Petr Jasek has a fascinating story to tell. A native of Communist Czechoslovakia, his father, a pastor, along with his mother, were frequently monitored and interrogated by the secret police. Giving his own life to Christ as a boy, Petr asked the Lord to give him an opportunity to confess Christ before people.

The opportunity came during his military training, when an officer asked, sarcastically, “Is there anyone who still believes in God?” Immediately, Petr raised his hand, the only one among 300 soldiers. Since that time, he was ever seeking to witness for Christ.

Mission to Sudan

Having accepted the offer to serve with Christian charity, Voice of the Martyrs at the turn of the century, Petr flew to Ethiopia in 2015, where, among other duties, he interviewed a young Christian man from Darfur who had been horribly disfigured in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, because of his Christian faith.

Just two months later, on another ministry trip, this time to Sudan itself, Petr was arrested at the airport on his homeward journey. It transpired he had been under constant state surveillance throughout the duration of his four-day visit, and his Ethiopian interview was also known about. Petr was charged with espionage and waging war against the state.

Imprisoned with ISIS

Sudanese prisons are notoriously grim, but to his dismay, Petr found himself in a tiny stinking cell along with six ISIS members. Things got decidedly worse when a seventh Islamist was added to the cell shortly after. Abd al Bari despised the white Christian even more than the others.

Things got decidedly worse when a seventh Islamist was added to the cell shortly after. Abd al Bari despised the white Christian even more than the others.

Among other acts of humiliation and longsuffering, Petr was forced to sit cross-legged on the concrete floor for hours at a time, to scrub his cell-mates' filthy underwear, and to eat from a bowl splattered with their urine. It was only after al Bari began to beat him repeatedly that Petr was transferred to another cell, where, mercifully, he found himself in solitary confinement.

Preaching in a Sudanese prison chapel!

Over subsequent months, Petr was transferred to prisons of varying barbarity. Yet despite ongoing hardships, he managed to keep from despair, and found God helping and sustaining him in different ways. In one prison he was allowed the wonderful privilege of retaining a Bible that had been sent to him. And in the enormous El Huda prison, he discovered to his astonishment and delight that there was a Christian chapel. Five services were conducted each week, and Petr was granted the honour of preaching at many of them.

Within a short time he witnessed some remarkable results from his labours. A group of Eritrean Catholics attended one service, then came to Petr and confessed that the Holy Spirit had opened their eyes. From now on they were going to bow to Christ rather than their crucifixes, and would dedicate their lives to him (p. 138). In other meetings many animists turned to the Lord, while ongoing conversations with Muslim prisoners and guards saw striking fruit. Petr knew he was in the centre of God's will.

The Lord’s orchestration

In fact, with hindsight, Petr saw even more clearly the Lord's orchestration in the unfolding of events. During his first five months of imprisonment, with little else to do, he found his prayer life deepening tremendously. During the following three months of solitary confinement, he had a Bible, and spent most of his time in in-depth study, taking copious notes. These proved most helpful during his six-month spell in El Huda prison, when he had an abundance of material to preach from.

Even facing appalling torture at the hands of his Islamist cell-mates he was given peace of mind "and could only exalt the name of Jesus over them".

Petr's hearing was a lengthy and arduous ordeal. Eight court hearings later, he was found guilty of all charges and sentenced to life imprisonment. To his amazement, he felt remarkably at peace, his life now totally surrendered to God, and being fully aware that God was in control. Indeed, on his surprise release from prison just weeks later, Petr was able to look back and thank God for the “privilege of suffering dishonour for the name of my Saviour” (p.209).

Faith and love through suffering

Throughout the book, Petr's strength of faith shines through. In the midst of suffering, he was "determined to trade kindness for cruelty" (p.166). Even facing appalling torture at the hands of his Islamist cell-mates he was given peace of mind "and could only exalt the name of Jesus over them" (p.74).

The book includes a thoroughly detailed colour photo selection, as well as regular updates on his family back home in Europe and how they were coping with his ordeal. 'Imprisoned with ISIS' is a challenging yet beautiful book that both humbles and inspires the reader into developing a closer walk with the Lord, and into deeper abandonment to him.

‘Imprisoned with Isis’ (240pp) is published by Salem Books, and is available from Amazon for £13.59