----- Original Message -----

From: "HayatAnneOsman" <islamisthetruth@care2.com>

To: <IslamIstheTruth@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: 03 December 2003 17:29
Subject: [IslamIstheTruth] Kurt's Journey to Islam

Kurt's Journey to Islam

Saturday, November 29 2003 @ 05:41 PM Eastern Standard Time

Contributed by: Admin
Views: 102
It's funny - I'm actually a Muslim! The term used to conjure up
images of backward Bedouin Arabs living far away. Well, living in
North America likely had something to do with my ignorance. I got
all my views from television - that box that people watch for hours
a day and assume it has factual information because it's officially
titled the "news." Ironically, there are tons of libraries out
there, but on average we use them only for specific purposes -
cramming for term papers or for other schoolwork. We should use it
to grow on a constant basis!

I have to admit, now that I'm a Muslim I can see that the average
North American is very ignorant of Islam. It's not totally our
fault, the society that we have created sucks you in by making you a
constant consumer - whether it is to get you to spend money or
simply buy into some idea. We just eat too much, talk too much
arrogance, and overall live like royalty while complaining that the
rest of the planet hates us. Ah, if people only realized that the
problems of the world are in our own backyard... but that's a
different story. This is about my becoming a Muslim.

I guess it all started nine months ago. I simply could not ignore
that this universe must have a God. I mean seriously, just look out
your front door: the beautiful sky, the amazing stars, the gentle
breeze on your face, and so many other incredible things. We all
take these phenomena for granted. We fail to realize how absolutely
amazing and in balance this universe is. The human body itself is a
marvel! I could go on forever. The point is, I could no longer be an
ignorant ape, so I decided to read some books about God.

I started to read about Christianity. The bible has some wonderful

aspects to it, but where did they get the idea of the "trinity," and
who actually could accept the doctrine without experiencing doubts?
It's a mystery, the Christians say. It sure is. It was time to read
about Judaism. That too has some valuable and interesting aspects.
One problem I saw, and it actually was a huge problem, was that they
only have about 15 million followers. I mean, God is for everyone
and a good religion should spread to the masses.

Thus, it was Islam's turn. I wasn't keen on the idea but I realized
I had to take a look. Sure, the television already "educated" me on
the issue. To my surprise I found out a lot of things that I never
knew. The Qur'an had no chapter on terrorism. It was shocking! I was
blown away to learn that Islam actually was for all of mankind and
was in fact a peaceful religion. It's an addicting read because it
makes total sense and puts you directly in touch with God. The more
I read the more I became disgusted with our media because they were
either lying or reflecting uneducated views. I wanted to learn more.

Sure, I read many books that I could recommend. However, the most
important thing that I did was to actually speak with Muslims - to
meet them at a personal level. Seriously, all I can say is wow! I
have never met nicer people in my entire life. They embraced with me
with generosity and tolerance. No, they didn't try to force
conversion on me as that is against Islam's beliefs. Instead, they
laughed and talked like any other group of people. Okay, so I had to
check more Muslims out.

I went to the mosque. I was a little nervous and maybe afraid.

However, I had the same experience as my first encounter. Honestly,
I swear, Muslims in general are very nice people. Sure, you have a
couple of idiots or bad apples, but you get that anywhere. I was
beginning to think that Islam might be the true path to life.

Then my North American brainwashing took over again, and I became

skeptical. Was I becoming one of those religious nuts? After all, I
was constantly seeing all those beer commercials and hot dogs on
television, what good religion would take those things away? Or
should I say, how much money would those types of companies lose if
we accepted Islam? Come to think of it, lots of American business
does not conform to religious beliefs.

I took a break, still being confused as I was. I tried to push it

away - far away. I was going to be a consumer of worthless items
once again. Science had all the answers - we are in the new
millennium after all. Why subject myself to all this praying and
stuff? Still, every now and again it would pop up. Islam! I tried so
hard to just forget about it. I decided to have a plan. I would
believe in God but not necessary in some kind of organized religion.
I thought God would accept me no matter what, unless I was Hitler of
course.

But the problem was, I became a better thinker after reading about
Islam and started looking at my life and culture. I realized how
shallow my world is. Maybe God did want us to follow some rules.
After all, my Dad gave me rules and they were there for a reason.
Come to think of it, the entire universe operates on rule systems.
No matter how hard I tried to stop thinking about Islam, it was
present in my mind. I had to submit. I realized that I had nothing
to lose and only something to gain. I personally think one would
have to be an utter fool to assume this world is by chance and
science alone. It's almost like a bad joke; we just take so much for
granted.

It was right before Ramadan this year that I declared my Shahada

(declaration of faith) in front of the brothers at the local mosque.
I felt good! Well, everything went well for the first week - I
prayed and fasted. However, this last week was a mess. I have made
mistakes and have discovered another lesson thanks to Islam: nobody
is perfect and just because you take your Shahada, you can't expect
life to get magically easier. Rather, you are tested and conditioned
to become a better person everyday.

The point is, Islam has changed my life for the better and the
fascinating thing about it is that it constantly teaches me to grow.
My wife says that my behavior has improved, that I think things
through a lot more, and that overall I just seem a lot happier as a
person. I have my good days and bad days, but having Allah with me
makes all the difference. There is a purpose to this life and it
feels good to care about all of humanity and not just my country.
I can honestly tell people that the road to religion begins when you
actually embrace Allah. When you study and analyze the religion
before taking the Shahada you have tons of questions, doubts, and
fears. It's when you actually invite God into your heart that the
lessons begin and you grow. As I said, it's not easy and it'll take
lots of time to become a decent practicing Muslim - but it will
happen. The best advice I can give any convert is to take your time.
This is something between you and Allah. Listen to the brothers at
the mosque, but ultimately do what's best for you and let Allah
guide you.

Look around people. Take a good look. If you think there is no God
then just keep watching that television. Life is never easy, but I
know Allah exists and wants the best for all of us. There are so
many facets to why I think I became a Muslim. Ultimately, this is
what comes to mind: I don't know if I found Islam, or it found me -
Allah guides whom he wills. Of course, I'm sure not being a stubborn
mule helped.

Peace be upon all of you. Amen.

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