{"article":{"id":2332,"title":"Aisha, Ex-Christian, Australia","slug":"aisha-ex-christian-australia","word":"\/uploads\/articles\/Aisha, Ex-Christian, Australia.docx","pdf":"\/uploads\/articles\/Aisha, Ex-Christian, Australia.pdf","mime_type":null,"type":"node","path":"\/nodes\/view\/type:article\/slug:aisha-ex-christian-australia","hint":"","body":"

Aisha, Ex-Christian, Australia<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\r\n

\"\"
<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n

My name is Aisha, I am from Melbourne, Australia and here is my story.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

I always found myself to be a person who liked to question things.  As a little girl, I was always asking questions as children do and as I moved into my teenage years I found myself interested in philosophy and science.  I wanted to understand how things work and to analyze the world we live in.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

I started to question the Catholic Church and its practices at the age of 15.  I started to explore other faiths and after finishing a Bachelor of Science, I traveled to Nepal and India where I was exposed to a side of humanity I had never faced in Australia: a humanity that lived amongst nature and away from the materialistic way of life we have in the modern world.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

This experience changed me in a way that I felt we are all one people and that we are all equal.  I felt this sense of equality amongst humankind, from talking to the holy man in India to the orphan children in Nepal, the feeling was the same: we are all equal.  This is when I started to feel Islam but I didn't know what it was.  It was just a feeling.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

When I returned from my travels, I decided to enroll into a Social Work course.   After I graduated I started working with different communities.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

I worked with people who are on the margins of society, people with no voice to speak out for themselves , people who have mental illnesses, people who are disabled and young people who are at risk of criminal activity.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

I felt Islam even more in this work, and I felt it stronger the more I was giving to people and helping them.  I feel Islam the most when I am helping people or when people are helping me.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

I then started working with the Arabic communities in Melbourne and became friends with many Muslims.  However they never spoke to me about Islam.  I worked with the community for 4 years and decided to travel to the Middle East to learn more.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

I spent six months traveling around the Middle East and it was there that I started to read into Islam.  I spoke to many people about Islam while I was traveling and it was so hard to change from my identity as a spiritual human rights person to a Muslim.  This was the hardest thing.  But I could not get away from it! Islam was drawing me in and in,the pull of Islam was too strong to turn my back on.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

It felt so strong and so natural to me and it was what I was searching for my whole life.  The thing that drew me to Islam was the equality amongst humanity and that there is no hierarchy.  I also loved that there are no images and no intermediary between you and God.  It is just you and Him.    <\/span><\/p>\r\n

I returned home from my travel to the Middle East and did not know if I would embrace Islam or not.  But on August 11, 2009 I embraced Islam and it was beautiful.  I said the Shahadah<\/em> and lay in my bed with a smile on my face.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The conversion has enabled me to feel close to God.  I am seeing the world now in a clearer way and everything makes sense to me.  I feel I can understand any situation without being manipulated or allured into being manipulated.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

I feel like a strong woman who knows what her role is.  I feel intelligent and proud to be a Muslim.  I wish I could wear the hijab as I love wearing it, but I am too afraid to wear it in my society… maybe in the future.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

It has not all been easy.  I have suffered from grief and sadness at the spiritual separation from my family and friends, and I felt social isolation especially around special times like Ramadan.  This was very hard for me.  My first Ramadan was very difficult, but I feel that God has guided me.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

My family all reacted in their own unique way.  My mum was worried that she hadn't raised me the right way, and that I would wear the scarf, which would upset her.  She was also upset that men can have four wives.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

My father was very angry and felt the need to protect himself and his faith, and started talking also about the oppression of women and terrorism.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

My sister said that as long as it makes me happy, she is okay with it, but she was worried we might grow further apart.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

At the moment, I am up and down.  Everyday is different.  It has been difficult, because I am now feeling like a minority.  Although the Muslim sisters I am meeting are all so warm and loving, I feel I have been raised in a different way, and so I feel isolated and afraid sometimes.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

But I know in my heart that God is with me and whenever I am afraid I remind myself that God led me to Islam and I say Alhamdulillah (Thankful praise be to Allah).<\/span><\/p>\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n

 <\/p>","excerpt":"","terms":null,"visibility_roles":"","comment_status":1,"comment_count":0,"read_counter":10892,"lft":4437,"rght":4442,"promote":1,"sticky":0,"status":1,"publish_start":null,"publish_end":null,"created_at":"2014-09-21T17:51:00.000000Z","updated_at":"2026-05-26T13:58:18.000000Z","language_id":1,"user_id":7,"author_id":2697,"publisher_id":0,"category_id":10,"parent_id":null,"books":[],"fatawas":[],"videos":[],"audios":[],"author_name":"Aisha","category_name":"Why I became a Muslim!","category_slug":"Why-I-became-a-Muslim!","get_date":"2014-09-21","pdf_asset":"http:\/\/islamland.com\/uploads\/articles\/Aisha, Ex-Christian, Australia.pdf","word_asset":"http:\/\/islamland.com\/uploads\/articles\/Aisha, Ex-Christian, Australia.docx"},"translations":[],"article_books":[],"article_fatawas":[],"article_videos":[],"article_audios":[],"url":"http:\/\/islamland.com\/eng\/api\/articles\/aisha-ex-christian-australia"}