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Reverts to Islam
"Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching." - Quran 16:125
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Practical resources for new Muslims
Quran101.com
A site which enables non-Arabic speaking new Muslims to
learn the short surahs of the Quran and other requirements
for performing ritual worship (Salat). Each phrase slowly
and clearly enunciated. Includes 17 surahs plus ayat al
kursi (2:255), the Tasha-hud (Al-Taheyat), the Adhan and
the Iqama. Requires RealPlayer
The Encyclopaedia of the OrientCovers
the Middle East and North Africa. Useful explanations of
many Islamic terms and mini-biographies of figures from
Muslim history and contemporary politics.
The Right Way To PrayA 14-step guide with phrase-by-phrase pronunciation of the Arabic words. Requires RealPlayer.
Islamic QuizSuperb
interactive quiz. Hundreds of questions at different
levels. Tells you the correct answers to questions you get
wrong.
Test Your Knowledge of Islam
What's behind one of the fastest growing religions in the
U.S.? What do Muslims believe? Take this quiz to test your
knowledge of Islam.
Online Tests at Islam101Multiple
choice tests on various aspects of Islam, arranged in
order of difficulty by four levels. These tests can be
taken online. After completing each test, you can submit
your test for a grade. Answers to the the missed questions
are provided online.
First Steps in ArabicExcellent interactive game. Learn to read by matching the Arabic letters to their sounds.
BABEL:arabic
A free online Arabic course in 18 units. Requires RealPlayer.
Amir UniversityProviding
certified, affordable courses on Islam and Arabic in a
home-study environment. Accredited by the Abu Nour
Institute of Damascus, an affiliate of Al-Azhar University
of Cairo, Amir distance learning Islamic university is
founded on Ahl as-Sunnah wal Jama`at [Sunni] teachings. The
curriculum addresses contemporary issues with a moderate
Islamic approach.
Latino American Dawah Organizationa
nonprofit organization founded in 1997 in New York City by
a handful of converts to Islam. LADO's mission is to
promote Islam among the Latino community of the United
States and to provide education about the history and legacy of
Islam in Spain and Latin America and provide free information about
Islam.
Articles of particular relevance to Converts
From Drury Lane to Makka
Abdal-Hakim Murad recounts the tale of theatrical scene
painter, Hedley Churchward, who in 1910 became the first
confirmed British convert to Islam to make the Hajj
pilgrimage.
First Family Visit As a Muslim
Texas Muslim, Juan Galvan, shares his experience of
explaining to his Mexican-American family about his conversion to
Islam.
Islam is wonderful, but I can't stand the Muslims
"Why should I try to convert my non-Muslim friends when I
often prefer them to the Muslims that I know? How will
being Muslim change their lives for the better if they
already display more of the Islamic virtues than most of the
Muslims they are likely to meet?"
By British convert to Islam, Michael A. Malik.
The Status of Parents in IslamBy Syed Hasan Akhtar, M. D. Austin, Texas
"Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and
that ye be kind to parents. Whether one or more attain old age in
thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but
address them in terms of honor. And out of kindness, lower
to them the wing of humility, and say, "my Lord! bestow on
them Thy Mercy, even as they cherished me in childhood."
(Quran 17: 23,24)
The new face of Islam
The phenomenon of educated, white, middle class English converts to Islam.
by Nick Compton
The Dual Purpose of the Quran"I
believe the Quran was written for two peoples: 1) For the
Muslims who have already dropped the ball. And 2) for the
'other, very different people' (many hadiths refer to them as
'strangers' or 'immigrants') who will take a fresh look at the Quran
and understand it in new ways."
By Imam Tammam Adi PhD, Director of the Islamic Cultural Center of Eugene, Oregon.
Frustrations of a Muslim Convert
Committed to Islam, vexed by Muslims
A cautionary tale. How for one theologically motivated
convert to the pure monotheism of Islam, certain fellow
Muslims have turned the Straight Path into something of a
rocky road.
by Michael Young.
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Introduction
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Lack of Induction
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Internet - The good, the bad and the dangerous!
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Beware the Zealots!
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Must we proceed at the pace of the most prudish?
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"Muslim name" and attire
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Relationship with non-Muslim parents
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So-called "Islamic Causes"
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Final Thoughts
Understanding Conversion: Bridging the Two Selves
"Although conversion is a phenomenon that is completely
unique to everyone, nevertheless, those who are serious
about it will all undoubtedly undergo self-examination of
some kind in order to embrace a new way of life and belief
system." Three years on American, Abdul-Lateef Abdullah,
reflects on conversion to Islam.
British and Muslim?
Outstanding article by Abdal-Hakim Murad
A very thoughtful insight into the British Muslim
community, especially converts. An absolute "must read"!
Building a Better Dawah ProgramMuslims
have perhaps the least organized community in the world,
yet we are gaining converts faster than anyone else. But
what if we were more organized? American convert Yahiya
Emerick sets out a strategy to utilize our resources and
build up the size and strength of the Muslim community.
My First Year As A Muslim
An open letter from Jeremiah D. McAuliffe, Jr., Ph.D. to
the Pittsburgh Muslim community one year after he embraced
Islam.
Moving Beyond TheoryAmong
Muslims in the West, American convert to Islam Yahiya
Emerick finds too much empty theorizing and not enough
practical application of Islam to the realities of everyday living
in an environment non-conducive to the faith.
How Did You Accept Islam?As
enthralling as many present-day conversion stories may be,
it is to the first converts to Islam, the Sahaba, that we
should look for inspiration, writes American convert, Yahiya
Emerick.
The personal testimonies of Reverts to Islam
How We Came To Embrace Islam
American, Khadija Evans, who experimented with umpteen
Christian denominations, atheism and even Wicca tells how
her post-September 11 investigations of Islam led first herself then
her husband to their final spiritual home.
Becoming Muslim - by Nuh Ha Mim Keller"I
studied philosophy at the university and it taught me to
ask two things of whoever claimed to have the truth: What
do you mean, and how do you know? When I asked these
questions of my own religious tradition, I found no answers, and
realized that Christianity had slipped from my hands."
The story of American former Catholic, Nuh Ha Mim Keller,
who in the 25 years since his conversion has gone on to
become one of the leading contemporary scholars of Islam.
European Union temporary agent for research Candice
Vancraenenbroek pauses before speaking during an International
Women's Day Conference at the EU Charlemagne building in Brussels,
Friday, March 8, 2002. Vancraenenbroek, born into a Belgian
Catholic family, converted to Islam at an early age and has
co-founded a group to help those women who also wish to
convert. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
Karla's conversion to Islam
"How could you, an educated American woman convert to Islam
- a religion that oppresses women?" - Blonde-haired blue-eyed,
former Christian, Karla, explains how her theological
dissatisfaction with the doctrine of Jesus as God and her discovery
of the rights given to women in Islam led her to become a
Muslim.
New convert to Islam since September 11,
US Navy petty officer, Heather Ramaha.
More in Hawai'i turn to IslamLess
than three weeks after terrorists struck New York City and
Washington, US Navy petty officer Heather Ramaha stood
among a group of women at the mosque in Manoa and converted
to Islam
By Mary Kaye Ritz, Honolulu Advertiser, November 11, 2001.
Why I am a Muslim
Ibrahim, a Pennsylvania teenager, explains how difficulties
with church teaching about Jesus as God led him from
Catholicism to Islam.
The conversion to Islam of Karima Burns
This Iowa student of Arabic became a Muslim in her heart
when she started reading the Quran in order do to her
university homework and couldn't put it down.
Yusuf Estes, US Federal Prison ChaplainThe
amazing tale of how an American former "born again"
Christian and his father, both ordained ministers, plus
their friend, a Catholic priest, all became convinced of
the truth of Islam.
Oum Abdul-Aziz
An American former "born again" Christian explains how her
in-depth theological studies led her to reject the
Christian doctrines of Trinity, the Divinity of Jesus and
Original Sin and to embrace pure monotheism in Islam. Contains
detailed references from the Bible and Quran.
Amina's storyIrish
lady recounts her long and slow spiritual journey
culminating in her conversion from Catholicism to Islam
during the summer of 2001.
Michael Wolfe"I
did not want to 'trade in' my culture. I wanted access to
new meanings." - How an American writer born of a Jewish
father and a Christian mother found spiritual fulfillment in
Islam.
'My Dream Came True'Detroit-based
African American journalist and PR woman, Angelene
McLaren, has been a Muslim for six years. Upon conversion
she took the new name Sumayyah bint Joan. Here she records her
encounter with Islam.
Steven BarbozaThis
African American former Catholic found spiritual peace and
fulfillment in orthodox Islam having investigated and
rejected the racist ideology of the Nation of Islam.
Dr. Moustafa MouldAfter a spiritual journey of almost 40 years, a Boston Jewish linguist finds Islam in Africa.
My personal decision for God and IslamThe conversion story of Anja from Germany
"I was quite amused by the thought, that actually there are
still people around, who follow a law from the Middle
Ages." But over a period of two and a half years, this
university student grew to take Islam very seriously.
Walter 'Abdul-Walee' Gomez"I
could smell the mercy and the sweetness of heaven, felt
the presence of God in my torn, sick heart." Latino
immigrant finds peace in Islam after an adolescence of
clubs, drinking, drugs, promiscuity and gangland violence
in Washington DC.
How I Came to Islam by Yahya M
Italian-American man who became a Muslim when a graduate
student in 1984 recalls the milestones on his journey to
Islam - years of academic study, the influence of pious but
non-preachy Pakistani friends and the autobiography of
Malcolm X.
Aminah Assilmi - Part 1This
American lady, a former radical feminist and Southern
Baptist from Oklahoma, studied the Quran, Sahih Muslim and
fifteen other books on Islam in an attempt to convert the
Arabs in her college class to Christianity and "save those
poor ignorant heathens from the fires of hell." But guess
what happened!
Why I embraced Islamby Maryum Jameelah (formerly Margaret Marcus),
an American Jew who converted to Islam in the late 1950's.
MonicaA
former Catholic from Ecuador now living in the United
States who was attracted to Islam by the peacefulness of
Muslim prayer and the practical guidance Islam provides for
living daily life.
Joanne RichardsHow a Californian woman with a "fast and loose" lifestyle gradually found her way to Islam.
Ibrahim Khalil M.A. (Princeton)A former Egyptian Coptic priest who studied Islam in order to find fault with it.
The result was, however, exactly the reverse.
Twelve Hours OldCanadian convert Katherine Bullock marvels at becoming a Muslim.
ZainabYoung
American, Protestant Sunday School teacher and youth
ministries activist who had great difficulty with the
Christian doctrine of "justification through faith " [good
or bad deeds are irrelevant to one's salvation]. She also
found that her concept of Godly living regarding dating,
alcohol, clubbing, etc. was shared by her Muslim
acquaintances, not her Christian friends.
Abdus Salam Clinton SipesThe
amazing story of a violent, drunken, racist, cross-burning
Klu Klux Klan member transformed into the "servant of
peace".
Khadijah 'Sue' WatsonA former Protestant fundamentalist pastor, missionary and Bible College lecturer with a Master's degree in Divinity.
Her contact with a convert to Islam prompted her to
seriously investigate Islam and to conclude that "many
Christians are sincere, but they are sincerely wrong".
PhreddieThe
remarkable, powerful testimony, full on insights, of a
black American Christian girl whose studies of the Bible
and Church history studies left her shocked at the
"hypocrisy, blasphemy, and human tampering with holy
scriptures". Impressed by the respect Islam shows to
women, she became a Muslim at the age of only 18.
Abdul-Lateef Abdullah (Steven Krauss)White,
middle-class, American Protestant graduate student,
disillusioned with organised religion, introduced to Islam
through his Malaysian martial arts teacher.
Sakinah
When this Catholic lady's husband abruptly announced that
he had become a Muslim, she left him... then later slowly
found her own way to Islam. A remarkable story with a
twist in the tail.
Diana This
Colorado member of the Campus Crusade for Christ, troubled
by Christian teachings on Jesus, was impressed by the
Muslim way of worship and the logic of Islam.
Deanne
An Australian Protestant teenager, troubled by the concept
of Trinity, who embraced Islam following a year at a
Buddhist High school in Japan.
Abdul HakimThis
Frenchman, a supporter of the anti-immigrant Front
National, who was twice beaten up by Algerians, was surprised to
find himself drawn to Islam whilst attending university in
England.
Greg Noakes
Church-going American Protestant whose university studies
of Middle East history and Arabic language eventually led
him to Islam.
"What I found was a religion whose moral teachings closely
resembled the values I had been taught by my parents: belief
in God, respect for others, truthfulness, courtesy, charity and
honor. What was new was the clarity and vibrance of Islam, and
the fact that all of these values were integrated into a
complete and seamless system. Islamic teachings were
sublime, subtle and easy to understand."
Jeremiah D. McAuliffe, Jr., Ph.D.Affluent
Irish-American Catholic with a doctorate in Formative
Spirituality who withdrew from training to enter the
priesthood and became a Muslim after reading the Quran.
Suleyman Ahmad
Born to Jewish Communist parents, this middle-aged American
news reporter found in Islam the fulfillment of his
personal quest.
Karen's storyHow a devout American Catholic with nagging doubts came to Islam.
Karima Slack Razi
The journey of an American feminist from secular humanism to Islam.
SharonFrom confused Christian and teenage runaway to contented Muslima.
Belief-O-Matic Quiz
Even if YOU don't know what faith you are, Belief-O-Matic
knows. Answer 20 questions about your concept of God, the
afterlife, human nature, and more, and Belief-O-Matic will
tell you what religion (if any) you practice...or ought to
consider practicing.
Profiles of prominent converts plus news reports
Islam's Soul of the South
The improbable rise of a black Muslim politician in deepest Alabama.
By John Fleming, September 28, 2006
More US Hispanics drawn to Islam
Marriage, post-9/11 curiosity, and a shared interest in issues such as immigration are key reasons.
By Amy Green | September 28, 2006
The Personal Stories of Converts to Islam
Submit your story of conversion to IslamIf you are a convert to Islam and would like to share your story, please email it to islamfortoday@yahoo.com. These questions may help to provide a structure for your article.
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When did you revert to Islam?
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How old were you?
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What was your educational or work background?
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What was your previous religion/philosophy?
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Why did you revert to Islam?
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What spiritual or practical problems have you overcome on the road to reverting and since?
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How have you benefited the Muslim community?
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and the early Muslims - except themselves.
Why Has Yusuf Dropped Islam From His Stage Name?
ReplyDelete“My name is still Yusuf Islam. The decision to use just Yusuf for my stage name was for many reasons; it makes the issue of identification personal, not political or religious. I felt it strange when journalists referred to me by my surname, Islam. Reading things like, “Islam says …” worried me. It was a huge responsibility, which I was not prepared to carry. Since I started making music again, it was feeling uncomfortable knowing that some Muslims still consider Music to be forbidden in Islam; although I follow a different school of thought, it was not appropriate for pop-journalists to write things like, “Islam’s new album”.
Anyway, I like known to be on first name terms, it’s more friendly by far. By the way, if anyone called me ‘Cat’ in the old days, it meant they weren’t in my close circle of friends.