{"id":1493,"date":"2011-08-23T14:10:57","date_gmt":"2011-08-23T14:10:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/projectconversion\/?p=1493"},"modified":"2011-08-23T14:10:57","modified_gmt":"2011-08-23T14:10:57","slug":"the-conversionreversion-of-sister-sundus-michele","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/projectconversion\/2011\/08\/the-conversionreversion-of-sister-sundus-michele.html","title":{"rendered":"The Conversion\/Reversion of Sister Sundus Michele"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today I thought I’d shut up for a while and give the mic to someone else! Our post today is a conversion story\u00a0by Congregation<\/a> member Sundus Michele, and how she converted\/reverted to a Muslim.<\/p>\n

————-<\/p>\n

I was raised in a Christian home. My life as a very young child\u00a0revolved around the church. My father, grandfather and uncle were all ministers. When my parents divorced (I was 7yrs old) my mother, a daughter of a holiness minister, continued to practice the teachings she was taught in the home, although she strayed away from the church. Such teachings as: modesty, truthfulness, kindness to people and animals, thankfulness to God and striving to do good. <\/p>\n

Throughout my life I will always be thankful for the way she raised me. To try to be an overall good human being. I attended various christian schools ranging from very strict to fairly lax. I used to regularly attend all the services at the church, many times without my mother. As a teen I was a part of the door to door witnessing program. I enjoyed this greatly because I just wanted to share the joy of God with others. I spent much time in pondering my existence, fasting and reading.<\/p>\n

SubhanAllah, I always felt that something was missing…that I was on a search for the true meaning of my existence in this world. I had many valid questions as a teenager about Christianity. And those questions led me to search for answers, since my local pastor told me we are not supposed to question God. Eventually, I left the church and started ‘making my own’ faith.
\nWhen I was 18 years old I met and married a man from Palestine. He was born into a Muslim family…but did not practice the religion. I studied some about Islam, but found from the books that I read….that it seemed to be only a religion to benefit man…and offered nothing to women. At times I would also get confused over the difference between culture and religion, which is also heavily misconstrued by today’s media. Shortly after beginning my studies, I ended them due to the fact that the material I was reading did not interest me…later on I learned that much of the information available in the University Library was FALSE and the majority of the material was written by NON-MUSLIMS.
\nAbout 5 years later, I met an American Muslim convert. She was one of my co-workers. She carried herself in such a way that I really looked up to her. She also\u00a0cast a light from her countenance that drew me to her. Her whole self…the way she dressed, acted and the way she treated others…was something that I admired and made me curious.\u00a0
\nI introduced myself to her and when she told me she was Muslim, I was shocked. This lady with such self-confidence, excellent manners and pride…was a Muslim? I wanted to know more about her and her views on Islam. We used to talk for hours about the way that Islam\u00a0LIBERATES the woman….the opposite from what I believed to be true of Islam. I became intrigued in this new enlightenment and began reading everything I could get my hands on(written by Muslims this time!). Islam was not what I had thought it to be several years before. It was beautiful!
\nSurely it was from God Himself and not man made. When I read the Holy Quran I felt that it was a message directly from God to me and touched me deeply, so deeply that I would often cry after reading it.
\nA few months later, I was ready to make the decision to leave a small part of my family’s beliefs and become Muslim. I sat outside of the mosque and pondered on my life and where it had led me. I began to pray to the Almighty and asked Him “please lead me to that which is best for me.”<\/strong> My prayer was answered by a bright beam of sunlight that shone on my face and warmed my inner soul (which by the way, was a very cloudy and rainy day). This light comforted me and reassured me that I was following Gods plan for me. I felt that Islam was what I needed all my life. That this was the piece missing in my\u00a0life…the lost puzzle piece.<\/p>\n

As I incorporated Islam in my life…I found that everything fit perfectly into place. Islam, I found is a guide to life. And I, the ‘weary traveler’ found it and will be lost no\u00a0more!
\nAl hamdulillah(Thanks be to God). I have been Muslim now for 19 years and thru-out my various trials in life, even losing my dear mother to renal failure, that my faith has been the one thing I could always count on. That I had the close relationship to God that I always wanted and will always cherish.<\/p>\n

———–<\/p>\n

Thanks Sister Sundus! I’d like you to take a moment and notice a few things about her journey toward Islam. First, she questioned her old faith. This does not have to be a negative, or performed with conversion as the motivation, but I think confronting our faiths with reasonable questions is a good way to help our faith in fact grow. On the other hand, if your religion cannot stand up against such questions, then you have some things to consider.<\/p>\n

The next thing Sundus did was read about Islam. She didn’t depend on what she was told, but instead attempted confirmation herself. Then she recognized that she needed to go a step further: She found a Mentor! She went to the source. Want to know about Islam? Ask a Muslim (or several!). Want to know about Hinduism? Ask a Hindu (be sure to ask several). That’s what I’m doing with Project Conversion! Going to the source to learn what I need.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today I thought I’d shut up for a while and give the mic to someone else! Our post today is a conversion story\u00a0by Congregation member Sundus Michele, and how she converted\/reverted to a Muslim. ————- I was raised in a Christian home. My life as a very young child\u00a0revolved around the church. 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