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In The Name of Allah,The Most Gracious,The Most Merciful

There is no other god but Allah and Muhammed is His Messanger

لا اله الا الله محمد رسول الله

Islam is not a new religion, but the same truth that God revealed through all His prophets to every people. For a fifth of the world's population, Islam is both a religion and a complete way of life. Muslims follow a religion of peace, mercy, and forgiveness, and the majority have nothing to do with the extremely grave events which have come to be associated with their faith.

Our level six class at Masjed Al-Iman School went to the outside community and interviewed some Muslims who were Christians and converted to Islam. Please feel free to contact us by email if you have any Dareenuestions about any of the listed interviews, also if you would like to share your story on how you became a Muslim with us and have it posted on this page email it to us.

(All names or personnel information will be published upon the interviewed individuals written permission).

Interviewier: Cera

Interviewed: Hanan Rajab

Cera: Why did you convert to Islam?

Guest: I originally wanted to convert some Muslims to Christianity but I noticed how much respect they had for their religion. They washed their hands before reading the Dareenur'an unlike the Christians who even take the bible to the rest rooms. I already had some problems with Christianity. I decided to do some research on Islam and Christianity to see which one had more truth in it. I found that there wasn’t really enough evidence to satisfy me about how Jesus died on the cross and I also did not believe that Jesus was the Son of God or that he was God in himself. I realized that I already had believed in Islam and that the best way to follow Jesus’ example was to become a Muslim.

Cera: Why did you choose Islam?

Lisa I believed that in order to be the best Christian I could be, Islam would be the best path to choose. And also to follow Jesus’ example in the best way that I could, I believed Islam would be the best.

Cera: How long have you been a Muslim?

Lisa I will have been a Muslim ten years this June.

Cera: How did your family and friends react to your conversion to Islam?

Lisa At first my family believed that I had been brainwashed into becoming a Muslim and they were not able to accept it. But later on, when I had married a Muslim man, they finally accepted it because they realized that this was the path that I had chosen and that they needed to accept it.

Cera: How did you feel the moment you said the Shahadah?

Lisa When I said the Shahadah, it made me want to cry because I was so happy. To this day, it is still the most precious thing to me.

Cera: What does the hijab mean to you?

Lisa I feel that it represents my faith and who I am as a Muslim. I also believe that wearing the hijab reminds me that I am presenting myself to the world as a Muslim and that fact reminds me to act as a good Muslim and from committing sins without realizing it.

Cera: Was it hard for you to leave your old way of life?

Lisa No, because I did not feel like it was a big difference in my life. The only differences were really small such as wearing the hijab, praying more often and more appropriately and fasting for Ramadan.

Cera: Do you work? If yes, has the conversion had any impact on your work environment?

Lisa I do not currently work but back before 9/11 I used to work at a factory. I had a very hard time working there because I wore a hijab and many people would be upset with me because of that. Even before 9/11 a woman tried to rip my hijab off of my head. After 9/11, things at work only got worse. Someone even went so far as to put sugar in my gas tank.

Cera: Can you think of any funny things that have happened in relation to your conversion?

Lisa Well, not exactly “funny” but more ironic. I think that it is kind of ironic that I went to my husband home land (in africa) and lived there for a year and married a Muslim man when I used to be a strict Christian. It is also kind of ironic that my parents finally accepted me as a Muslim considering they used to think that I had been brainwashed into joining Islam.

Cera: Was it hard for you to fit into the Muslim community?

Lisa Yes, and it still is. I feel like I, to this day, still haven’t been completely accepted into the Muslim community because I am American. Arab Muslims, when I first converted, used to give me strange looks if I wore nail polish or something like that. They would not tell me that it was haram. The first time I went to a Mesjid, there was a young woman who kept asking me very personal Dareenuestions. For example, she asked me if I had ever had a boyfriend, done drugs, drank, smoked and all these other sins. When I converted to Islam I thought that all of my past sins had been forgiven, yet this woman was still asking me these sorts of Dareenuestions, that upset me so much I did not go to a Mesjid for a very long time after that. I do feel my faith has grown more in America, because here there are Islamic lectures in English. I still feel that I am not accepted completely in the Muslim community because Muslims, when around me, are not very open and there is still a Language barrier.

Cera: Thank you so much for giving me your time, it was great talking to you.

Lisa Thank you for interviewing me, I really enjoyed

Interviewer: Nausheen

Nausheen: When did you Convert to Islam?

Lisa I converted in college at the age of 19.

Nausheen: Why did you retrieve Islam? and Why did you choose Islam?

Lisa I was in college and wanted to get married. Not many people wanted to get married that early, but I did. Islam had everything I was looking for. It was more serious than Christianity. The Bible was confusing and I didn’t believe in Jesus being God’s son; it made no sense. Also, I don’t listen to people that easily or follow their advice, but when someone told me about Islam, it made sense. Islam has guidance for everything and is easy to understand. Islam is a beautiful way of life.

Nausheen: How long have you been a Muslim?

Lisa 20 years

Nausheen: What was your family’s or a close friend’s reaction to your conversion?

Lisa My family thought I was going through a phase and found it hard to accept. We would get in arguments about little things, like if the food has pork in it or no, at the end, when they realized I was serious, they accepted it.

Nausheen: Describe how you felt the moment you said Al-Shahada and became a Muslim?

Lisa I felt like had won something. Like I had gained and achieved something.

Nausheen: What does the Hijab or head covering mean to you?

Lisa To me it’s a form of protection. I started seeing things more clearly when I started wearing it.

Nausheen: Was it hard for you to leave your old way of life?

Lisa It was hard, but the hardest part was becoming patient. Before, I used to get mad easily and stay mad about them, but I became more patient after converting and am still working on it. Also, I had to give the way I used to dress. I used to wear mini skirts and sleeveless tops. My cousin who also converted, told me to start covering myself more or I would be bothered by men. I didn’t listen to him until one day, while I was walking on campus and a man flipped my skirt up. Immediately afterward I started covering myself more and now I dress in a full coat and hijab.

Nausheen: Do you work? If yes, then is there any impact of being a Muslim in your work environment?

Lisa I don’t work anymore, but even with a hijab I got a job once. It has no impact as long as you are sure of yourself.

Nausheen: Has there ever been a funny situation you have been in ever since you converted?

Lisa Before I started pinning my hijab, and I would be walking and my hijab would fly right off my head. Also, for I a while I used to wear a black face covering too, one time I was walking down the street and I ran into a big pole; it was hilarious and I couldn’t stop laughing.

Nausheen: Was it hard to fit into the Muslim community?

Lisa No, it wasn’t hard, but I want to live near Muslims. I want us all to live together and right next to each other. I believe that will make it into a true Muslim community.

Nausheen: Is there something else you would like to me?

Lisa Inshallh, I plan to be a Muslim till the day I die.

Nausheen: Thank you so much for giving me your time, it was great talking to you.

Lisa Thank you for interviewing me, I really enjoyed it.

Interviewier: Dareen

Interviewed: Lisa

Dareen: Why did you retrieve to Islam ?

Lisa: I was living in Jordan and I started going to the Masjed to pray when I heard the call of Athan, I felt comfortable when I got close to allah.(god).

Dareen: Why did you choose Islam ?

Lisa: I think that Islam is the only true religion ,and that the Qur'an is the last holy book for believers ,and that Muhammad is the last prophet, and Allah (God) is the only God.

Dareen: How long have you been a Muslim?

Lisa: I practiced Islam for 17 years and I embraced it about 3 or 4 years ago. I felt as if an angel had given me a gift when I embraced Islam.

Dareen: What was your family's reaction when you converted?

Lisa: My father was shocked ,but later on he agreed to what I chose ,but my mom rejected Islam and rejected my chose.

Dareen: Describe your feelings when you said the "Shahada"?

Lisa: When I first said "Shahada" I had no idea what I was saying ,all I knew was that I wanted to get married. Later on I understood, as I got more knowledge about Islam and I am still learning.

Dareen: What does hijab mean to you ?

Lisa: Hijab means I identify myself as a Muslim , and it means as if it's a protection

Dareen: Was it hard to leave your old way of life?

Lisa: No

Dareen: Do you work , if so did you have any impact in your work environment?

Lisa: Soon after I got married a year later I had a baby ,and ten months later I had another baby. I worked in elementary, daycare centers, and I really loved to help little kids. I didn't have any impact with word abuse ,but people would look at me mean ways, and other people just ignored me.

Dareen: Do you have any funny event that happened to you when/or after you converted ?

Lisa: When I started wearing the scarf , after my husband died, my brother in law would drive us to where we need to go .One day while my window was opened in the car my hijab flew off.

Dareen: Was it hard to fit in the Muslim community ?

Lisa: No, it's not hard to fit in the Muslim community because anyone can fit in the Islamic community

Dareen: Thank you so much, it was great talking to you.

Lisa: Thank you for interviewing me.