Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Craig Robertson, Ex-Catholic, Canada:

Story of Journey from Darkness to Light

●After being raised in a Catholic household and spending much of his early childhood attending church, Craig rejects faith and takes to life in the fast lane.

My name is Abdullah Al-Kanadi. I was born in Vancouver, Canada. My family, who were Roman Catholic, raised me as a Roman Catholic until I was 12 years old. I have been Muslim for approximately six years, and I would like to share the story of my journey to Islam with you.

I suppose in any story it’s best to start from the beginning. During my childhood, I attended a Catholic religious school and was taught about the Catholic faith, along with other subjects. Religion was always my best class; I excelled academically in the teachings of the Church. I was pressed into service as an ‘altar boy’ by my parents from a very young age, which pleased my grandparents a great deal; but the more I learned about my religion, the more I questioned it! I have this memory from my childhood, I asked my mother on Mass: “Is our religion the right one?” My mother’s answer still rings in my ears to this day: “Craig, they are all the same, they’re all good!” Well to me this didn’t seem right. What was the point of me learning my religion if they were all equally good!?

At the age of twelve, my maternal grandmother was diagnosed with colon cancer and died a few months later, after a painful battle with the disease. I never realized how deeply her death affected me till later on in life. At the tender age of twelve, I decided I would be an atheist in order to punish God (if you can even fathom such a thing!) I was an angry little boy; I was angry at the world, at myself, and worst of all, at God. I stumbled through my early teenage years trying to do everything I could to impress my new “friends” in public high school. I quickly realized that I had a lot to learn, for being sheltered in a religious school you don’t learn what you would in a public school. I pressed all my friends in private to teach me about all the things I did not learn, soon enough I gained the habit of swearing and making fun of people weaker than me. Even though I tried my best to fit in, I never actually did. I would get bullied; girls would make fun of me and so on. For a kid my age, this was devastating. I retreated to myself, into what you would call an ‘emotional shell’. My teenage years were filled with misery and loneliness. My poor parents tried to talk to me, but I was belligerent towards them and very disrespectful. I graduated from high school in the summer of 1996 and felt that things would have to change for the better, since I believed they couldn’t get any worse! I was accepted in a local technical school and decided that I should further my education and maybe make good money, so that I would be happy. I took a job at a fast-food restaurant by my house to help pay for school.

A couple of weeks before I was to start school, I was invited to move out with some friends from work. To me, this seemed like the answer to my problems! I would forget my family and be with my friends all the time. One night, I told my parents I was going to move out. They told me, I couldn’t, and that I wasn’t ready for it and that they wouldn’t allow it! I was 17 years old and very headstrong; I swore at my parents and said to them all sorts of evil things, which I still regret to this day. I felt emboldened by my new freedom, I felt released, and I could follow my desires as I saw fit. I moved in with my friends and didn’t speak to my parents for a long time after that.

I was working and going to school when my roommates introduced me to marijuana. I was in love with it after the first ‘puff’! I would smoke a bit when I got home from work to relax and unwind. Soon though, I started to smoke more and more, until during one weekend I had smoked so much, that it was Monday morning and before I knew it, it was time for school. I thought, well, I’ll take one day of school off, and go the next day, since they won’t possibly miss me. I never returned to school after that. I finally realized how good I had it. All the fast food I could steal and all the drugs I could smoke; who needed school anyways?

I was living a great life, or so I thought; I became the ‘resident’ bad boy at work, and, consequently, the girls started to pay attention to me like they hadn’t in high school. I tried harder drugs, butAlhamdulillah , I was saved from the really terrible stuff. The strange thing was when I wasn’t high or drunk I was miserable. I felt worthless and completely valueless. I was stealing from work and from friends to help maintain the ‘chemical haze’. I became paranoid of the people around me and imagined police officers were chasing me around every corner. I was beginning to crack, and I needed a solution, and I figured that religion would help me.

I remember seeing a movie about witchcraft, and I thought that would be perfect for me. I bought a couple books on Wicca and Nature Worship and found that they encouraged the use of natural drugs so I continued. People would ask me if I believed in God, and we would have the strangest conversations while under the ‘influence’, but I distinctly remember saying that no, in fact I don’t believe in God at all, I believe in many gods as imperfect as me.

Through all this, there was one friend who stuck by me. He was a ‘Born Again’ Christian and was always preaching to me, even though I would mock his faith at every opportunity. He was the only friend I had at the time who didn’t judge me. So when he invited me along to go to a youth weekend camp, I decided to go along. I had no expectations. I thought I would have a huge laugh making fun of all the “Bible Thumpers”. During the second evening, they had a huge service in an auditorium. They played all sorts of music which praised God. I watched as the young and old, male and female cried out for forgiveness and shed tears over everything. I was really moved, and I said a silent prayer along the lines of “God! I know I have been a horrible person, please help me, and forgive me and let me start fresh.” I felt a surge of emotion come over me, and I felt tears roll down my cheek. I decided at that moment to embrace Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior. I raised my hands in the air and started dancing around (yes, dancing!) All the Christians around me were staring at me in stunned silence; the guy who mocked them and told them how stupid they were for believing in God was dancing and praising God!

I returned to my party home and eschewed all drugs, intoxicants, and girls. I promptly told my friends how they needed to be Christians so they could be saved. I was shocked that they rejected me, because they always used to pay attention to me before. I ended up moving back with my parents after a long absence and used to badger them with the reasons why they should become Christian. They being Catholic felt they were already Christian, but I felt they were not, for they worshipped Saints. I decided to move out again but this time on better terms and was given a job by my grandfather who wanted to help with my “recovery”.

I started to hang out at a Christian “youth house” which was basically a house where teens could go to get away from family pressures and discuss Christianity. I was older than most of the boys, so I became one of those who talked most and try to make the boys feel welcomed. In spite of this, I felt like a fraud for I started drinking and dating again. I would tell the kids about Jesus’ love for them and during the nights would drink. Through all this, my one Christian friend would try to council me and keep me on the right track.

I still remember to this day my first encounter with a Muslim. One of the boys brought his friend to the youth house. He was a Muslim kid whose name I forgot. What I do remember is the boy saying “I brought my friend ‘so and so’, he’s a Muslim, and I want to help him become a Christian”. I was absolutely amazed by this 14-year-old kid; he was calm and friendly! Believe it or not, he defended himself AND Islam against a dozen Christians who were hurling abuses at him and Islam! As we sat there fruitlessly thumbing through our Bibles and getting angrier and angrier, he just sat there, quietly smiling and telling us about worshipping others besides God and how, yes, there is love in Islam. He was like a gazelle encircled by a dozen hyenas, yet the entire time, he was calm and friendly and respectful. It blew my mind!

The Muslim kid left a copy of The Quran on the shelf, either he forgot it or left it on purpose, I don’t know, but I started reading it. I soon became infuriated with this book when I saw that it made more sense than the Bible. I threw it against the couch and walked away, seething with anger; yet, after I read it, I had a niggling doubt at my core. I did my best to forget about the Muslim kid and just enjoy my time with my friends at the youth house. The youth group used to go to various Churches on weekends to prayer events and Saturday nights were spent in a huge Church instead of at the bar. I remember being at one such event called ‘The Well’, and I felt so close to God and wanted to humble myself and show my Creator my love for Him. I did what felt natural, I prostrated. I prostrated like Muslims do in the daily prayers, yet I didn’t know what I was doing. All I knew was that it felt really good... It felt right more than anything else I had ever done. I felt very pious and spiritual and continued on my path, but, as usual, I started to feel things slipping away.

The Pastor always taught us that we must submit our will to God’s, and I wanted nothing more than to do that; but I didn’t know how! I always prayed “Please God, make my will Yours, make me follow Your will” and so on, but nothing ever happened. I felt myself slowly slipping away from the Church as my faith ebbed away. It was at this time that my best friend, the Christian man who had helped me come to Christ, along with another close friend of mine, raped my girlfriend who I had been with for two years. I was in the other room too drunk to know what was happening and unable to stop anything. A couple of weeks later, it was revealed that the man who ran the youth house had molested one of the boys that I was friends with.

My world was shattered! I had been betrayed by so many of my friends, people who were supposed to be close to God and working towards Paradise. I had nothing left to give; I was empty again. I walked around as before, blindly and without direction, just working and sleeping and partying. My girlfriend and I broke up soon afterwards. My guilt, rage and sadness encompassed my entire being. How could my Creator allow such a thing to happen to me? How selfish was I!

A little while after, my manager at work told me that a “Moslem” would be working with us, he was really religious, and we should try to be decent around him. The minute this “Moslem” came in, he started Da’wah. He wasted no time in telling us all about Islam, and everyone told him they didn’t want to hear anything about Islam, other than me! My soul was crying out, and even my stubbornness could not squelch the cries. We started working together and discussing our respective beliefs. I had given up on Christianity completely, but when he started asking me questions, my faith surged, and I felt I was a ‘Crusader’ defending the Faith from this evil “Moslem”.

The fact of the matter was that this particular “Moslem” wasn’t evil like I had been told. In fact, he was better than me. He didn’t swear; he never got angry and was always calm, kind, and respectful. I was truly impressed and decided that he would make an excellent Christian. We went back and forth asking things about each other’s religions, but after a time I felt myself getting more and more defensive. At one point, I became very angry... Here I was trying to convince him of the truth of Christianity, and I felt it was he who was on the truth! I started to feel more and more confused and didn’t know what to do. All I knew was that I had to increase my faith, so I jumped in my car and roared off to ‘The Well’. I was convinced that if I could only pray there again, I could get the feeling back and the strong faith and then I could convert the Muslim. I eventually got there, after speeding the entire way, and found it was closed! No one was in sight; I frantically looked around for another similar event so I could ‘charge up’ but found nothing. Dejected, I returned home.

I started to realize that I was being pushed in a certain direction, so I prayed over and over to my Creator to surrender my will to His. I felt that my prayer was being answered; I went home and laid in bed, and at that moment I realized that I needed to pray like never before. I sat up in bed and cried, ‘Jesus, God, Buddha, whoever You are, please, please guide me, I need You! I have done so much evil in my life, and I need Your help. If Christianity is the correct way then make me strong, and if it is Islam, then bring me to it!’ I stopped praying, and the tears went away, and deep within my soul I felt calm, I knew what the answer was. I went to work the next day and said to the Muslim brother “how do I say ‘hi’ to you?” He asked me what I meant and I said, “I wanted to become a Muslim”. He looked at me and said “Allahu Akbar!” We hugged for a good minute or so, and I thanked him for everything, and I began my journey into Islam.

I look back at all the events that happened in my life over time, and I realize that I was being prepared to become a Muslim. I was shown so much mercy from God. Out of all that happened in my life, there was something to learn. I learned the beauty of the Islamic prohibition of intoxicants, the prohibition of illegal sex, and the need for theHijab . I am finally on an even keel, no more am I too much in one direction; I am living a moderate life and doing my best to be a decent Muslim.

There are always challenges, as I am sure many of you have felt, as have I. But through these challenges, through these emotional pains, we become stronger; we learn and, I hope, turn to God. For those of us who have accepted Islam at some point in our lives, we truly are blessed and fortunate. We have been given the chance, a chance for the greatest mercy! Mercy which we don’t deserve, but still will, God willing, be given on the Day of Resurrection. I have reconciled with my family and have started looking to start my own God willing. Islam truly is a way of life, and even if we suffer poor treatment by fellow Muslims or non Muslims, we must always remember to be patient and turn only to God.

If I have said anything incorrect it is from me, and if anything that I have said is correct it is from God. All Praises are due to God, and may God bestow His mercy and blessings upon his noble Prophet Muhammad, Amen.

May God increase our faith and make it in accords to that which pleases Him and grant us His Paradise, Amen!

Sister Tania Bowling - Germany

Early life:

Sister Tania Bowling was born in 1976 in Germany which is one of the developed and important countries in Europe and the world. Germany has a population of 65 million people; 3 million of them are Muslims who hail from Germany, Turkey, Iran, or Arab countries. Most of the Islamic community resides in the cities of Munich, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Aachen and Hannover. Sister Tania has been brought up in a Christian family that had the traditions that characterize Western families.

She had the honor of embracing the Islamic Faith according toAhlul-Bait ’s (A.S.) teachings in 1999 as she left Christianity at the age of twenty-two after a period of« loss and self-ignorance » until Allah took her hand and rescued her from the bottom of darkness into the splendor of light.

Intellectual Loss Stage:

Tania was living in atmospheres she describes as:« We were at that time living together, side by side, but none of us cared about the other. Everyone lived for oneself and for the sake of oneself; we shared loneliness and isolation. I do not exaggerate if I say that each one of us did not even live with oneself that one had abandoned; we did not even think about our future. None of us dared to question himself or herself: Why do I live? Why was I born? Where have I come from? And where am I heading?

« Everyone was aimlessly wandering astray in dark alleys and turns. We were all loitering in the alleys of mob life, without thinking about a shelter or a cozy home. We spent our lives in a loss of goals, ethics, doctrine, and morale. »

Reasons for Abandoning Religion in the West:

This was an early reaction that occurred towards religion in the West as a result of the acts of the clergy and the distortion of the Christian religion which has failed to perform its functions and role in the life of the Christian individual and community; the clergy have set for their societies laws and regulations that have made the religion of Christ the most complicated of the major and positive religions, in contrast with Jesus (A.S.) who had presented the faith with simplicity.

Christian scholars thought that, by doing so, they have founded an intellectual structure that is good for regulating the lives of the individual and the community. However, once those theories were put into practice, it was clear that they were not right as they stumbled and shook. It was not possible for those teachings and principles to survive in the land of reality; the fruit they harvested was utter failure and falling into bitter disasters, which backfired against those teachings, or rather against religion in general. Consequently, the West generally lived in a state of loss.

Sister Tania says:« More than 50% of the people and more than 60% of the young men and women in our area had a state of loneliness despite the apparent friendship, companionship, and family ties. Actually, all the human relations, in their materialistic and apparent forms, were for the sake of amusement, playing, and time-killing. These people could only stand them for a few hours of their nights or days, while spending the rest of their lives isolated from others in a room or an apartment. »

The journey from Darkness to Light:

Sister Tania lived for twenty years in such an environment, until she found her soul, thanks to pure Islam represented byAhlul-Bait ’s (A.S.) School. Having recovered that soul which she had lost all that time, Tania knew about her Lord Who had been, before that, strange to her.

The beginning of the story of her journey from darkness into light was when she met by chance a Muslim young woman wearinghijab in a market in the city of Hamburg. Sister Tania describes the incident by saying:« I was then impetuous, like any German young woman; therefore, I made fun at the hijab of that woman and degraded her for it. I said to her: What kind of illness do you have to cover your body as such?

The veiled girl answered quietly and soberly: « A woman’s veil, shyness, and chastity testify to the soundness of her soul. Hijab gives women a moral freedom that enables her to maintain her social security, while nudity is contrary to common sense. »

Tania says:« I categorically rejected what she said and went on with my friends to do what I was doing. However, I kept thinking about that veiled woman’s argument, self-confidence, knowledge, and commitment to her principles until I had the opportunity, driven by curiosity, to go to Imam Ali’s (A.S.) Mosque in Hamburg. There, I talked and had dialogues with a number of Shia Muslims of different ethnicities who had gathered there. I noticed that they had strong arguments and evidence. I had good ties with a number of them to get to know the facts of which I had not been aware before. Gradually, my mind and soul began to be attracted by their ideas and beliefs, and I started to feel as though I had been a Muslim just like them, one who did not differ with them in anything. »

Sister Tania was lucky to learn about Islam directly, not through Christianity that has tried to penetrate Islamic thought via an approach of skepticism, deception, and fabrication of facts to distort the Islamic history, principles, and culture under the banner of Orientalism.

Orientalists have introduced their opinions and prejudices as they interpreted events, discussed texts, and analyzed issues. They have looked at Islam from their own window and threw on it their own shadows in a bid to change its original milestones. Thus, they have confused between Islam as an orthodox religion and the deteriorating situation of Muslims, judging, as Kiesling did, that Islam was a dead religion!

Brilliant Islamic Values:

Sister Tania says:« What caught my interest in Islam was the Muslims’ moral relationship with their Lord; their strong ties with their families; the existence of a purpose of life to them; their solidarity that knows no boundaries, be that at the racial, national or geographic origin levels, in addition to their attachment to their religion and the established belief in their ideological issues. »

She adds:« Muslims have taken these things from Islam itself. They lead their daily lives according to these principles, to some extent. Of course had I met Muslims estranged from their religion and Islam, I would not have had confidence in Islam. »

Ahlul-Bait’s (AS) Role in Preserving Islam:

Sister Tania has been extremely attracted to reading Islamic intellectual and doctrinal books. She first read The Holy Quran, then theHadiths of the Prophet and his Household (A.S.). This has added to the strength of her faith and the awakening of her mind and heart besides brightening her face with the light of faith due to theseHadiths ’ role in addressing the human being’s problems and deepening their religious awareness.

Sister Tania has found in these teachings the spiritual security and tranquility she had been lacking. She describes her situation after converting to the doctrine ofAhlul-Bait (A.S.) by saying:

« I have gained from The Quran and the sayings of the Prophet and Ahlul-Bait (A.S.) all that a human being could wish for as for one’s religion, though I have lost everything because of embracing Islam! However, on the other hand, I have found my self and gained my soul. At that time, I could find everything except Allah, but still I felt that I was in a state of loss and confusion.

Today, after I have found my self - which I had lost for twenty years - and knew my Lord Who was strange to me, I have obtained everything, and indeed all that I wanted, thanks to Islam.

I have obtained moral freedom besides brothers and sisters in Allah everywhere: in Hamburg, in Germany, rather throughout the world, and most importantly, I have found, among many other things, Allah’s message to humanity that He had sent centuries ago; I found it in the closet of history treasures, so I took it, and this is the greatest capital in my life.

I have turned the page of a night that had persisted for twenty years of my life through the dawn of a new day. The sun of Islam has granted me warmth and rekindled in me activity and vitality after a long winter hibernation that continued for many years. »

Sister Tania describes her relationship with others, especially her family after being honored by becoming a Muslim. She says:« Despite suffering from ostensible loneliness and many problems with my family because of being honored by Islam, I still live with my father and mother. Of course, we have had, throughout this long period, numerous diatribes and discussions; nevertheless, they have realized that I am serious about my affiliation to Islam, which greatly reduced the intensity of argument between us. In fact, my parents now admire my Islamic manners and personality as they have noticed that my actions are now better than in the past. »

With this firm will and deep-rooted determination, Tania has been able to overcome many of the obstacles that emerged in her way to Islam. Thanks to her high intellectual potentials, which she had acquired from the knowledge ofAhlul-Bait ’s (A.S.) School, she has managed to withstand the opposite currents and prove her professional competence. She is a model to every human being who clings to his or her principles heedless of anyone who might blame them for that.

She has a wish:« I hope that The Almighty guide my father and my mother to Islam. »

Christopher and Phillip embrace Islam

Following their pure innate nature, young Christopher and Phillip embrace Islam.

« Every newborn is given birth according to human nature; his parents turn him into a Jew, a Christian or a Marian. » And today’s tale is only a testimony to the truth in this sacredHadith . Christopher and his brother Phillip were born to Catholic parents, and their mother decided from the beginning to leave them to choose their religion distantly from any family or social influences.

« I want to become a photographer in order to convey the accurate picture about Muslims. » With these words, 16-year old Sayyed, formerly Christopher, started his talk in which he dealt with how Allah guided him to Islam and the reasons why he embraced the true faith.

Sayyed went on to say,« I approached Islam with a pleased soul and full conviction. I can only thank my mother for her role in lighting the path for me. And I repeat my thanks because she let me choose and did not force me any day to determine my religious identity. »

Sayyed added saying,« My mother embraced Islam almost two and a half years ago after she got married to an Egyptian Muslim, and Allah guided her through him after she had been introduced to Islam through her readings as guided by her husband. The interest in Islam shifted from my mother to me and to Phillip, my brother, so we together decided to follow in our mother’s footsteps and embrace Islam. This we achieved when we declared our acceptance of Islam a year and a half ago before our small family which is comprised of my mother and her husband. As for now, we are with you here at the Islamic Center to celebrate the Eid and to declare before you that we have accepted Islam before this crowd of our Muslim brethren on a Day when we celebrate the end of the glorious Month of Ramadan. »

Sayyed, who and whose family live in Krames town in the Lower Austria Province, says that he maintains his relationship with his family although it rejected the idea of his embracing Islam as he had personally expected. His acceptance of Islam and that of his brother, Phillip, has been denounced by the family members. The director of the Islamic Center of Vienna had announced after the Eid prayers yesterday that both youths, Christopher (Sayyed) and Phillip, wanted to declare their acceptance of Islam before the worshippers. Having pronounced the Shahada amidst clamoring Takbir shouts by the worshippers, the director accompanied the family for a tour in the center’s courtyard where he gave them presents.

In an interview with both Muslim youths, I asked Sayyed,« What attracted you to Islam? Why did you choose Islam rather than any other faith? » The young Muslim man kept silent for a moment then answered,« I do not know All I can say is that I have read about it, and the more I read the more I loved it... But what attracted me the most to Islam is that I felt that the Muslims worship God in the most perfect way. They continue to be in touch with Him all day long, day and night, which is proven by the prayers obligation which we perform five times during the day and the night... As regarding the way followers of other religions worship, it is confined to certain days of the week, if they perform it at all. »

« Did you fast during the Month of Ramadan? » Sayyed’s answer came very quickly as if he was waiting to be asked. He smiled and said,« Yes, Praise to Allah! I fasted the entire Month of Ramadan except for one day during which I was sick and I had a school examination that day. It is the first time that I fasted, and it was hard especially the first days. » Then he said,« My mother challenged me that I would not be able to fast, but I fasted, and nobody believed it. » As for Phillip, his 12-year-old brother, he wished to be able to fast the whole Month ofRamadan next year after having been through the experience of fasting for one day this year.

Sayyed expressed his hope to be able to learn Arabic and memorize The Holy Quran especially since« Allah has blessed me and my brother with memorizing Surat al-Fatiha and some short Suras, and this enabled us to perform the five obligatory prayers, » according to him.

As regarding his future plans, Sayyed said,« I want to become a photographer in order to convey the accurate picture about Muslims and Islam. I have seen many films which distort Muslims’ image, and I have seen many good films about Islam made by individuals whom I regard as my supreme models and who have embraced Islam. I will study Islam at Vienna University, for I have come to know that they have a good Islamic studies program. »

As soon as the noontime call for prayers (athan ) was pronounced, Sayyed and Phillip looked at us and said,« Do you permit us to go? » They stood up, greeted us, and then went at the time when tears filled our eyes!

The director of the Islamic Center of Vienna says that hundreds of Austrians have declared their acceptance of Islam inside the Islamic Center during the years of its existence in Vienna. Since the Center was established, 1,100 persons accepted Islam, and 700 Austrians accepted Islam during the past ten years; most of them are youths.

The director went on to say,« Certainly there are special programs to absorb the Muslim converts and to assess the extent of their true desire to embrace Islam. These programs include meetings which are held 4 times a week for three months. First, we are interested in the Muslim convert articulating both Shahadas so he would be a follower of the Islamic faith if Allah decrees for him to die [so he may die as a Muslim]. Then he joins orientation programs which give him an idea about the religion and its basic tenets without going into details which may confuse him... We acquaint the Muslim convert with the tolerance of the Islamic faith and with its logic, for there is wisdom behind each ruling in Islam. We are keen about explaining to him the wisdom behind the praying and fasting obligations and support it with brief booklets in German. »

The director explains saying,« There are some who come to us to declare their acceptance of Islam, but they retract during the orientation period. Some of them wish to apply for a job which preconditions the applicant to be a Muslim, and there may be one who wishes to marry a Muslim woman, so he accepts Islam in order to marry her. »

The Islamic Center receives more than 30,000 Austrian citizens per year who wish to become familiar with Islam without an intermediary, and most of these individuals are university and school students. The center sets the suitable appointments for receiving them. The Center will also organize this coming March an open mosque week during which guests will be welcomed by the Center amidst an Islamic atmosphere in which they get to know how Muslims pray. There will also be tours inside the Center, and prayers will take place under leadership of cadres who are qualified in their language and religion.

Search for the Truth

Fatima

«Fatima »28, is a young Mexican lady who was raised by a Jewish family in a Jewish society. How was the moment when she converted to Islam and chose it as her religion? What is the story behind her embracing Islam, actually behind her true birth?

She personally narrates her story saying:

« Four years ago, my life did not have any meaning, and I had many questions looking for answers. I did not find in the books of the Jews and Christians what quenches my thirst and fills my mind and heart, especially with regard with man’s direct relationship with God, Exalted and Great is He. »

The beginning was in London

She continues saying,« When I was in London for my university study, I came to know a Muslim Arab family. My relationship with it grew stronger. The calm and stability which the mother enjoyed drew my attention when I asked her about the reason. She said, ‘Islam has guaranteed woman’s rights and raised her status and position with her husband and family. It put forth for both spouses a program to follow in raising their children.’ This statement was the start of the spark that impressed my mind and heart. It increased my insistence on looking for the truth. »

Entering a Mosque

Fatima recounts her recollections and says,« I went out one day to one of London’s major recreational parks. On my way, I passed by a big mosque, so I entered it. I found an old man with a long white beard. He welcomed me very much and asked me very politely to wear the hijab (covering) out of respect for the mosque. I found no objection within me. Then I entered with the old man who sat with me and gave me a copy of The Holy Qur’an as a gift in addition to books in English which explain Islamic concepts. I came out of the mosque with joy and comfort filling my heart. I started reading the books during periods with intervals. I started attending weekly held seminars inside the mosque which helped me understand Islam’s lofty meanings, and that it puts forth a program for the Muslim individual to follow during his lifetime and even after his death. What attracted my attention in Islam is the Muslim individual’s belief in all prophets and messengers from the first prophet, who is Adam, peace with him, and even Jesus, peace with him. Also I was attracted by the direct relationship between a Muslim and his God without a middleman. I kept struggling inside me for two years torn between my love and strong desire to embrace Islam and fear of my family and its rejection if I publicly declare my acceptance of Islam.

« Suddenly, however, when I was attending a lecture inside the mosque, I stood before the imam and declared my desire to embrace Islam and wear the hijab. His happiness was great and mine greater because I now am a Muslim, and I wear the hijab. »

Family after my Conversion to Islam

Fatima moves on saying:« I did not stay long in London after my acceptance of Islam and the wearing of the hijab. Praise to God, I did not face any difficulty in assimilating with the society there especially since I was still studying at the university. After some time, I returned to Mexico to live with my family. My father noticed the change in my behavior and conduct as well as the scarf which I always put on my head till he suddenly entered my room and found me performing the prayers, and that was the big shock. He did not accept the notion that I converted to Islam at all, and he did not even give me a chance to explain to him why I embraced Islam. My mother was shocked, and my brother was taken by surprise. All my friends and relatives kept their distance from me. The Jewish society is cemented and closely knit; it does not accept any changes inside it. My father decided to expel me from the house, and my mother could not prevent him. Rather, she remained silent and did not comment. Both my parents refused to speak to me for a full year. As for my brother, he was not convinced about my conversion to Islam, and he was not convinced about how I looked wearing the hijab. I was not angry with my family. A Muslim is characterized by patience when it comes to his parents, and he has to be kind to them. I left home and lived by myself, remaining in touch with my family members in order to assure them about myself and try once more to get closer to them. »

Merging Into the Society

Fatima says,« I did not find any difficulty in the Mexican society accepting my embracing Islam, but many friends and acquaintances thought that I had cancer, so I was wearing the scarf in order to cover my falling hair, or perhaps I had just given birth, so I am now covering my head for fear of catching a cold! I used to take advantage of this opportunity to explain Islam’s lofty meanings. I found myself surrounded by the sisters who were willing to embrace Islam. Praise to Allah, I was able to influence many of my close friends who did, indeed, eventually embrace Islam, »

Satan Insinuates

« As is the case with any other human being, Satan tried to penetrate inside my heart and mind more than once to make me revert from Islam. Mexico is a hot country, and wearing the scarf in it is difficult due to the high temperature. Satan kept trying to enter by insinuating to me that if I took off the scarf because of the hot weather, nothing would happen, and there was nobody looking over my shoulders. But I kept seeking refuge with Allah from Satan, reciting the two Quranic Chapters that protect from Satan and seeking Allah’s forgiveness a great deal. »

Vision Changed my Brother’s Heart

« After a while, I was surprised when my brother asked me, ‘Do you have a picture of your Prophet, Muhammad?’ I answered him in the negative. He said to me, ‘I think that your Prophet, Muhammad, came to me in a vision and said to me: We do not force anyone to embrace Islam...’ After this vision, I sensed change in the way my brother was treating me. He became more receptive of the way I looked in thehijab , and he always kept talking to me and visiting me.’’

Thanks to Allah

Fatima concludes saying,« I praise Allah, The Most Exalted, The Most Great, for the blessing of Islam which opened my heart and mind, filling my senses with guidance and love. I praise Allah, Glory and Exaltation belongs to Him, because He chose me to get out of the dark into the light. Islam is the religion of peace, love, solidarity and tolerance. It respects all divinely revealed religions. I learned from it self-confidence, self-pride, and that the most Praised and Exalted One is near; He answers the plea. »

[My Son (« Waladi » ) magazine, Vol. 64, Muharam 1424 A.H.]

Danish Muslim:

Abdul Wahid

The heart of a Danish rock singer, who now calls himself« Abdul-Wahid » , inclined by instinct towards Islam; so he traveled to more than one Arab country looking for the faith till Allah guided him to declare his Islam.

{ They have been guided to the path of the One Who is worthy of (all) praise } (Qur’an, 22:24)

Peterson narrates the story of how he became a Muslim saying,« I was a young man with a good voice, and I worked as a singer moving between restaurants and night clubs to sing. My utmost dream was to achieve fame. But suddenly, without an arrangement, l felt that a call was coming from the skies inviting me to become familiar with Allah and to follow His religion. »

« At that time, » Peterson goes on,« I did not know anything about Islam, and it never entertained my mind. I was a Christian only by name, so I decided to study different religions in order to find out the true one. I actually became convinced that Islam is the only path to Allah: It is the religion that addresses the mind and the heart simultaneously. All of this happened around the year 1982. »

Answering a question about how he became familiar with Islam, especially since his country had only a small number of Muslims, he said,« I traveled to a number of Arab countries and mastered the Arabic language. When I returned to Denmark, I decided to dedicate my life to invite others to embrace Islam amidst a materialistic culture that recognizes nothing other than materialism. »

Peterson emphasizes that the main thing that makes him incline towards Allah, The Most Exalted One and The Most Great, was that he was not influenced by anything materialistic in order to embrace Islam; nobody invited him to embrace this creed.

After having embraced Islam, Peterson became active in charity work by overseeing a number of charitable projects in a group of poor countries such as founding a school to educate boys and girls in Afghanistan. He now presides over the Danish Muslim Aid Society which has participated in rebuilding 500 homes in Kashmir destroyed by an earthquake.

Mosque Dream

About his dreams, he says,« We only lack a big mosque that becomes a place where the Muslims meet. Since I became a Muslim, I always dreamed of building this mosque. We have actually obtained the necessary permits from the Danish government, and we now only have to start implementing this project after having collected the needed donations. So, it does not make sense that Denmark’s second religion should have no place of worship. »

According to Peterson, the early Muslims entered Denmark in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and they were laborers who were not basically religious. Ultimately, Islam did not spread then. But the true Islamic renaissance started at the end of the 1970s and early 1980s because of the presence of Muslim immigrants and due to a number of Danish people being interested in the Islamic Faith. Also, the September 11th incidents and the crisis of the caricatures that were derogatory to the Prophet (P.B.U.H.) increased the interest of the Danish people in this religion.

Regarding the reasons why many Westerners are now embracing Islam, Peterson explains saying,« People here in the West are drowned in materialistic societies. Lately, they realized that no matter how many joys and pleasures life may have, it will in the end disappear. From here, some of them started searching for the spiritual aspects. Just as we have started finding many atheists, we now find many of those who search for a religion that grants them psychological peace. For this reason, I think that Islam’s future in Europe in general is quite great because it is the only creed that instills self-calm into everything. »

The paradox here is that Denmark is regarded as the first country from which campaigns were launched against Islam and the Holy Prophet, Muhammad, through insulting caricatures drawn by some Danish cartoonists. But these intense events prompted many Europeans to develop an interest, research, and find out what Islam is and who this individual, whose image many of those who are hostile to Islam try to distort, is. The insulting caricatures made them desire to become familiar with this personality whom we see as great while they are ignorant about it. This became a cause either in their embracing Islam or evidence against them so they will not say that they did not hear about it.