CAIRO – As anti-Muslim rhetoric increases worldwide, 400 women have reverted to Islam over the past four month in Riyadh, according to figures revealed during an event held at the Imam Mohammed bin Saud Islamic University.

“I am proud to be a Muslim”, Lorna, a new Muslim, said at a gathering organized for the converts in Riyadh Thursday, Arab News reported on Friday, April 15.

The event was attended by Zeinab bint Abdullah Al-Rajhi, undersecretary of the student study center at the Imam Mohammed bin Saud Islamic University, besides other dignitaries.

Al-Rajhi highlighted the individual and collective responsibilities in spreading the word of God.

She stressed the importance of immunizing new Muslims with Islamic knowledge to protect them against sedition.

Lorna, once a Catholic teacher, told the audience her story on how she took the decision to embrace Islam.

“Before embracing Islam, I was a teacher at a Catholic church. Later, I decided to move to Saudi Arabia to seek a better life,” she recalled.

“My sponsor once asked me to clean up the library shelves. While I was busy working, I found a translation of the Holy Qur’an. I asked my sponsor if I could read it, and she welcomed the idea.

“Later, I expressed my desire to convert to Islam to my sponsor who took me to a preacher who helped me pronounce the Shahada (testimony of faith),” she added.