about Thornton's Tony right yes I'm done
I you know I got to meet him when the 30
years in 2013 I mean you know after I
met him you know we stood together okay
he came over we still run around each
other so mm 2016 I think was January or
February I don't know I'm not sure he
became Muslim he took the Shahada slow
Michael Tony how you doing
look so you say the cat has nine lives
you had 20 lives not Allah blessed you
to come back how many times you were
talking about you died but you came back
I lost a bag yeah how many times was
dead we I lost count about seven times
seven times as you almost you literally
almost I mean doctors hands I do I did
and and the doctor gave you how many
it's five to seven years of seven years
to lose and that was what 20 21 years
and a half to go and look at that
amazing analog kept you the crater kept
you alive that recently a few years ago
you actually you accepted yes
Islam submission to the crater not the
creation yes you accepted Islam tell us
what was it at the end that had you
because you came from a background being
Catholic Christian Albanian yes yeah yes
and your your your family was also he
was talking about their bishops or yes
yeah so what was it about rounded well I
grew up since I was a kid I grew up with
my friends Muslims and all my friends
are Muslims and then after I grew up
escaped to Italy you know they're
hanging out with Muslims all the time
you know
then you know this place and then I
decided you know to become was in with
some his house yeah since then in the
same then tell my religion other words
to Muslim
yeah many people don't know when you
accept Islam you're following the way of
Jesus the way of Moses the way of
Abraham
they all did Islam they submitted their
will to the crater so it's coming back
we say to the natural way the natural
way of man not worshipping a stick of
stone a bone a man a woman nothing in
creation but to the crater you came back
to the natural way yes yeah what advice
do you have for other people out there
we're kind of stuck between two worlds
right and they're holding off there's
this strong nationalism right and
they're following blindly what their
forefathers did and you know but to
break through and they see you now and
maybe they can get some encouragement
what advice do you have for them oh well
I I I was lucky because all my friends
are Muslims and know what wise are give
them you know get friendly going to
mosque you know believe you know huh and
good luck to them yeah beautiful
beautiful make the human connection
Sammy what advice do you give because
you are the person that helped to
facilitate Allah through you help to
guide him what advice do you give for
others were kind of stuck you know in
between those two worlds and there have
all these misconceptions Islam as this
and that as Muslims are terrorists all
the other hype that's out there what
advice do you give for the people I
really advise everyone to really look
for themselves and open up a Quran open
up a book about Islam introduction to
Islam and just oh just go in yourself
and ask questions of those who know
about Islam and not what the media tells
you because this lamb is a way of life
people all times and all places and it's
very simple and one of the things that I
really encourage and advises that we
should not fall into the media
propaganda sometimes the media portrays
against this land thank you for sharing
that with us and thank you Tony
thank you we're going we're going into
Utama Tony and you were talking about
his near-death experience again
what were you saying he used to go into
detail but lost a lot of energy because
because he had the passive heart attack
about a month and a half ago and now he
look he lost a lot of the memory and the
energy and so forth but he used to go
into detail why except his dad and he
would say that he never felt more
comfortable when he was around Muslims
they treated him like a brother
they treated him but utmost respect
never never
at no time that he remembered that he
was put aside because he was from a
different pet or otherwise he always
felt at home with them more than what
they owned Christians and so forth he
kept on remembering this throughout his
life and when he came in America that
was the same thing he had in fact he
would be much much more comfortable with
Muslims and with the Christians that he
came from the background and he always
stick for us and everything and that and
when I met him at 2013 everything came
back to him and he was like new life was
given to him he thought he found his
family again because he was for a long
time by himself here in Florida from
from 1995 I think month of 2013 so when
I met him then you know he can really
all that came back to him and he says
the only thing I'm gonna have to do is
to tell you that I must accept this guy
and that's when he took Islam in 2016 in
the beginning I think Jennifer and he
would he would go into details like for
that for example you would say I knew
that from Muslims they would never
betrayed me they will never don't talk
behind my back or they would never
they were always honor me mother
they won't this was a tradition if
somebody comes from a different
background different religion and he's
among us we would respect them and hold
the diva doors then how because this is
how we used to look at our culture that
the more distance somebody was the more
we had a duty to protect them and do for
them closer to us
so he really felt their love oh yeah oh
yeah that probably you've been asked now
maybe it was a little bit
Toni Sammy was saying about how much the
love and respect you felt before
accepting Islam and this was one of the
things that helped you to make that
decision yes yes yes I mean all over
them they accepted me as a brother
and we got a long body with all of them
not only says it was all the Muslim
families they know me since in Italy you
know and then I felt you know I must do
some so what I did you know I decided he
saw you know touch my religion I wrote a
note to him matter of fact I told you
know that's what I did
did anybody force you no no nobody
forced me nobody nobody mentioned
anything you just
I volunteer you I said since then I've
been coming here you know what I live
you know Crystal River is No Mas there
is no I don't have no friends
that's why I come here to send you all
the time you know we wouldn't mass to be
honest I see these I was his family I
love them too family treat me nice you
know I love them too