How they came to choose Islam
As the holy month of Ramadan draws to a close, some Muslim converts in Pittsburgh share stories about the faith they've embraced


By Marina Bolotnikova / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Philip and Sherry Snow grew up Catholic in predominantly Christian towns on opposite sides of the country. Today, Philip and Sherry go by Ibrahim and Safiye, live on the North Side with their four children -- and are devout adherents to Islam.

When Sherry met Philip, a convert to Islam, online in 1996, she had been questioning her Catholic faith but had no interest in learning about his religion.

"I went through the whole gamut of stereotypes that I'd heard about Muslims," she said. But as she learned about Islam from Philip, she realized not just that her preconceptions about the religion were wrong, but also that Islam filled the gaps she perceived in Christianity.

Mr. Snow, who works as an arborist, and Ms. Snow, a graphic designer, are two of a large and diverse community of Muslim converts in Pittsburgh. This week, the holy Islamic month of Ramadan will draw to a close, calling for increased piety from Muslims around the world.

Muslims believe that God revealed the Quran to the prophet Muhammad on one of the last 10 nights of Ramadan. For many converts, successful completion of the obligation to fast during Ramadan is one of the most tangible changes in their transition to Islam.

"I officially converted when I completed Ramadan correctly," said Julie Webb, outreach coordinator at the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh.

Though it is difficult to track precise rates of conversion to Islam, about 20 percent of American Muslims are converts. Converts come from a variety of religious and cultural backgrounds, and most report that Islam agreed with them on a deep, intuitive level.

"It didn't take me long to realize that Islam was nothing that I thought it was. As I started learning more, I realized Islam appealed more to what I already believe about God," Ms. Snow said. "Being raised Catholic, they teach about the Trinity, and the Trinity never resonated with me. It never made sense. When I found out Muslims believe God is just one, that made more sense to me."

After three years learning about Islam from Mr. Snow, reading the Quran and learning about other belief systems, Ms. Snow knew that Islam was the one that agreed with her understanding of the world.

She recited the shahada, a declaration of belief in the oneness of God and acceptance of the prophet Muhammad as his messenger, on Halloween 1999. For non-Muslims, public profession of the shahada signals one's conversion to the faith, and many take an Islamic name at the time of their conversion. Ms. Snow used the name Safiye along with her given name.
After her conversion, Ms. Snow flew from New Jersey to California to meet Mr. Snow for the first time. Within a week, they were married.

Mr. Snow, who converted to Islam six years before his wife, had been learning about the faith for more than a decade from Muslim friends and Quran study. The first time he learned about Islamic beliefs, from a Libyan friend, the religion immediately resonated with him.

"We were driving through Utah at around 1 in the morning, and when I asked him what was the dominant faith in Libya, he started talking about Islam. It was that night that my heart embraced Islam. I was so thrilled at what he was telling me. I let out a laugh of release. I laughed out of comfort and joy at what he described to me," he said.

Like his wife, Mr. Snow found in Islam answers to questions that Christianity could not provide to him. "Whenever I asked questions [about Christianity], I noticed there was an agitation, a frustration. Oftentimes they would get angry at me for posing a question. Muslims were never irritated by questions," he said.

Pittsburgh's Muslim movement

Historically, Pittsburgh has been no stranger to Islamic conversion. In the 1930s, Muslim converts established the First Muslim Mosque of Pittsburgh, one of the first mosques in the United States to be founded by converts.

"Pittsburgh has a great history of conversion to Islam," said Patrick Bowen, who specializes in Islam in the United States at the University of Denver. "African-American Sunni mosques mushroomed in the middle of the 20th century, and Pittsburgh was the main center. The largest concentration [of Muslim converts] was in the Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio region."

The majority of American Muslim converts are African-American. Today, the First Muslim Mosque of Pittsburgh is one of many mosques in the Pittsburgh area that serve predominantly African-American converts, said Salaah Brooks, who has served as the mosque's imam, or religious leader, since 1999. The mosque adheres to Salafism, an orthodox strain of Islam.

"I was 14 or 15 when I converted. I felt a spiritual void, and I began learning as much as I could about God. ... After speaking with Muslims, it became clear to me that that was the void I was trying to fill," Imam Brooks said.

"We believe that every person is born with an innate knowledge that Allah is their creator. Hence, his exclusive right to be worshipped alone. So converting to Islam is almost like a coming home feeling. ... It gave me a great sense of tranquility and peace and helped stabilize my life," he said.

Imam Brooks' family was supportive of his transition to Islam, due in large part to the positive effects his faith had on his life. Eventually, his mother converted, too.

"Islam is not a strange faith in the African-American community," said Imam Brooks. "A person who converts often has an uncle, a cousin, someone in their family who has converted."

"Islam has a very strong social justice message that many African-American converts are attracted to."

Other converts have chosen to attend mosques that serve primarily immigrant and non-convert communities, including the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh, the largest mosque in the region.

"The international component of Muslims in Pittsburgh is unmatched," said Ms. Webb. Many larger cities have Muslim communities large enough for particular ethnic groups to form their own mosques, Ms. Webb said, but Pittsburgh is just small enough that mosques like ICP draw people from a wide spectrum of nationalities. And because Islam is one of the largest and most diverse religions in the world, integration has proven both rewarding and confusing for new converts.
"Because there are so many different cultures in Islam, there are so many beautiful rituals that come out of them, you have to be confident enough to ask the imam if it's something you really have to do. It takes time to navigate through all the different cultures. ... A convert needs to understand what it means to be involved with an international community of believers," Ms. Webb said. "You have to have an anthropological heart."

Converts have strived not just to integrate with native-born Muslims, but also to gain acceptance from friends, family and strangers.

"I noticed when I became Muslim, my friends started kind of distancing themselves from me," Ms. Snow said. "I was sad and figured if they were uncomfortable with that, they didn't really know me. When I put on the head scarf to show my devotion, other people revealed their true selves.

"When 9/11 happened, it was scary for a little while. People were reacting explosively. One time when I was driving two guys pulled over next to me and made an exploding sound in my window. I had to modify my dress so that I just wore a hoodie and it was not obvious that I was a Muslim woman on the road," she said.

"I went into an interview with one employer who at the end said, 'Will you wear that thing on your head every day?' But honestly, I don't want to work for those kinds of people. I was glad I had my scarf on. He obviously wasn't judging me on my ability," she said.

But asked whether the events of 9/11 and the prejudices of others affected their devotion, converts said emphatically that they did not. "I did not see the geopolitical concern in any way having to do with my faith. It's disturbing to all Muslims I know to hear of the acts done in the name of Islam," Ms. Webb said.

"I haven't found anything to waver my faith once I realized what Islam had," Ms. Snow said. "It's not that I'm not learning about what other people believe, but I've never found anything stronger."

"There's plenty of times I don't feel like an outstanding Muslim. I feel I probably don't worship as much as I could, am not as patient as I could be," she said. "Islam is perfect -- Muslims are not."


Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/region/conversion-to-islam-fills-a-religious-void-698058/#ixzz2b8bp7whM

Long post.

infobiz9ja: Long post.

Not really long if you wanna learn from it.

Subhanallah! Such a wonderful and moving story. Allah's light will forever continue to shine.

As the most holy month of islam draws down How many dead bodies have muslims racked up this month all in the name of allahu akbar? Straight from the holy quran? (hide this)

As the most holy month of islam draws down How many dead bodies have muslims racked up this month all in the name of allahu akbar? Straight from the holy quran? (hide this) some islamophobe has been keeping the tally of jihad attacks @thereligionofpeace.com website . Maybe to open your eyes dear tbabs you might want to verify whether that fellow is lying then we can send him to an island and bomb him with anthrax so that he dies a slow but very painful death like how kufr deserves. Allahu Akbar.

basilico: As the most holy month of islam draws down How many dead bodies have muslims racked up this month all in the name of allahu akbar? Straight from the holy quran? (hide this) some islamophobe has been keeping the tally of jihad attacks @thereligionofpeace.com website . Maybe to open your eyes dear tbabs you might want to verify whether that fellow is lying then we can send him to an island and bomb him with anthrax so that he dies a slow but very painful death like how kufr deserves. Allahu Akbar.

What's this one saying now? Go pour 7up on your herbal concoction.

I no say that in the holy month when muslims become very pious they commit more jihad attacks than at any other time of the year. There is a corelationship between piety and violence based on the quran. Suicide bombers are usually those who take the teachings of islam more seriously than others. A good muslim= a jihadist= terrorist. i concluded eons ago. A bad muslim is like you who is afraid to take up arms and do jihad which is obligated in your holy books. A bad muslim is peaceful like you according to islam. One day the non muslims will dey say enough is enough and crush islam. I predict this will happen in the next 10 years at most.

basilico: I no say that in the holy month when muslims become very pious they commit more jihad attacks than at any other time of the year. There is a corelationship between piety and violence based on the quran. Suicide bombers are usually those who take the teachings of islam more seriously than others. A good muslim= a jihadist= terrorist. i concluded eons ago. A bad muslim is like you who is afraid to take up arms and do jihad which is obligated in your holy books. A bad muslim is peaceful like you according to islam. One day the non muslims will dey say enough is enough and crush islam. I predict this will happen in the next 10 years at most.

Ignorance at its peak,B.sc in ignorance and its related studies.

lets just hope the predictions are wrong. . . . . . . . .

its not really looking good right now.

.

tpia@:
lets just hope the predictions are wrong. . . . . . . . .

its not really looking good right now.

Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world,not through birth only but mainly conversion/reversion.His prediction is wrong,just his imaginations.

@lanrelex please you mind explaining your signature to me? I've been trying to decode it to no avail. Abi you dey plan for eid already?

@basilico you will make a wonderful muslim In Sha Allah

siddiq202: @lanrelex please you mind explaining your signature to me? I've been trying to decode it to no avail. Abi you dey plan for eid already?

@basilico you will make a wonderful muslim In Sha Allah

Lolz,the signature is all about the beautiful creations of Allah(swt).The tree being a muslim,the animals and insects being muslims.So,we are the same,I am submitting my will to Allah(swt)and they also submiting their will to Allah(swt),so we are the same-Muslims bowing our will to our Creator,that's the beauty of it.

lanrexlan: Lolz,the signature is all about the beautiful creations of Allah(swt).The tree being a muslim,the animals and insects being muslims.So,we are the same,I am submitting my will to Allah(swt)and they also submiting their will to Allah(swt),so we are the same-Muslims bowing our will to our Creator,that's the beauty of it.

ok thanks

basilico: I no say that in the holy month when muslims become very pious they commit more jihad attacks than at any other time of the year. There is a corelationship between piety and violence based on the quran. Suicide bombers are usually those who take the teachings of islam more seriously than others. A good muslim= a jihadist= terrorist. i concluded eons ago. A bad muslim is like you who is afraid to take up arms and do jihad which is obligated in your holy books. A bad muslim is peaceful like you according to islam. One day the non muslims will dey say enough is enough and crush islam. I predict this will happen in the next 10 years at most.

You remember the folks who predicted the end of the world?
Fortune telling is a big business. People have been in it for ages. Check their history
BTW have you wondered why Christian Europe fought 2 world wars
Or why the EU and not the Christian faith won the Nobel Prize for peace?

tpia@:
lets just hope the predictions are wrong. . . . . . . . .

its not really looking good right now.

Thanks very much for your concern

siddiq202:
ok thanks

You are welcome bro.

With no prejudice to members of the mentioned churches.

There is no clear distinction between islam, celestial church, charubim and sherapium and to some extent catholic.

Infact the catholic preaches unification of faith. The catholic is allowed to preach on ISLAM television station on DSTV. So there is a relationship between them.

The C & S is islamic in nature. When they speak in tongues they speak arabic.

I also notice the Celetial have some kind of raport with islam. I know a celetial Shepered (pastor) who sent his son to islamic school. He has muslims including alhajis patronising him. He once said he loved islam.

Therefore movements to and fro those mentioned is no surprise. When you talk about christians, it is not those bearing Christian name. There are Emmanuel, John, Joshual, Paul etc who are into masqurade, sango, osun worship. Are they Christians? Christians are ONLY those who behave like Jesus Christ. This is why we make the difference by dividing them into born-again and norminal christians.

A person can be the child of a born-again pastor and yet not born again. A person can be a pastor and not born-again, such people are not Christians. The summary is, anybody who does what Jesus would not do is not a Christian, irrespective of his position in the church. This is the reason Christianity is a way of living.

nextpart: With no prejudice to members of the mentioned churches.

There is no clear distinction between islam, celestial church, charubim and sherapium and to some extent catholic.

Does Islam support cross? Does Islam supports clapping of hands? Does Islam supports walking bare-footed all the time? Does Islam supports baptism? Does Islam supports singing and dancing as a form of worship? Does Islam supports speaking in tongues? Does Islam supports trinity?
So what's your similarities?

Infact the catholic preaches unification of faith.The catholic is allowed to preach on ISLAM television station on DSTV.So there is a relationship between them.

Catholic unification of faith? In 1991,the catholic pope that resigned just of recent put forward that the bible should be re-written and Mary should be included in order to make it 4-in-1 concept of God,is that unification of faith in your dictionary?

The C & S is islamic in nature. When they speak in tongues they speak arabic.

Arabic is a language,egyptian christians speak arabic in their churches.Anyone can learn arabic as a language.

I also notice the Celetial have some kind of raport with islam.I know a celetial Shepered (pastor) who sent his son to islamic school.He has muslims including alhajis patronising him.He once said he loved islam.

Loving Islam doesn't signify he's adhering to the doctrines of Islam.
Sending his son to Islamic school signifies nothing,there are many muslims that attended catholic and christian schools.

Therefore movements to and fro those mentioned is no surprise. When you talk about christians,it is not those bearing Christian name.There are Emmanuel, John, Joshual, Paul etc who are into masqurade, sango, osun worship.Are they Christians? Christians are ONLY those who behave like Jesus Christ.

This would have made sense only if they are no Bishop converting to Islam
https://www.nairaland.com/1383687/ukranian- bishop-accept-islam

This is why we make the difference by dividing them into born-again and norminal christians.

So pastors,bishops accepting Islam aren't born again?

A person can be the child of a born-again pastor and yet not born again. A person can be a pastor and not born-again, such people are not Christians. The summary is, anybody who does what Jesus would not do is not a Christian,irrespective of his position in the church.This is the reason Christianity is a way of living.

So when people revert to Islam,there aren't christians right?
i).Dr Jerald Dirks.. Former minister (Deacon) of the United Methodist Church. He holds a Master's degree in Divinity from Harvard University and a Doctorate in Psychology from the University of Denver.
ii). Donelle Bergeson converted to Islam in Jan. 2010.She was a United Methodist and pursuing her Master's degree in Christian Divinity at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary,Evanston,IL to become a Christian Elder/Pastor/Minister when she decided to convert to Islam.She entered her Master's degree as committed Christian and she graduated in it......Peace

nextpart:

There is no clear distinction between islam, celestial church, charubim and sherapium and to some extent catholic.

Infact the catholic preaches unification of faith. The catholic is allowed to preach on ISLAM television station on DSTV. So there is a relationship between them.

The C & S is islamic in nature. When they speak in tongues they speak arabic.

I also notice the Celetial have some kind of raport with islam. I know a celetial Shepered (pastor) who sent his son to islamic school. He has muslims including alhajis patronising him. He once said he loved islam.

Therefore movements to and fro those mentioned is no surprise.

What are the pillars of Islam?
What are the pillars of the belief of born-again Christians?
Do you declare that born-again Christians never convert?
I have heard people speak in tongues - they don't speak Arabic at all
Sheik Deedat has pointed out that the Pope called for dialogue and he (Deedat) tried in vain to debate with him
He explained that what the Pope is using the word dialogue but he intends conversion; the Pope does not want to stir controversy and chooses a less emotive word. Similar to what you are doing here.
Your argument is religious doctrinal sophistry
It is similar to saying that Nigerian rain forest is the same as the Sahara desert because both arr in Africa!

@Lanrexlan
excellent job
They are united in these fundamentals
(a) God has a son
(b) Trinity
(c) Praying to Jesus - their Lord
(d) worship in any language
(e) Rely on the Bible