Struggling with mental health throughout her life, Fatimah O’Sullivan has shared how her decision to convert to Islam has helped her find peace after years of drinking and fighting.
Born in Scotland, Fatimah’s family moved to London for school before finally settling in Hampshire.
She encountered Islam for the first time at the age of five when she joined in with some school friends to pray. Struggling to cope at school, she began playing truant at the age of 12.
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“When I got to 12 or 13, I started drinking pretty heavily,” she told The Daily Mail.
“Everything went out the window. My mental health issues hit me like a ton of bricks in my teenage years, and the adults around me weren’t trying to understand me.”
She claimed that, at 16 and preparing for her GCSEs, the school wouldn’t let her sit the exams due to poor attendance.
Leaving school with no qualifications, Fatimah turned to alcohol and often went on drinking binges, leading to fights with men and getting into trouble.
“I’m a 4ft 11in girl. I’m a tiny little thing, but my friends would have to pull me away from men,” she said.
“Every opportunity I got, I’d be outside, running around in random cars in random towns. There were points where I’d get on trains, be asleep, and wake up in a random place like I didn’t know what I was doing. I was an absolute mess.”
Finding Peace in Qur’an
Crying out for meaning from a higher power, Fatimah felt frustration that she couldn’t connect with God through Christianity. Meanwhile, she sought comfort in ‘soothing’ TikTok videos of people reciting the Quran.
It was not until 2021 that she began to seriously consider converting to the faith but waited until she was in a more stable mental state to be absolutely sure. Then, in February 2022, she took her Shahada, the Islamic profession of faith.
“My mental health has kind of been intertwined with my journey with Islam, I’d say.”
Becoming acquainted with the faith, she gave up drinking and began praying five times a day.
More recently, Fatimah has begun wearing the niqab, a face covering, when she is out in public. She also uses TikTok and Instagram to document her new life.
“I enjoy educating people. I enjoy spreading Islam,” she said.