Leigh explains: “My life felt like a storm. But I found so much peace in my new faith. My husband continued to attack my faith and eventually threatened me with divorce if I did not leave my religion. I refused, and he made good on his promise.”
I met my neighbors who were Muslims. I thought I would do some missionary work. I always like to remind people about the Creator, goodness, and the existence of truth. What little I knew about Muslims and Islam was colored by the Christian-Judaic doctrine in which I’d been raised.
The lack of any kind of spirituality in my family caused my heart to become restless. The older I became, the heavier this restlessness impacted my whole being. I was looking, searching, screaming, crying for that restlessness to be taken away from me...
Because of my curiosity, I started reading the skipped chapters... And right there in my history book were the tenets of faith in Islam as a description of what Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) taught. I couldn’t believe what I was reading. They described what I held to be true in my heart.
When the Quran I had been reading, connected with the sound of its recitation for the first time, was like a burning desire was ignited inside me. That recitation, coupled with my experience living with Muslims in the weeks I spent abroad there, resulted in an insatiable thirst to know more about Islam.
Could I be a Muslim? But there was a problem: I was trans and bisexual. In my heart, I knew Allah could help me. In a prayer, I shyly asked Him to bring light to this matter. The next day my prayer was answered.
When I was eleven, my brother was learning about Islam. I found out in later years that he had actually embraced the religion but kept it somewhat secret. He always told me not to drink alcohol, date, or take drugs and so on.
My parents once they saw me become a Muslim they were happy and impressed because my life completely changed. They saw how much of a better person I have become. They were happy on that respect; but they were still worried about...
It was in September 2015 when I went to meet the refugees for the first time. I just knocked on the door and said that I am here to help. Until they left again, I went there almost everyday. I helped clean up the beds and cleaned the floors. I accompanied...
As Arya grew older, she holds fond memories of a school trip to a Mosque. Arya was struck and intrigued by the amount of rules within Islam that helped keep people organized and focused. Even sharing deep conversations that were well beyond her...
After my car accident, nothing was the same. I became very thoughtful. I wondered about this life. The essence of this life. The reason for this life. Why was I here? What was this life for? At night I stepped out on my balcony and looked up in the sky.
I feel Islam the most when I am helping people or when people are helping me. I then started working with the Arab communities in Melbourne and became friends with many Muslims. However they never spoke to me about Islam.
About Islam