Interview with Ruba Abbassi: Founder and Director of Arab Woman Today
One of the most exciting places on the missions map today is the Middle East. Many people from groups that have long been antagonistic toward both Israel and Christianity are coming to Christ despite hostile stances from their governments, neighbors, and sometimes their own families. Ruba and Nabeeh Abbassi, natives of Jordan, have been diligently working in this spiritual vineyard for decades and have touched countless lives with the gospel.
When you first meet Ruba Abbassi, her low-key demeanor wouldn’t immediately lead you to think she is an accomplished broadcaster with a vast following. The contrast between a southern boy from NASCAR-fueled Hueytown, Alabama (that would be me) and this articulate, multi-lingual professional from Jordan couldn’t have been greater when we sat down together. Yet, the bond we share in Christ caused us to quickly begin speaking the same language.
Both Ruba and her husband, Nabeeh, had unique upbringings, as their families were nominally Christian in the heavily Muslim country of Jordan. Ruba accepted Jesus in earnest during her second year of college, and Nabeeh did so in his late teens after searching for God in his community.
Today Nabeeh serves as President of the Arabic Center for Consulting and Training Services (ACCTS), whose website defines its mission statement as “To See the Arab community living in peace and harmony; empowered in spirit, soul, and body.” Over the years, ACCTS has engaged in vocational training, humanitarian relief for refugees, and counseling for women and children; they have also focused on helping younger generations to grow and become strong ambassadors for Christ, and other activities that strengthen communities throughout the middle east. Nabeeh is also a pastor and president of Jordan’s Baptist Convention.
For over twenty years, Ruba has been hosting Arab Woman Today, a Christian-themed show that began on radio, then transitioned to television, and finally to podcast. While the method for delivering the program has changed over the years, the mission has remained the same. That is, to encourage, inspire, and educate women who face numerous cultural obstacles. Even more important, the program has introduced innumerable middle eastern women to the gospel.
Arab Woman Today currently boasts over one million interactions on Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube. When it was exclusively on radio, the show was broadcast into twenty-two Arab countries. Now that it is mainly presented through social media, all geographic limitations are gone. Over the years, Ruba has heard from a multitude of women who embraced Christ after listening to the show. One of the most jarring conversion experiences connected to the show has to do with a young woman they have nicknamed “Hope.”
Hope is an Iraqi woman who was kidnapped and raped by ISIS members. After escaping from her captors, her parents barred her from coming home because they blamed her for the assault. A man offered to marry her in order to cleanse her of her “shame” but required that Hope’s father pay him for this service. After her father died and the payments stopped, the man abused her for several years before she was able to divorce him. Hope heard Ruba on the radio and accepted Jesus. Ruba and Nabeeh have now helped her relocate because she learned her husband was looking for her to try and take their daughter away from Hope on the grounds that she had become a believer in Christ. She is now surrounded by other Christians who love and support her and her child.
Ruba believes God is moving in the Middle East in a mighty way and feels blessed to be a part of it. Because her podcast is in Arabic, it reaches many who may never otherwise hear the gospel. Not only is God touching lives through traditional methods, but reports have been increasing over the past few years of people following Christ after being visited by him in dreams. Ruba confirmed to me that this truly is happening.
Ruba and Nabeeh have dedicated their lives to spreading the good news of Jesus Christ among the people of the Middle East, and their efforts are bearing much fruit. A large portion of their funding comes from Christians in the U.S. It is vitally important that we stay focused on the billions of lost souls in this world and remember our brothers and sisters like Ruba and Nabeeh who are working in difficult circumstances.
To learn more and support Arab Woman Today, visit them at arabwomantoday.com. To learn more about ACCTS, go to accts-awt.com.