At the Age of Sixteen A German Teen Discovers Islam

[Proud_Muslimah2]

Assalamu Alaikum,

 

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."

 

MS"> 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.

 

 

face="Comic Sans MS"> (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."

 

face="Comic Sans MS"> 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 . I studied this new, foreign, and misunderstood religion not knowing that it would change my life forever.

 

face="Comic Sans MS"> 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 size=2>much hate for each other. I gained so much knowledge of this young, beautiful religion. I decided it was time.

 

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: Yahoo Groups-Al-Muminuun ---> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Almuminuun/message/7

[Jabhad]

great article indeed.

[MR ORGILAQE]

great article