Greek young man’s memory

“Anas” is a young Greek man who is Muslim for more than 10 years.

He married and he has western wife.

He loves Islam so much. Let’s read his story together.

I was born by Greek parents in Athens, I had prefect life and I spend my life by singing.

I was addicted to wine hardly.

In 1987 attend to military, they sent me to the north of Greece where most of peoples were Moslem.

Between my friends were some Moslems that they didn’t do Islamic rules and they were some real Moslems who did pray and were fetters to Islamic rules.

One day I saw one of them, he read Quran, and he read it so nice and wonderful.

That wonderful sound didn’t effect on me that time, but after some days I heard a sound in my dream night.

That said: “la elaha ell Allah Mohammad an rasool Allah”

I didn’t understand the meaning of this sentence but this event repeat again 3 times again.

After some days I heard these words from that young man who read Quran.

I asked him about meaning and he explained me completely.

He said it means “there is no god but ALLAH and Mohammad is prophet from God”

I didn’t effect on me again.

After finishing my military I come back to Athens to my family and continue my past way.

I heard that sounds again, I heard that sounds in dream night for many times.

Those sounds made me curious and it made me to studding about Islam.

I told myself: “there is no right God but Allah (single God) And I should look for him.

There were some subjects that made me shocked like:

In Islam can connect God without any means on the contrary of the other religions.

In Islam briefly emphasis to cleanliness purity and this is beautiful thing.

There is no difference between Islamic rules at all on the contrary they are complementary of each other.

There is no discrimination between people at all; there is no difference between white people or black people, poor people or reach people, and men or women, in Islam all people from each nationality are the same.

Kindness between each other emphasis in Islam a lot and it is really interesting part of Islam.

Look Moslems when they say prays, please.

When they stand in regular lines make people feel unbelievable calm and relax, it cause human forget all of her or his problems and sadness.

A leap of faith,  Br. Abu Hadi

My journey toward Islam started out about 30 blocks from the Pacific ocean in Long Beach, California. My parents divorced when I was 4 years old and , shortly after, my father moved to another city and left me, my twin brother and my younger sister alone to be raised by my mother. My mother worked hard and tried to pay the bills, but she was a single mother with no education or job experience and was forced to take very low paying jobs. Eventually, she couldn't keep up anymore and we ended up moving in with my grandparents.

All I remember about my mother and father together is the constant fighting, yelling, screaming, followed by long periods of awkward silence. My father was a pot smoking hippie surfer who probably thought children were an inconvenience. My mother was from a Republican Conservative Christian (Lutheran) family, and she was completely the opposite of my father in almost every other way. My mother became active in the political anti-war movement in the early 70's although she never bought into the whole hippie lifestyle. I'm not quite sure why they ever got together in the first place.

To deal with the constant fighting, I retreated into my own world. I would constantly surround myself with music to drowned out the fighting. My father had an incredible record collection of what they now call 'Classic Rock' (Dylan, the Stones, the Who, Beatles,etc) as well as jazz. At first, I learned to operate the record player ( I think when I was three). By the time I was five, I couldn't read yet buy I could pick out the albums by the cover art. I would sit for hours and hours and absorb every note. When I was six, I remember that I could sing the whole 'Tommy' album by the Who, note for note, including all lyrics and sound effects. When I was about 7 or 8, I remember I got my first desire to play music.

I bought my first electric guitar from a pawn shop when I was 12 years old. After I learned how to play the intro to 'Stairway to Heaven' , I was hooked. I remember sitting in my room, practicing riffs till my fingers ached and started to bleed. I started to talk to other kids in my neighborhood and tried to get a band together, but none of them were interested.

During this time, my Grandfather noticed my keen interest in the 'Devil's music' and started trying to 'save' me. He'd bang on my bedroom door every Sunday morning, "It's time for Church". He was a large, tall man, about 6'3" with a booming voice. I would jump out of bed and throw on my shirt and tie.

I actually enjoyed going to Church, after a while. I made friends there and began to have some very interesting and in depth discussions with the Pastor about Christianity, theology and philosophy. He was educated with a Master's in Theology and had some other degrees which I don't remember. He was actually the first really educated person that I had ever talked to. In those discussions, I started to realize that I had the ability to have reasoned discussions and come to conclusions and solve issues. I kept going to church, but this didn't diminish my love for guitars and rock and roll. I found a drummer and bass player, and began playing in my first band when I was 17.

We started playing at backyard parties in our neighboorhood. We also had long practice / jam sessions after I moved out of my parents house when I was 19. These sessions would also involve a fair amount of alcohol, drug use, and other related things. I was observing my band-mates and friends and their behaviour, and I began thinking, 'There's something wrong with this. This is how things are supposed to be'. I started to feel strange. I couldn't really describe it. It was like a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I remember thinking to myself, 'What's wrong with you. You have everything you always wanted. You're young, in a rock and roll band, surrounded by beautiful women, on the verge of getting a recording contract. You are about to achieve the dream of making a living doing what you love to do, play music. So why do I feel like I'm not doing the right thing, I'm not where I'm supposed to be?' I thought about that a lot in those days.

A little history, when I was 15, my mother became a revert after taking a class in college about Islam.

She talked to me about the religion a few times, but mostly she set an example for me by having good morals and standing up for what she believed in under very difficult circumstances. This planted a seed in my mind (although I did not realize it at the time) When she reverted, in 1986, there were very few reverts period and none in our area. Three years after her reversion, she started wearing hijab. At the time, she was working as a nurse in a large metropolitan hospital in the Los Angeles area. She had been working at the same hospital for about 5 years and when she put it on I can't imagine what her co-workers thought. She was Caucasian, American, with a European name, and no one else in her family was Muslim at the time. This was an extreme act of courage that continues to inspire me till today. The other part of this was that when she reverted, we were all still living at my grandfather's house. Suffice to say, he was not very happy with her choice. Her life became difficult in many ways, and we ended up moving out shortly after.

I didn't understand what direction my soul was moving at the time because I was still into my teenage / early 20s do your own thing phase. I was so wrapped up with my own desires, they became like an opaque bubble that surrounded me. I couldn't see anything on the outside, and from inside, everything looked black. Like I said, I had everything I wanted and yet it wasn't like I thought it would be. It became like a mirage, I had spent my whole life running toward it, then once I got there, it disappeared. I tried to forget about it, push it down deep within my conscious, drink more, party more, play more gigs, stay longer at the studio. That didn't help, it didn't go away. It kept coming back, like a loose bolt that was rattling around inside my brain.

Things began to lose their meaning. Things that I once enjoyed, like socializing with friends, jamming, writing new songs, etc. didn't hold the same joy. I began to sink further down. It was right before my 21st birthday. Finally, I got down on my knees and did something that I hadn't done in almost 2 years, I prayed. I told God that I obviously do not know what is good for me. I have tried to live the way I thought was best and that would pray me joy and happiness. I had failed miserably at this. I had ignored the advice of every sane person around me, including my mother. I asked God to show me the right way. I asked him to give me a path that would lift my depression and lead me to success in this life and after death. I ended with the pray that Jesus (a.s.) prayed in the garden , "Not my will, but thy will be done".

The very next day, I was having lunch with my mother. I told her that I was not feeling good, depressed, etc. She told me about some friends that met with on Saturday, and if I wanted to come to their meeting. She said they would have Arabic food. I liked Arabic food, so I thought if nothing else, I will have a good meal.

The next day was Saturday. I pulled up next to the house and saw my mother and a few women in hijab, and then there was this tall man with a wide face and piercing brown eyes. My mom told me that his name was Mohammed and we started talking, making chit chat. He said that he was from Syria, but he spoke perfect English almost without an accent. We made small talk for a while and then he asked me, "Do you believe in God". I said yes. He then asked me what religion I was. I told him that I was raised as a Christian, but that I did not go to Church anymore.

He asked me why. I thought that that was strange, coming form a Muslims. I thought he would be happy that I was not going to Church. I proceeded to explain how I had problems with some Christian doctrines such as the Trinity and original sin and that noone could ever justify there based on logic and the bible and also that religion didn't make much difference in my daily life. I explained that I was in a rock band and that the only religious person I knew was my mother. Then he asked me another question

"Do you every think about death?"

"Sometimes, but I try not to think about it too much"

"Why?"

"Because it's depressing. It's like the unknown."

"Why is death depressing"

"What do you mean, it's depressing for everyone. I mean, I could walk out of here and get hit by a bus, and then what. Maybe I go to hell, maybe I become nothing, I don't know"

"If you believe in God, do you believe God is just."

"Yes"

"Then why would a just God send you to hell or make you into nothing without giving you a chance
to get something better."

" I guess he wouldn't. But I already had my chance. I don't go to Church anymore. I don't have 'faith'
in the Trinity and a lot of other nonsense in the Bible. "

"You know the religion of your Grandfather is not the only way to reach God. There are other ways, there are other chances"

"No one ever told me about any. I mean my mom tried to talk to me about Islam, but.. I don't know"

"I'll tell you what. I'll tell you about my religion. If it makes sense to you and you can't find any flaw in it, would you accept it?"

"Yes, but I'm telling you right now that I'll find a flaw. I seem to have a talent for that."

"If you can't then will you accept it?"

"Yes"

"OK"

So we talked about Tauhid, Prophet-hood, prayer, etc till about 4:00 a.m. the next morning. I couldn't find any flaws or inconsistencies in his arguments, and I really tried. He was so simple and clear in explaining things and it all made perfect sense. It solved all my problems I had with Christianity and gave me additional information about things I had been wondering about. It's as if he was reading my mind, but I know now that he wasn't. At the end there was nothing else to say, so I kept my word and I said the Shahada at about 5:00 a.m. the next morning.

The next day I walked into the studio, told my band members that I was quitting, to find a new guitar player, and I haven't looked back since. That was 13 years ago and my Iman is stronger than ever. Al Hamdu Illah

From that day I heard about Islam and first sparks of becoming Moslem created in my inside, I was born again.

Born with feeling proud of Hijab, modesty, and purity, Feel proud of choosing beautiful name for myself.

And I came to Islam in this way.

Mrs. Tahere La’lche garan “Chika Kunakata” 37 years old was born in Japan was Christian before, after meeting an Iranian man and asking her for marry him, started to studying about Islam.

She chooses Islam as last and complete religion by studding for 1 year and living in Iran for 4 months.

Here is an interview with this new Moslem woman

-Please introduce yourself and tell how you came to Islam?

-I am Tahere (Chika Kunakata), I came to Islam in1996. When I lived in Japan I was working in a        service station. I met my husband there for first time and he asks me to marry him after becoming Moslem. I ask him to let me have some research about Islam. It took 1 year.

 He brought me some books from Iran legation in Japan. I understood the basic of Islam with those   books.

 After tripping to Iran for 4 months, I understood Islam is complete and latest religion.

After that I become Moslem and marry with my husband. From that time I live in Iran and I have Persian identity card and I am so happy because of that.

-what do you think about difference between women rate in Islam and Christianity?

-in Islam women have very important role in society. In Islam woman should have share in religious and political works but in Christianity people just go to the church on Sundays and the other days do their works. They don’t have share in religious and political woks.

In Islam woman have important role and they didn’t become cold, but in Japan people become cold so soon and they are so careless.

-Are women magazines published?

- Yes, they are usually about cooking, tailoring, knitting and decoration and ….

-There is no magazine about women’s problems?

- I don’t think.

-Mrs. Tahere, after being Moslem for 1 year, did you go to religious places?

- Yes, I went to Lebanon, Syria. And in Iran I went to Mashhad, Qom, Abdul-Azim holy shrine, David holy shrine, Imam Khomeini shrine and Shah-cheragh. 

-How did you feel when you were there?

-At first I thank God for becoming Moslem and I really was influenced by the places.

Especially when we went to Syria my husband explain to me about the cruelty that was on Imam Hussein and his meek family.

I saw effect of wildly Zionistic attacked on Moslems. This things show Moslems is so meek.

In Imam Khomeini shrine I remembered the pictures of him that I saw in Japan.

That time I thought he is frowning but when I watched his clips and saw him in Iran TV and when I went to his shrine I find highest of kindness in him.

(Imam Khomeini was a man who made a united nation and makes Iran independent)

-Do you want to come back to Japan?

-I fall into the habit of Iran and I love to stay in Iran with my husband forever.

I don’t like to come back Japan at all.

-Don’t you like see your family?!!!!!

-It is not really important for me.

Here my husband, my mother in law and all are so kind to me. My father died in Japan and my mother married again, I had really a hard life and I had to live with my grandma and my aunt.

In Japan relations are so cold or strong then I prefer to live here.

-How did you think about Iran before you came here?

-because America’s TV and radio introduce Iran as terrorism, I thought Iranian are terrorisms, too.

Especially when I saw “Betty Mahmudi” film, but after coming to Iran saw that it is not like this at all.

They are fault and they do these things to remove Islam. I deny “Betty Mahmudi” film and I know it is just because of removing Islam.

-How is your relation with your mother in law? How is this kind of relation in Japan?

-I live with my mother in law now and I am so happy and satisfied, my mother and father in laws accept me easy as a foreigner. They guide me about Islam and they are really kind to me.

They treat me as their daughter and they talk to me about their life and their problems.

I talk to them, too. I think this relation is so good. In Japan relations are so cold. That is not like here at all.

-After one year being Moslem, don’t you have problem?

-I don’t have personal problem, I love Hijab. In Ramadan I took break for some days.

I don’t know Persian language so good, it is my problem because I couldn’t find books about Islam in English or Japanese .There are some magazines but they are not enough

I attend to classes to learn it.

I really like to all of the girls have completed Hijab to have better society.

Rachael said :

My name is Rachael.  I was police officer in America’s Detroit police department before from1996 to 2004 .

One day in 2002 I was shot and I feel death from near and I really know that god gives me a new life again .

That day I was really near to die. I don’t know if I died that day how my destiny was being .

I went to fire of hell or not ?

But now I feel safe , confidence and lucky and now I know if today even would be my last day I am not damaged .

Before this I didn’t know how I should follow god, I didn’t know even which religion I should follow till I find Moslem friends and they explain me lot of subjects  .

This happening really changed my life . Now I don’t even afraid of death. No one knows when would die

Then it’s better to believe just one god is exist and believe him.

Before coming to Islam I doesn’t have strong religious beliefs and I wasn’t fan or anti fan of Islam and I respect to all of people with every beliefs and religion and it was my difference from my family .

Most of the time I had bad feeling about being a police officer, especially after September 11^th even t.

When I saw a lot of American people killed Moslems without any reasons, I was so sad and angry .

It made me sad when I saw Moslems accused to be terrorism or extravagance because of their religion.

It was so illogical and wrong. In each groups you can find good and bad people .

Watching this films and treats made me really heartbroken and after September 11^th my attention arrest to Islam .

Today I come to a masque in Lass Vegas and I buy and bring some cloths for poor people .

Here we put our gifts on the table in mosque and poor people come and keep what they need .

I learn how I should wear scarf and headdress from internet and I really enjoy it .

It is a wonderful experience for me .

Every day I read Quran and pray and it make me feel good , relax and safe .

One of thing that was really worthy, wonderful and lovely in Islam for me was “Hijab” .

I am so happy for having Hijab because especially men doesn’t have lusty look and they don’t look at women as a material . Hijab protect me, it is kind of safety for me .

The other Moslems are so kind and friendly to me; they guide me and teach me .

From now every day I will tell you a story about peoples turning to Islam and their reasons for it.

I want to tell you a story about a man who returning his religion to Islam.

In Islamic stories said that, the infidels of Mecca told Prophet Mohammad that if he could split the moon in half, they would believe Islam.

That night the sky was so clear and it was full moon.

Prophet Mohammad asks god to do what they want and split the moon in half till they understand that he is right.

God accepted what Prophet Mohammad asks and splits the moon in half. A half over the Safa Mountain and the other half over the Qyqan mount.

Mecca’s infidels were watching this happens but they said Mohammad bewitches us then they said Mohammad bewitches us but he didn’t bewitch the other people.

” Abojahl” said: “let’s wait till someone come from the desert and ask him that did he see the split of the moon or not, if he accepts it we will believe but if he not we understand that Mohammad bewitched us.”

At last, oneself come and told that he saw split of the moon.

But the Mecca’s infidels told that this is a public magic and we won’t believe it.

At time thisversewas sentfrom God “I split the moon but infidels didn’t believe.”

                                                                             ……………

Now “Devoid Moses Beytakook “is chief of a Britannia Islamic part.

He told his story about turning his religion to Islam.

When I wanted to research about Islam one of my friends gives me a translated Quran into English as a gift. I accidently opened it; opening page was on Qamar (moon) Sura.

I started to read it.   “…… and moon was split. ……”

When I saw this sentence, I ask myself that: is really moon was split???!!!

Then I close the book, I didn’t believe that, I dispensed from researching about Islam and I didn’t open the book again.

A day I was watching a TV. It was a program that MC talked to three NASA Spacescientists. 

MC:”you spent 100miliard dollars in one of your trip to the moon for just to install America’s flag on the moon. Is this wisely?????!!”

One of the scientists answers that:” our goal in that trip was studding about inner structure of the moon and the sameness between moon and the earth and in this case we faced to wonderful subject. There was a belt of changed rocks and stones that cover the moon into the depth and the other side of it, when we told this information to geologists, they were shocked and they said that it is impossible unless the moon split in a half in period of its life and stick each other again and this belt would be result of accident between halves when they put together again.”

When I heard this, at time I stand up and I told myself that it is a miracle from Mohammad prophet that happened 1400 years before in the heart of desert and America should spend milliards to prove it for Muslims! Surly it is religion of fact and right. Then I bring Islam.

Then he believed Islam after a reason causes him to unbelief it.

I think it is another miracle. Isn’t it?

What is Islam?

How you ever think why western counties government, want to remove Islam and Moslems?

Why they try to kill even Moslems children?

First of all I ask you to don’t believe everything you heard or watch about Islam, please because western countries government tries to remove it with everything they can.

Even with effected on eastern countries TV canals or showing wrong things about Islam.

They just to try remove Islam to get themselves benefits because Islamic countries have a lot of worthy sources and they don’t let western country to use them free.

They are Moslems enemies just because Moslems want to defense their rights.

They want to kill Moslems to can do their inhumanly works and plunder what they have, Like killing people in Gaza, Afghanistan or Pakistan and many other places.

  And I want to tell you bad people and good people are every where.   Maybe someone pretend to be Moslem but doesn’t do what Islam says. Islam is complete but some of Moslems are not.

Then let’s go to know what real Islam is.

Real Islam is continuing of holy Christ religion.

Islam is completed and not distorts of holy Christ religion.

Islam is the religion that holy Christ gives glad tidings of it.

Islam is the best way of life and it is the way of peace and love.

Islam is living in the best way with love and peace.

Islam is collection of best treats in the world. Islam is what god asks us to do like: telling the truth, treating each other kindly, don’t killing person, don’t hurting the others, loving each other, to be united in doing benevolently works, helping poor people, child, old, meek and week people.

Islam is way of having god’s satisfaction.

Please think about it again.

Could this religion be like what they said?

In Islam, Moslems shouldn’t start any kind of fights. They just can resistance in front of god’s enemy.

This lovely religion is just about peaceful and fair and asks Moslems to don’t let the unfair hurt the poor people.

If you couldn’t believe Islam yet, I ask you to red “Quran”, Moslems holy book that Mohammad prophet (last prophet after Christ) bring for us from god.

You will be surprised by this magic book.

There are a lot of scientific points in it that writhed in 1400 years ago when there was no science.

It shows that Islam is not unreal and it is really from who knew the secret of this world, it is from god.

If you have questions about life and the other world and you couldn’t get the answer yet, I ask you to please research about Islam. I’m sure you could get all of your answers.