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Imagine your life as a young teenager, belonging to a wealthy family with respect in your community. Then, you commit to following Jesus, and your life becomes a nightmare of fear. Not only are you disrespected by your former peers and close friends, but you are threatened and stabbed with a knife and told that unless you once again take up your former beliefs as a young Shia Muslim man, you will be killed. And this is just the beginning. This is exactly what happened to Ali. He was forced to leave his home, immediate family, and, ultimately his country after becoming a follower of Christ.

As Ali shares his journey, in this book, I could not help but think of the sacrifices many make on the basis of what they believe. It brought home to me the idea that persecution is very real, even in so-called modern times, just as it was for early Christians. Ali's story also makes me appreciate the plight of those fleeing oppressive regimes, only to encounter rejections by Democratic countries based only on one's homeland being a country where Islam is practiced.