Converting to Islam

[KittyPollitt 284]

Converting is not a decision I am taking lightly.. Devotion to God is a serious matter.. I was raised Catholic, and quite honestly, got thrown out of Sunday school for asking too many questions that Catholics don't like to hear out of a 10 year old.. I've practiced Buddhist meditation for years, and have had issues with faith for a long time. Lately, faith is something that has come to me naturally after just simply praying that everything will be okay.. and coming to the realization that everything WILL be okay, when God sees that I am ready. I've always believed in God, but the Christian idea that a man was the son of God has always been an issue for me. I'm not trying to put down anyone's religion, this is just how *I* feel.

I've been studying all the major religions for years, and Islam has always endeared itself to me. I respect Islam a great deal, and thus the choice to convert is a decision I have come to over a long time. I'm saying this to clarify that it's something I have been considering for many years before I even met my fiance, and it's not something I'm doing just because I am with a MENA man.

That having been said, I'd really like to hear the experiences of other former non-Muslim women who have converted to Islam. How the decision was made, and how life has changed since converting. It's all very new to me, and reading other people's various experiences on VJ has been a great help to me in other areas of my life recently. Thanks to everyone in advance for sharing their stories.

Sarah

[Bajih 4]

Salaam Sarah- Thanks for asking! I will be sure to come back to this posting... Too tired right now to think. I did post my story online and I am sure it is all over the web. I will find it for you. I converted in 1996 after a year of working as a teacher in an Islamic school. I grew up Catholic, but like you, had many questions and started to search around.

I will be interested in hearing other stories as well.

Till tomorrow-

Baj

[Staashi 371]

Not telling you to go one way or the other, but how long ago was it that you were kicked out of Sunday school? You might find that the Catholic Church has outstanding resources to answer all of your questions. With the help of Google and such, no one will have to put you in the corner.

Best of luck in finding your way!

[KittyPollitt 284]

Not telling you to go one way or the other, but how long ago was it that you were kicked out of Sunday school? You might find that the Catholic Church has outstanding resources to answer all of your questions. With the help of Google and such, no one will have to put you in the corner.

Best of luck in finding your way!

I was kicked out of Sunday school 19 years ago. After all these years, I know that Catholicism and Christianity just aren't for me. I lack the fundamental belief that Jesus was the son of God. The Catholic Church has a rich and fascinating history, however, that I have grown to love learning about. Thank you Enzo is gorgeous, by the way!

Edited November 29, 2009 by squeaky580

[meowmeowmeow 0]

my only advice to you is to take it slow, question everything, look at different sources for the same question(s), and go with the flow.... oh, and don't allow cultural garbage to overwhelm you. what i mean by this is that a lot of times a lot of people will do dumb things in their countries and say that islam justifies this. i see you are an intelligent person and hope that this won't happen to you...

best of luck to you.

[Berber Mama 5]

I have not converted nor do I plan to do so. My only advice is that you do it because YOU want to do it and not because you feel pressured and/or enamored with Islam.

I remember when I first learned about Islam through my husband and his family and after visiting Morocco I felt an overwhelming sense of wanting to fit in, wanting to belong to a religion/culture that my husband was a part of.

Thankfully I didn't make any rushed decision and now that I have studied Islam more my views have changed. I'm not saying that I don't respect Islam, of course I do and I respect everyone's decision who converts for the right reasons.

I have seen on this website and various others of young women and older women alike who convert to Islam after a trip to their s.o.'s country and come back sporting hijab saying "insh'allah, hamdullilah" every other word.

8 times out of 10, when the husband/fiance finally makes it to the states, the hijab mysteriously comes off and the women are back to seeking their own identity other than their husband's. Of course there are the occasional few who do not falter. These are the women who chose to convert for the right reasons.

I wish you the best of luck on your decision. I know how it is to start seeking religion and faith. I am in the same process myself and I know how it feels to want to be sure that you are making the absolute best choice. Just be sure that you are choosing for the right reasons!

[Donna A 4]

I also didnt convert and agree with Berber mama. Do it if you feel it is right with you and not "just because". You say you were never comfortable with Jesus being the son of God but when you think about it....your always going to find something in every religion you dont agree with.

You say you were booted out of Sunday school for asking questions that were frowned upon in the catholic religion. Remember Catholic religion is not the only one concidered Christian. Go to a different kind of Christian church and maybe you will find you answers there. Maybe the Catholic thing is just not what your looking for. The problem is that just because you cant find what your looking for in the Catholic religion doesnt mean Christianity isnt what your looking for. Too many people just assume oh, I dont beleive the catholic way means I dont beleive in Chritianity so I have to go look into totally different religion instead of looking into a different branch of Christianity.

Anyway, most woman in MENA wont come out and say they converted for their husbands sake. It like they are embarressed or something to admit they did it for their husbands. Ive seen it many times.

[me_4_musa 1]

I have seen on this website and various others of young women and older women alike who convert to Islam after a trip to their s.o.'s country and come back sporting hijab saying "insh'allah, hamdullilah" every other word.

8 times out of 10, when the husband/fiance finally makes it to the states, the hijab mysteriously comes off and the women are back to seeking their own identity other than their husband's.

So true. After just visiting 1 or 2 weeks!!

[KittyPollitt 284]

I have not converted nor do I plan to do so. My only advice is that you do it because YOU want to do it and not because you feel pressured and/or enamored with Islam.

I remember when I first learned about Islam through my husband and his family and after visiting Morocco I felt an overwhelming sense of wanting to fit in, wanting to belong to a religion/culture that my husband was a part of.

Thankfully I didn't make any rushed decision and now that I have studied Islam more my views have changed. I'm not saying that I don't respect Islam, of course I do and I respect everyone's decision who converts for the right reasons.

I have seen on this website and various others of young women and older women alike who convert to Islam after a trip to their s.o.'s country and come back sporting hijab saying "insh'allah, hamdullilah" every other word.

8 times out of 10, when the husband/fiance finally makes it to the states, the hijab mysteriously comes off and the women are back to seeking their own identity other than their husband's. Of course there are the occasional few who do not falter. These are the women who chose to convert for the right reasons.

I wish you the best of luck on your decision. I know how it is to start seeking religion and faith. I am in the same process myself and I know how it feels to want to be sure that you are making the absolute best choice. Just be sure that you are choosing for the right reasons!

Thank you so much for replying.. This really is something that I want to do.. I'm the type to instinctively reject being pressured into doing anything, and quite honestly, my fiance's family aren't really strict Muslims and will probably be quite surprised at my choice.

I too, have seen women convert soley for a man and it always puzzles me. My independence of thought has always been something that I hold very dear to me, and giving that up to please someone else is an alien concept.

You've given me something to think about. Thank you

[Safiya&Samir 0]

I converted about 3 years ago. My first husband was a non practicing Muslim, but when I said I was curious about converting, he actively discouraged me from it (something he now denies, lol). So after we separated, but just prior to divorce, I decided that I wanted to convert. I had a lot of Muslim friends online, both male and female, and we used to talk about these things. Also, while I was in the Army, I was an Arabic linguist, so I love the language and had been intending to study the Quran since I got out of the Army. So all of these things happened at once, and I decided to convert. It was after I knew my husband now, but before we were serious. I was raised as Mormon/LDS, and had become agnostic at the age of 18. My family was content with me being agnostic, but deciding to visibly become an active part of another religion was very difficult for them.

I think it's easier to convert after you get married, and I don't see anything wrong with converting after marriage. Sometimes it has a stigma, as is noticeable here in this thread, that you "did it for your husband." People change after marriage no matter what. I remember that my taste in movies changed while I was married to my first husband because I wanted us to enjoy movies together. So what? If, after studying Islam, reading the Quran, reading some articles from reputable Islamic websites (and I even actually recommend going to the "hate" sites, as I did, to see if their claims have any validity, and ask or read about these things from the Muslim perspective as well), so if after all that, you decide you want to, then do, if not, then don't. Don't let anyone make you feel bad about it. It's your choice, period.

[Safiya&Samir 0]

The post above mine is horribly disingenuous, but I don't have the energy or the patience to deal with it point by point at the moment.

[Ban Hammer 12,879]

The post above mine is horribly disingenuous, but I don't have the energy or the patience to deal with it point by point at the moment.

which is why i removed it.

let's not have posts that denigrate islam in this thread.

[Vanessa1 7]

I am really interested in hearing people's stories, which is what Sarah originally asked for.

[merijan 0]

Well first of all we have to admit yes, that there are some women who convert for their husbands. However I can attest to personal knowledge of many, I know who converted for their own reasons, because they believed. I know several who converted before they got married, when they were single. I know many who converted after because they wanted to learn about their husbands religion and then became Muslim because they choose to, when even their own husbands are not practicing at that time. So yes many do become Muslim after meeting their husbands but they dont necessarily convert because they feel obliged but because of their husbands they studied it and choose it on their own.

I swore I would never NEVER convert. I was raised in an active strong Christian family. I did originally convert only for my husband because we were going to Saudi to visit his family and needed a visa. However, I was already questioning my own belief at the time and was learning about Islam. After going there many people gave me books and tapes and so on. After that I did convert in my hear for real. And Since that time struggle with my faith every day, not that I dont believe in it, but how weak I am and how I want be become stronger. Now I am divorced from him and remarried to my husband now and we both want to be stronger Muslims.

The best advice is that when you choose to convert to Islam, you are choosing a different way of seeing life, the world and Allah(God). Its all a step by step and never stops. you learn more all the time. I have been Muslim now for over 15 years. I believe it with my heart.

[Kenza 1]

My dad is Muslim and Moroccan but was never practicing and I was never raised with a religion. I would celebrate Christmas and Eid holidays as a child. When I entered 8th grade, I began to form my own identity and looked at Christianity and Islam. I don't remember how I came to choose Islam but I did and I remember trying to learn everything about Islam and be the perfect Muslim. I joined the youth group at the mosque and really felt that God had guided me and that now I was part of this community that loved each other for the sake of Islam. That summer I went to Morocco like every summer to visit my grandparents and one day I tried the hijab (a bright pink sparkly one lol) and I just loved it! I thought it was the coolest thing, so since that day I have been wearing hijab-since my first year of high school and I was the only hijabi. My husband began to fall in love with me because of my interest in Islam and my devotion, so we got engaged that summer. I did not convert or start to wear hijab because of him. We fell in love because of our love for Islam. I ask Allah to guide you to the right path and help you with whatever trials come your way.