الصفحة الرئيسية	دليل المواقع	Call to Islam	اتصل بنا
الموضوعات التقنية	الموضوعات الدينية	الحياة الزوجية وتربية الأطفال	المكتبات والمعلومات
التعليم في بلادنا	أخبار محلية	أخبار عالمية	سجل الزائرين

call to islam in germany
Islam: die wahre religion

A German Teen Discovers Islam

At the Age of Sixteen
A German Teen Discovers Islam

"Our Father who art in Heaven, hollowed be Thy name, Thy Kingdom come
Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven, give us this day our
daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who
trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation but deliver us
from evil." I prayed before I slept.
I was about 13 then. My friends and I thought it was the coolest
thing in the World to be Christians. We all went to church together
on Sundays and Youth on Wednesday at the Baptist Church that is now
known as "Gateway Church" on Tulare St. and Conyer. We were all die
hard Christian punks. We went to shows that had Christian bands
playing and listened to Footklan and Living Sacrifice.
"Dead to the World, and alive in Christ!!" we would shout as the band
got ready to play their next song.
About a year went by like this. My friends even took me to the Vans
Warped Tour in 2002. I was 14 when I began thinking to
myself, "Religion shouldn't be a fad. Come to think of it, I only
believe this because my friends do."
I immediately went to my Youth Pastor. I told him how I felt and what
my questions were. He gave me little "workbooks" that were supposed
to help guide me on my path. My questions were serious; not just
silly questions kids think of. Mine were like—why does God have a
son? How can God and his son be one including the Holy Spirit? What
is the Holy Spirit? Since God and Jesus are one, and Jesus died on
the cross… Did God die then too?—some answers he did have, but others
he just said to me, "It takes faith."
"Faith," I thought to myself. "Faith? He is telling me I need to have
faith to know that the basis of my religion is real and true?"
Later I went to a priest and asked him the same questions. I got the
same answers. I went to the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church and asked
him the same questions. Again, I got the same answers. I went home to
think and gather my thoughts together.
"Judaism!!" I thought.
It's like the backbone of Christianity. "If Christians weren't right
then Jews have to be!" I thought.
I started reading online about Jewish beliefs, culture, and
tradition. I fell in love. I downloaded Jewish songs and bought
movies by Jewish producers and writers. I wept and wept watching
Schindler's List and The Pianist. I felt betrayed by my own
countrymen. (I'm German) I felt angry towards Palestinians and love
for Israel and its people. I went to the Synagogue, Temple B'nai
David, every Friday on Chinowth and Tulare. I tried teaching myself
Hebrew. I found out that Reformed Jews allow women to wear yarmulkes.
So, I immediately went and bought one. I wore it with pride in the
Temple, I wore it to school, and downtown with my friends. Now I was
a Jewish punk. I wanted to start a band named "The Mad Rabbis". I
wanted to be a Rabbi.
Time went on and I turned 15. Despite the passion I had for this
beautiful religion, I saw the huge hole it had in it. I felt there
was something missing. There was no Jesus. I completely tried to
forget about him. As much as I tried, I just couldn't. So, I thought
to myself, "Judaism can't be it. As much as I want it to be, it just
can't. I can't believe in something knowing there is a void."
At that time I just felt completely lost. I didn't know what to do. I
gave up. My friends started to go astray from their religion also.
But the path they took was the rough one. Smoking, drinking, and
partying were their way of release from what they felt. And
unfortunately I began to hang out with them more. So, I picked up the
habit of smoking. I drank once, but I got so sick that I never did it
again. And just the thought of alcohol still makes me nauseous. I
eventually got back into my search for myself after a few months. I
remembered this one religion I heard of—Islam. And that's pretty much
all I knew about it. That it was called Islam and that it's an Arab
religion. I decided to read about it. I bought a couple of books, but
I mostly went to Islamic websites like http://www.islamonline.net . I
studied this new, foreign, and misunderstood religion not knowing
that it would change my life forever.
"What was this? That's how you pray? There is no God but God?
Fasting? Charity? Pilgrimage to Mecca? Mecca?" I read on and on.
I learned that the people on 9/11 who called themselves Muslims were
going against what their religion taught them. I found a verse in the
Qur'an that says if you take one life it's like taking the lives of
all humanity, and if you save one life it's like saving all of
humanity. I read that women had the right to education, divorce,
owning homes, driving, etc. They have every right as any woman living
in America. I found out that culture and religion differ a lot. I
began to pray as best as I could. I memorized all the Arabic and all
the movements. I gained respect for my parents. I stopped smoking. I
fasted my first Ramadan last year in 2004 as a Muslim. I learned that
as a Muslim, I should be humble and not argumentative. I read that I
should respect my elders and respect myself. I started wearing my
hijab at the beginning of this semester. I wear it because I believe
my body is my own business. Just because I cover my hair doesn't mean
I am less of a woman, but in fact, it makes me more of a woman.
People may look at me and think "terrorist", but I'd rather let them
think of me like that when I know I am no where close to anyone. Or,
if I'm not wearing my hijab, people could look at me like any other
girl and if they like what they see on my body then they'll talk to
me. I chose respect. I learned also that Muslims believe that Jesus
(Son of the Virgin Mary) was a Prophet and Mohammed was the last
Prophet. I learned they accept the Bible and Torah and the Qur'an all
as Holy Books. I began to look at the fighting between Palestine and
Israel with disgust. I didn't understand how people could have so
much hate for each other. I gained so much knowledge of this young,
beautiful religion. I decided it was time.
I converted to Islam in May of 2004 at the age of 16.
I am a Muslim. That's who I am and that is my religion. My religion
has shaped my outlook on life, my behavior, and my perception and
acceptance of others. It's very important to me because it is a part
of me everyday, every moment. I pray five times a day. I worship my
God the way He wants and not how I want. I don't think about Him only
on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays or when I am in trouble. I think
about Him all the time, every day. It has made me more accept the
others and has given me understanding. Islam has shaped not only my
beliefs, but also my opinions, and my actions. Alhamdulillah. (All
praise is to God)

source:
By Melissa Hardy