Famous French rapper (Diam’s) journey to Islam

French rapper Stunsfans, makes first TV appearance wearing hijab

Amid a nationwide debate in France surrounding attitudes towards the Islamic veil, or hijab, a French rapper has surprised fans by announcing her conversion to Islam and choosing to wear a headscarf.
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Mélanie Georgiades, known as Diam’s, has gone through what onlookers have described as a “complete transformation” from an image she had prior to 2009.

Since 2009, Diam’s had been unusually absent from the mainstream rap scene, prompting more than three years of controversy over her whereabouts, despite making the odd public appearance with her scarf.
But recently the French rapper made her first television appearance with her new image.

Diam’s appeared in an exclusive TV interview with French TV station TF1, to talk about a past experience with drugs, including hallucinating narcotics, and being in a mental asylum until she discovered the “serenity of Islam.” The rapper said the religion was introduced to her by coincidence, when she saw a Muslim friend praying.

Diam’s, said she has been married for over a year and is a now a new mother, moving far away from her drug-relate past.

In her TV interview she said her “conversion to Islam was the result of a personal conviction, after understanding the religion and reading the Holy Quran.”

When asked about wearing the hijab in France, a country which has banned the niqab, she said: “I believe that I live in a tolerant society, and I don’t feel hurt by criticism, but by insults and stereotyping and ready-made judgments.”

Asked by her host about why she is wearing a hijab while many Muslim women don’t wear it, and don’t find it to be a religious obligation, she answered: “I see it as a divine order or a divine advice, this brings joy to my heart and for me this is enough.”

Stardom?

Diam’s said that by converting to Islam she gained comfort, adding that stardom doesn’t fit in with her life anymore, adding “this has warmed my heart, as I know now the purpose of my existence, and why am I here on Earth.”

Diam’s criticized the media which photographed her coming out of one of the mosques in France, wearing her Hijab and looking at her mobile, preceded by a man in a training suit, which many believed to be her husband.

Discussing how her life was like before her conversion to Islam, Diam’s said: “I was very famous and I had what every famous person looks for, but I was always crying bitterly alone at home, and this is what none of my fans had felt.”

She added: “I was heavily addicted to drugs, including hallucinating narcotics and was admitted in mental asylum to recover, but this was in vain until I heard one of my Muslim friends saying ‘I am going to pray for a while and will come back,’ so I told her that I want to pray as well.”

Recalling that moment, Diam’s said: “it was the first time that I touched the floor with head, and I had a strong feeling that I have never experienced before, and I believe now that kneeling in prayer, shouldn’t be done to anyone but Allah.”

Islam, a religion of tolerance
Diam’s said that she moved to Mauritius to read the Quran, and have a better understanding of Islam, discovering during her retreat, the tolerance of Islam.

When asked by her host about her views on Islam, and those who commit all the murders and atrocities pretending to be doing it in the name of religion, she answered: “I think we should differentiate between the ignorant and the knowledgeable, and the ignorant should not speak about what he doesn’t know, Islam does not allow murdering innocent victims the way we see it nowadays.”

During college study I discovered Islam is not barbaric as portrayed: Revert Kristin

Kristin N. C. Crowther used to believe in many religions and philosophies before getting her final destination Islam. She had been a Christian (non-denominational), a Neo-pagan (mostly wicca), a Buddhist (sotozen), a Confucist (ancient learning mostly), and an agnostic atheist.
Recently she has reverted to Islam on February 22, 2013, at the age of 21. She lives in British Columbia, Canada. She is an undergraduate student of Ancient History (3^rd Year).
Born and raised in the mountains of British Columbia to mostly deistic/atheistic parents, she was always taught to seek knowledge and verify the information and keep an open and creative mind. She experimented with a few religions in her youth trying to find a place where she belonged, before settling on soft atheism after a few traumatic events piled up in her life.

She reveals: ‘When my depression was at its worst I took a closer look at Islam and found some semblance of belonging and peace’.
Her interest in Islam began unfortunately with the bombing of the World Trade Centre.

She was 10 at the time and had never heard of Islam before that. Until the 12^th grade Islam was that “scary religion.” In the 12^th grade and in her first year of college she took Western Civilization courses that covered the big three monotheistic religions and their contribution to history, human development and culture.

Suddenly she discovers that Islam was not “barbaric” as it was portrayed, and was incredibly cultured and well-rounded. In her second year of college she took a few religious studies courses and in her third year she attended Al-Zahra, a local Masjid.  Finally she was overcome with the beauty of Islam and suddenly felt at peace.

Hijab brought me to Islam: Jessica-New revert to Islam

Jessica Rhodes is a 21 year old female from Norwich, UK who works as a telesales consultant and is also a student. She was a Pagan before reverting to Islam a month ago.
She was born in 1991 and was adopted in 1993. Grew up in a small seaside town on the south east coast of England, she went to university at 19 to study for a degree in Music and she hopes to do postgraduate qualifications in counselling starting September 2013.
She has an amazing story of her reversion and how she got attracted to Islam.

New York based lady Nazma Khan started a campaign known as ‘world hijab day’.

The movement has been organised almost solely over social networking sites.

It has attracted interest from Muslims and non-Muslims in more than 50 countries across the world. For many people, the hijab is a symbol of oppression and divisiveness. It’s a visible target that often bears the brunt of a larger debate about Islam in the West. World Hijab Day is designed to counteract these controversies.

Titiana from Kyrgyzstan Finds Islam

My name is Titiana, but my Muslim name is Tasnim.

I converted to Islam around five years ago alhamdulellah and I came to Dubai from Kyrgyzstan from central Asia and I’m staying here for around 9 months, alhamdulellah.
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I was born around 60 kilometers from the capital of my country, and I was born with my grandmothers both from my father’s side and my mother’s side. They were responsible for my education, and I loved them so much and I miss them so much also.

When I was not a Muslim, I was just an observer, and I looked at Muslims and the Muslim’s life. We have some mosques in our country, but I was not in Islam and I just saw people at the end of Ramadan at the Fajr prayer, there were a lot of Muslims in the central square and they were just praying together, masha’Allah. This is amazing. But after when I converted to Islam I just got to know new people and I noticed that a lot of young people converted to Islam around the world from different nationalities.

Alhamdulellah, every year at the end of Ramadan, in the central square there is no free space for praying alhamdulellah.

I used to go with my grandmother to the Orthodox Church. I was in the chorus also. I used to sing christian songs with my grandmother. It was good but there was a lot of conflict inside me because when I was so small I could not understand. I was going to church and I could not understand why are people playing in front of the pictures and in front of the icons? It was a huge conflict inside my heart and my soul. After some time, I just was asking my grandmother why are people just praying in front of the pictures? And nobody gave me the correct answer.

Idris Tawfiq Dwells in the Gardens of Islam

A Catholic Priest’s Conversion Story:

(Strongest among men in enmity to the Believers wilt thou find the Jews and Pagans; and nearest among them in love to the Believers wilt thou find those who say “We are Christians”: because amongst these are men devoted to learning (priests), and men who have renounced the world (monks), and they are not arrogant. …

And when they listen to the revelation received by the Messenger, thou wilt see their eyes overflowing with tears, for they recognize the truth. They pray: ‘Our Lord! We believe, write us down among the witnesses.) (Surat Al-Maida, 5: 82-83)

This was what happened to the former British Catholic Priest Idris Tawfiq on reciting Islam’s holy book, the Quran, to his students at a school in Britain. And this was one of the important steps in his journey of conversion to Islam.

During a lecture he gave at the British Council in Cairo, Tawfiq made clear that he has no regrets about his past and what he holds in regard to what Christians do and his life at the Vatican for five years.

How an American Lady Found Islam?

Finally I Got My Questions Answered:

My name is Kawkab, and I’m a convert to Islam for almost 24 years now.

… Before I was Muslim, I was baptized Greek Orthodox, and I went to a Catholic high school, so I had a lot of different religious backgrounds.

I studied different religions. I searched for about seven years. I had a book of questions, and then when I met the Muslims and I started asking my questions, everything just started to make sense and for the first time I got my questions answered

Who is God?

What am I doing here?

What’s the purpose of life?

A German Lady Finds Islam in Dubai

I was looking for something, but I couldn’t find it for so many years.

I was confused.
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I felt out of place with my friends because for my friends it was always “Ah, it is weekend, we need to party. Let’s open the first bottle of bear, and let’s get dressed.”

While I thought “Why?”

Yes, a difficult year.

And then all of a sudden, the world had changed.

And then I’m coming to an Islamic country, and I experienced Muslims in a different way. All of a sudden I thought they are actually very nice. They treat you really with respect. I felt comfortable. In the beginning I mixed more with Europeans than I would have mixed with other nationalities, because I wanted to keep my comfort zone.

But then there was a point when I wanted to step out of my comfort zone because all of a sudden this zone was not comfortable any more.

A Greek Girl Reverts to Islam

The Sound of the Adhan Changed Something Inside Me
… My name is Janna. I’m Greek.

I was born in Germany and I grew up in a very strict traditional Greek Orthodox family.

We grew up almost as other Muslim families with other children. Our families wanted to guarantee that we will be brought up in a Christian way, in the Orthodox way.

We always went on our vacations all together and we never split up for vacations.

So family vacations for all were always very nice and specially our very first vacation in the UAE about 13 years ago. I was like 12-13 years old and the first week we stayed in the country we did a tour all over the UAE, and it was on a Friday when we were on the way to al-Souq (the market). Suddenly the adhan (call to prayer) came for the prayer time and everything stopped. People stopped their cars, took their prayer rugs and just went out to pray on the streets.

Scottish Atheist Lady Finds Islam at the Age of 65

It never occurred to me to think about Islam
Scottish Atheist Lady Finds Islam at the Age of 65:

My name is Maryam Noor, that is my Islamic name, and my original name is Margaret Templeton.

… I was born in Scotland to a house which was atheist. In our house, we were not allowed ever to speak about God, and even if we learned something in school, we were not allowed to say anything or we would be punished.

For as long as I can remember, I have been seeking the Truth about why I am here in this world, what I’m here for, what am I supposed to do.

As soon as I became old enough, I began to search for some information about this “person called God”, that people mention, and all through my life, I have been seeking the Truth, not a particular religion. The Truth, something which made sense to me, something which opened my heart and which made my life worthwhile. I have been practically in every church in the kingdom, both here and at home, it never occurred to me to think about Islam.

A Young Canadian Hindu Reverts to Islam

27 May 2012

I Finally Knew Why I’m Here
A Young Canadian Hindu Reverts to Islam:

… I was born and brought up in Toronto, but my family is from an Indian background.

A lot of my life had to do with I guess a mix of Canadian culture as well as at home the Indian side of things. So I grew up knowing my culture, knowing my language and knowing the religion of my parents very well.

I grew up in a temple and I would always go to summer camps and Sunday School and always go to prayers and so on. So, I went through a lot of “culturalization” in both the culture of my parents and the culture that I was growing up in at school.

Islam Appealed to Both My Intellect and Senses

Why An English Girl Converted to Islam:
Islam Appealed to Both My Intellect and Senses

You have the pure media image of what they put on the news, like Muslims as terrorists fanatics.

… They go around with the Quran in one hand and a gun in the other one.

Women are forced to cover up, they are oppressed and slaves to their husbands, … arranged marriages, and all of these things.

This is what the media is pushing about Islam.

This is maybe what intrigued me to start off with. I was trying to find out what are these people, why do they call themselves Muslims and what is Islam? …

Muhammad Ali: American boxer, Three times World Heavyweight Champion, embraced Islam in 1965

“I have had many nice moments in my life. But the feelings I had while standing on Mount Arafat (just outside Makka, Saudi Arabia) on the day of the Hajj (the Muslim pilgrimage), was the most unique. I felt exalted by the indescribable spiritual atmosphere there as over one and a half million pilgri…ms invoked God to forgive them for their sins and bestow on them His choicest blessings.
It was an exhilarating experience to see people belonging to different colours, races and nationalities, kings, heads of state and ordinary men from very poor countries all clad in two simple white sheets praying to God without any sense of either pride or inferiority.
It was a practical manifestation of the concept of equality in Islam”

One of the first public figures in America to be identified with Islam was boxer Muhammad Ali, to whom more media attention has been given than to any other athlete. He has appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated more than thirty times, and his name and face are known to people all over the world.

I Found the Best of Australian Culture in Islam

My name is Mustafa Samuel. My ex-name is Steven.

My background is that I was actually born a Greek orthodox.
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I’ve been in many Christian schools whether Catholic or Christian, Maronite or Greek Orthodox or whatever.

Growing up, I sort of had a religious background when I was younger but I guess I fell away from going to church. It didn’t really suit me. I’ve always asked questions about a lot of things. I’ve never really accepted dogma as it was presented to me. I was one of people who would always question everything including religion. I guess in the last 25 years I’ve always been searching for answers to my questions. I think I found the answer I’ve been wanting in Islam. That’s why I embraced Islam 2 years ago, in 2009 to be exact.

Masha Alalykina Russian Model & Artist Converts to Islam

Masha Alalykina is a famous name in Russia and Russian speaking countries. Two years ago she was an attractive artist and model. Her fame reached its peak and her music group – Fabric – was at the top of the charts.
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Masha, the former star of the cinema, dancing, and music, now wears a hijab and is teaching. She says that she hates the fake façade of her past and feels that she is only now successful.

The following is a translation of an interview with this Muslim artist on the Russian site islam.ru

Journalist: How did you put all of your success behind you and accept Islam?

Masha: By Allah’s (swt) grace I took a step in His (swt) direction. This was the will of Allah (swt).

Journalist: When you were a singer did you ever think that you would become Muslim, fast, and perform the pilgrimage?

Masha: No. It did not even cross my mind that I might perform the pilgrimage and drink the best water – the water of Zamzam.

I Am a Muslim Because of 9/11

Ms. Drugge, my 8th grade math teacher, was explaining that the model we were dissecting was called a parabola. In an instant, our vice principal ran into the room and exclaimed that our country was under attack. Little did I know that this Sept. 11 morning would define the rest of my life.
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In the wake of the attacks, my feelings of anxiety and concern soon turned into intense nationalism and pride. Aspirations for Harvard and Stanford took a back seat as I looked up the entrance requirements for West Point. I wanted to be a part of the solution. An American flag was placed alongside my Jerry Rice, Cris Carter and Michael Jordan posters. I could not sit on the sidelines as my country was attacked. I soon realized, however, that my nation was not the only institution that was attacked that grim morning.

As the days turned into months, the attacks of 9/11 settled in. The news would describe the terrorists as Muslim men from Muslim countries with Muslim beards and Muslim intentions. I became more cognizant of my environment and how my peers perceived my faith. When my mom would pick me up from baseball practice, I noticed uneasy eyes directed at her headscarf. During Ramadan, when I fasted through lunch, friends began commenting on how I was “terrorizing my body.” Our country was uniting together against a common enemy, and I became the enemy because of the faith in my heart.

A British Gentleman’s Journey to Islam

Ibraheem Greeves is an elderly British man who witnessed the creation of the state of Israel.

In this talk, he expresses his feelings about Islam and how he embraced it after trying several other religions.
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“Since I was a child, I was always searching, I really didn’t know what I was searching for, but my search took me to many places.

It started with Christianity, then I converted to Catholicism, Buddhism, all kinds of religions; and for some reason I felt they weren’t right.

Then I met Muslims many years ago; I didn’t even know they were Muslims. One day, I went to an eating-place in Basra, Iraq. I wondered into this place, then I sat down and someone gave me a spoon. There were people sitting at the table, but no one was eating. It was strange, and I had the sense not to eat although I was hungry.

Then, the adhan (call to prayer) came; but I didn’t know it was the adhan. After the adhan finished, they all started to eat and talk. It was Ramadan of course, but I also didn’t know what Ramadan was.

An American Student’s Journey to Islam

One Step From Me, Two Steps From God
An American Student’s Journey to Islam:

Abdul-Rahman is a young American who converted to Islam at an early age.

… He knew and was convinced of Islam at the age of twelve, and he became Muslim after reading the autobiography of Malcolm X.

This is his story which he narrates in his video:

“I was born into a Christian family, but we weren’t very practicing. We would go to church just a few times a year for Christmas, Easter and the holidays. God only existed on Sunday in Church for my family, not outside the church, and many American families are like this.

I’ve always been a logical thinker. When I was about eleven or twelve years old, I started thinking for myself. I asked myself, does God exist? This question, I felt, was pushed on me by a clash between science and religion, or rationality and religion in America; and I think that tradition goes back to the Christian Church in Europe, and there were always issues between the Catholic Church and science and advancement.

From Paganism to Islam

My name is Ibrahim Killington. Before I came to Islam, my life was really focused on drink, drugs, having fun.

The whole purpose of life was just to have fun, have a laugh; the way to make your life bearable until you die, and hanging around with people of similar interests which were not always the best company to keep.
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My first experience of seeing Muslims was the 9/11 attacks. I remember I was quite young at that time, I wasn’t completely aware of what was going on. In fact, I ran to my friends after seeing the news report, and I told them that the “tourists” have declared war on America, because I had never heard of terrorists before.

As the war was unfolding, I was seeing more and more about the war in Afghanistan, I started understanding that these people are Muslims. The Muslims are doing these horrible atrocities around the world. So, from the media bombardment, I started getting a strong hatred for Muslims. So much in fact. I tried to join the army three times with the goal of wanting to go over there, and kill as many of these people as I could, to do my bit for my country and to make it a bit safer for my family. I thought they were the big evil of the world.

I started hearing a bit more about Islam, the last time I was applying for the army, I came across this radio station, at that time, I was listening to conspiracy theory radio, and things like this. It was a radio station from the American Government called Terror Talk, and it was talking about the life of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

French Rapper Finds Identity in Islam

Leading a double life, reversion to Islam has saved French rapper Regis Fayette-Mikano from falling victim to heroin, murder and suicide that ended the lives of his close friends.

“I made peace with… myself,” Fayette-Mikano, now Abd Al Malik told The New York Times.
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Born in Paris, Abd Al Malik was raised in Neuhof, a neighborhood of Strasbourg, to a catholic family.

A brilliant student, he was sent to a private Catholic middle school, where he was for a time the sole black student.

Leading a comfortable life, the Catholic altar boy became a thug, who used to pick pockets after Sunday Mass.

He also dealt with drugs, selling hashish at nightclubs and restaurants.

“I had a double life,” Abd Al Malik recalled.

“I was a good student during the day and a delinquent at night. And over vacations. And on the weekends. But for me it was normal.”

At 16, Abd Al Malik and a friend met a group of local men who preached them about Islam and death.

Deciding to start a new life, the two young men gathered their drugs and everything they had bought with drug money and burnt them in an abandoned field.

Brother took his shahadah at Birmingham City Center

Ma sha Allah, this brother accepted his Shahadah at a Dawah stand held by Br Muhammad Abdul Jabbar in Birmingham City Centre – after accepting his Shahadah, he was given his copy of the Quran project. May Allah make him steadfast and firm in his Deen, Ameen.

date: Aug 21,2012

Courtesy: The Quran Project http://quranproject.org/

 

My Quest for Truth, Power, and Purpose

Ever since I can remember, I have been searching for the meaning of life itself.

Why am I here?

… What is my purpose?

Constantly reflecting on these questions made me different from other children: I was introspective and inquisitive; I asked questions all the time — my favorite one was, “Why?” It seemed that my grandfather’s words often echoed in my ears, “God does not create people just to fill up space on the earth.”

It was only recently that I understood the impact this statement had on me. I needed to understand; if no one was here to “take up space” then why was I here? This longing for purpose ignited within me the desire to find my place and my purpose in the universe, the bigger picture.

I remember actively surveying the world around me and desperately trying to understand why the world was the way it was; why people believed what they did, and what made them do the things that they did.

Why Did a Canadian Catholic Woman Choose Islam?

1. Growing up, I was raised in a very devout Catholic household.

   Without fail, my parents used to bring us to church every single Sunday, we used to practice and celebrate all the holidays, …and the religious events. My parents would fast on Fridays.

   I actually went to a Catholic school my entire life, so definitely very well-versed in the Catholic faith. But the one thing I will say is even just growing up I did know a lot about the faith, but I was never really brought to think about why I was particularly doing things, or you wouldn’t really think very deeply into theology particularly.

   When I finished High School, and I started going to post-secondary education at college, university, that’s when I finally actually started thinking a little bit about my faith. Maybe it was the rebellious sense in all of us when we finally become somewhat independent, we want to be our own person, but definitely it was a little bit more than that.

Why Did Katia from Russia Revert to Islam?

Interview With Sister Katia on How She Found Islam::

Q: May I know what’s your name?

Sister Katia: My name is Katia, and my Muslim name now is Aisha.
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Q: Ma-Shaa-Allah. I want to ask you Aisha, what were you before you became Muslim?

Sister Katia: I was a Russian Orthodox, I was Christian.

Q: So you are actually from Russia. Were you born there?

Sister Katia: Yes, I was born in Russia, then I came here, so I’ve been here for over 12 years.

A Trip to Egypt: My First Step to Islam

How a Hungarian Sister Found The Light of Islam

Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said:

“Verily, the hearts of the children of Adam, all of them, are between the two fingers of the Most Merciful …as one heart; He directs them wherever He wills…” (Muslim)

This is what happened to me exactly; God has turned my heart from darkness to the light of Islam.

I was 14 years old when I stepped, for the first time in my life, on the land of Egypt, not even thinking that a few years later I will walk on the same roads, gazing the Pyramids again and this time not as a tourist but as a proud Muslim who will have left her home for the sake of God.

Queensland Revert Sister Making a Mark

Sisters’ House: Helping Revert Sisters

Most of us have read about the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the close-knit community he established based on piety and benevolence.

However,… few of us have experienced anything close to it in terms of mutual love and generous support in our time.

We are living at a time when information abounds and people can gain Islamic knowledge in many ways. We could say that we are the most informed of people in history but has our access to knowledge made us better Muslims?

How often does the Ummah of Prophet Muhammad these days successfully develop a united community based on piety and benevolence?

Bayaan Grant, a revert of twelve years living in Queensland Australia, believes that Sisters’ House has achieved just that!

brother Steve from New Zealand Discovers Islam by Fasting Ramadan

A New Muslim Journey from New Zealand:::

My name is Steve.
I was born in New Zealand in 1972, in a little town called Reefton, which is on the west coast of the South Islands.

… I was adopted to some new parents, Keith and Darrel, who looked after me very well, and I moved with them to most of the places in New Zealand, and spent a little bit of time overseas.

I was brought up in a Christian home, and my father was a Baptist minister, so he was actually a clergyman or a minister of the church, and we would travel around with him to a church that he was placed at. It was a really really good upbringing, I was brought up with the ethics in the belief system of the Bible obviously and Christianity. It was a really good foundation for me in my life.

My parents worked very hard for us to understand what we were taught in the Bible, and also good manners, old traditional manners that often don’t get taught now. I was lucky enough to be brought up in such a home, with an understanding of God definitely, growing up younger going to Sunday school, and having a belief that there was a Creator who had a plan for my life, and had a plan for everyone’s life, and I had to find out what that was a do the best I could.

Knowing Who Built the Kaabah Led Me To Islam

I took my Shahadah in 2010, so I’m practically the newest kid on the block around here.

It’s the best decision I’ve ever made in my life.

… I was reading the Bible on Thanksgiving of 2010 over the phone with a friend, and I read a couple of books on the Bible that I started asking questions, then I started asking about different religions, and after that I asked about Islam, and I started doing more research about other religions, and I canceled most of the out.

Then I started researching about the history of the Quran, I googled it, and then I was intrigued that the Book was intact for 14 hundred years, and one thing led to another and I kept on searching.

But my turning point was when I found out about the history of the Kaabah. I was raised catholic, I went to catholic schools for 8 years, and I was never told that the Kaabah was built by Prophet Abraham, (peace be upon him) and Prophet Ishmael (peace be upon him). And when I found out that the Kaabah was built by them, I was really upset. I felt like I was lied to from the Catholic Church, why they kept this away from me.

Before that, growing up in a Catholic school, I never ever believed in original sin, that was something I just did not believe in, and I questioned statues, I just did not understand that: on the one hand they teach the Ten Commandments, and on the other hand they had statues, so it just didn’t make any sense. And when I read the Quran, I found Quran Explorer, and I listened to the Quran in Arabic, and in English, and a week later I took my Shahadah in front of my computer, and then a month later I did it officially in the masjid.

I reverted to Islam because of a man who had Alzheimer’s, Sister Cassie

THIS WILL MOVE YOU TO TEARS (MUST READ)

*I REVERTED TO ISLAM BECAUSE OF A MAN WHO HAD ALZHEIMER’S*

(By Sister Cassie)

… My name is Cassie. I am 23 years old. I graduated as a qualified nurse this year and was given my first position as a home nurse.

My patient was an English gentleman in his early 80’s who suffered from Alzheimer’s. In the first meeting I was given the patient’s record and from it I could see that he was a convert to the religion of Islam, therefore he was a Muslim.

I knew from this that I would need to take into account that some modes of treatment may go against his faith, and therefore try to adapt my care to meet his needs. I brought in some ‘halal’ meat to cook for him and ensured that there was no pork or alcohol in the premises as I did some research which showed that these were forbidden in Islam.

My patient was at a very advanced stage of his condition so a lot of my colleagues could not understand why I was going to such lengths for him, but I understood that a person who commits to a faith deserves that commitment to be respected, even if they are not in a position to understand.

Anyway, after a few weeks with my patient I began to notice some patterns of movement.

At first I thought it was some copied motion he’s seen someone do, but I saw him repeat the movement at particular times: morning, afternoon, evening.

Jesus (PBUH) in Islam

The Islamic belief about Jesus demystifies for us who the real Jesus was. Jesus in Islam was an extraordinary individual, chosen by God as a Prophet and sent to the Jewish people. He never preached that he himself was God or… the actual son of God. He was miraculously born without a father, and he performed many amazing miracles such as healing the blind and the lepers and raising the dead – all by God’s permission. Muslims believe that Jesus will return before the day of Judgement to bring justice and peace to the world. This Islamic belief about Jesus is similar to the belief of some of the early Christians. In the Quran, God addresses the Christians about Jesus in the following way:

O People of the Book, do not commit excesses in your religion, and do not say anything about God except the truth: the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was nothing more than a messenger of God, His word, directed to Mary and a spirit from Him. So believe in God and His Messengers and do not speak of a ‘Trinity’– stop [this], that is better for you– God is only one God, He is far above having a son, everything in the heavens and earth belongs to Him and He is the best one to trust. [The Noble Quran, 4:171]

Since it has clearly been shown that Jesus is not God both according to the Bible and for historical and rational reasons – what is the next step for you?

We invite you to look further and investigate Islam. Islam is not just another religion. It is the same message preached by Moses, Jesus and Abraham. Islam literally means ‘submission to God’ and it teaches us to have a direct relationship with God. It reminds us that since God created us, no one should be worshipped except God alone. It also teaches that God is nothing like a human being or like anything that we can imagine. The concept of God is summarised in the Quran as:

Say, He is God, the One. God, the Absolute. He does not give birth, nor was He born, and there is nothing like Him*. [The Noble Quran, 112:1-4]

Becoming a Muslim is not changing or losing your Christian identity. But it’s going back to the original teachings of Jesus. Guidance ultimately comes from God. We ask God to guide us and you. May God’s peace and blessing be upon you for the rest of your days.

 

Sister’s Christina’s Journey to the Truth

I Found My Ultimate Freedom Being a Muslim Woman
Sister’s Christina’s Journey to the Truth:::

I said Shahadah, it will be ten years in December.

I took Shahadah when I was 47 years old. I considered myself to be a good Catholic lady, but …I always would go to church and pray to God.

I couldn’t pray to Jesus, it just didn’t feel right, and I would always talk to God.

I didn’t come from a religious family. My grandmother took me to church once in a while, you know in the major holidays, but that was only when I was little.

So at 7 years old I would pick myself up and go to church and just talk to God.

When I was 8 I had my own Bible, and again I just always talked to God, and I was always a big believer of the truth, my whole life is based on the truth.

And then when I was 47, I met someone who was a Muslim, and we started talking. I had never met Muslims till I was about 46 years old. So this was after 9/11, and I started reading the Quran, and I just kept saying but this is what I believed my whole life!

I Felt the Power of That Night: I Found Peace in Islam

For me, I always felt that connection with God.
Within the trinity, looking back,

I think my connection was with the “father”,

like you know you want to go to the highest authority.
So with… the Father, the son and the Holy Spirit you go to the highest figure, so I always had that connection.

And you know, my favorite part of church always was coming back after the communion and you pray, and you say like “bless my Mummy and my doggy and everything”. And so I felt I always had that spiritual connection.

When my family left the Catholic church after the scandal with the Catholic priests and the boys, a friend in high school introduced me to Islam. Then as I had just entered my freshman year in college in Virginia, I was actually invited by some friends I had met at the MSA (Muslim Student Association), I was a non-Muslim, but it was Ramadan and everyone was fasting and they took me at night to the masjid (mosque) for laylatul-qadr (the night of power in the last 10 days of Ramadan).

I had never been in a masjid before, and walking in I could feel the power of that night. I went into the kind of dark room, and everyone was praying and a lot of people were crying, and I didn’t know what was going on. And I walked in, and some lady pulled my arm and pulled me in-line, and so I was just like mind of … okey … , and then I would hear something again and again, Allahu Akbar, and then I followed and I would do the next thing.

But that night and that feeling definitely stood out to me, and that kind of pushed me to take the next step to further my own education for myself about Islam.