My Story on Islam

I've been asked time and time again why I became a Muslim. Well there is only one answer I really have, Islam makes sense. I don't really consider myself a convert. I took the shahada at the age of 10. Islam is all I have ever really known. It is my culture. I was living in another state at the time away from my mother and her husband. It suddenly came to me that I wanted to move and live with her. This was extremely difficult for my situation and I didn't know why I wanted to move, but I knew I had to.



As soon as I moved I was introduced to al-Islam. I didn't have any opinion about Muslims as I wasn't really effected by 9-11 at the time due to my young age. I think that helped. I didn't judge Muslims by an already formed opinion. I judged them by their actions they way I saw them. Seeing Muslims helped me get information on Islam and see how it effected their life. It helped me so much that I wanted it for myself.



For a week I debated when and how to tell my mother and my step father that I wanted to be a Muslim. I didn't worry about them disapproving of this idea because my step father had converted to Islam months earlier. Finally they knew I wanted to take the Shahada. I wanted to do it on a special day. The day happened to be Friday the first day of Ramadan of that year October 15, 2004.



In the evening towards the night we gathered at our Muslim friend's house. I was very nervous, but I said it.



Ashhadu an la illa ill’allah. ( I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah.)



I wouldn't expect what truly it means to be a Muslim or the difficulties I would face within myself, the Muslim community and the western society or even my family. Being a Muslim was the best action I have ever done or ever will do. I believe we all have to make that choice, whether we were born into a Muslim family or not. We always have a choice.