all right
alikum may I know what's your name
Nicole Queen okay where are you from I'm
from Dallas originally so yeah uh I I
heard that you're a convert so how long
have you been Muslim I converted to
Islam May of 2007 cool and wow that's
was like about less not long not long
ago less than a year um uh what were you
before you become I was Baptist which is
Christian I'm from a Baptist Church
right M grew up
Baptist what made you to be a Muslim
like what was your life like before
Islam I was extremely lost before that
uh I went through a phase just a couple
of years ago where I was just looking
for something different you know and um
the religion the Baptist religion it was
good you know I went to church I
followed the religion but I went through
a period where I didn't know what
happen you know know is there really
Heaven is there really a hell what is
going to happen what am I going to say
to God when I see him uh all these
questions went through my mind and um I
was drinking I was doing all of the
things like typically an American would
do uh my work was in nightclubs uh
photographing there was a lot of things
that I was going through that were just
not with God and I needed something to
change change so um friends told me
about some different lectures on YouTube
and I started taking a look
listening all about Islam um and I
became addicted to it like I would stay
up until 5:00 in the morning on my
computer watching lectures about
Americans who had converted to Islam and
what they were going through and it
seemed like everyone was saying the same
things that I was going through and the
same things that I felt so I felt like I
could relate to that like these people
were Christian before they were facing
these challenges and they found
something that gave them the answers
they were looking for and that's what I
wanted I wanted answers I didn't want to
just someone to tell me what to believe
I wanted to know why and how is that
going to affect my life and how do I put
that into my life so I found that in
Islam and I studied for a while before I
actually went to classes at the m and
more and more I was surrounding myself
with it with the books and everything
and so uh when I said my Shaha I just I
never looked back and I changed
everything in my life my friends my
wardrobe my job everything I changed
immediately and it wasn't hard because I
understood why it was the right thing to
do and uh I've been thankful ever since
you know thankful to God like to have a
slam now if you don't mind to go this
person how was your parents reaction
about that my parents uh it's been hard
you know with my parents we're still
kind of going through all of the you
know them getting used to it um I went
to my mom and I told her that I was
studying Islam before I converted that I
was interested in it and I think she
thought oh maybe it's just a phase I
don't think she's really going to do it
but when I told her I've converted to
Islam she realized you know was serious
about it but one good thing is that she
was watching me go through the changes
she saw me before and how my life was
and then she saw me after changing she
saw me dressing differently she saw me
stopping all of the Haram things that I
was doing and uh she realized like that
when I converted to Islam I was closer
to God and that's what made her happy
you know if that's what brought me
closer to God then she was happy so it's
become easier when she realizes this
yeah well uh another thing that many
Muslim uh or non-muslims they come and
and they try to harass the Muslim girls
oh you become Muslim because of guy or a
man or something like that you think was
that was a reason for you also to become
Muslim wasn't a reason um not at all
because uh I did this on my own and I
went to classes on my own I studied
everything on my own so I can't say it
was because of another man um I know
some girls that have done that and if
you don't feel it in your car it's not
going to stay there I've seen girls come
and go from Islam because they wanted to
be with someone so they converted and
then afterwards they left Islam uh if he
didn't want her or you know I've seen a
lot of stories about that but it has to
be in your heart and to feel the faith
and to wear the hijab and everything has
to be in your heart yeah or or it's not
going to stay there so uh what about
your friends that they were uh like uh a
little bit you know far away uh from or
like they were like goprint before Islam
and now uh have they seen the change and
what was their reaction about were they
like questioning or trying to be away
from you far away from you or you know
trying to get closer and ask about it I
don't know like um um like give me some
kind of examples of your friends like
what were their was their reaction about
that um of course I had uh a lot of
friends from my previous life like
before I can Ed who you know always
wanting to go out to the clubs and
different things at our age you know
being single and everything um and when
they saw me going through the changes
because it didn't happen overnight it
was you know I went through transitions
of embracing it more and more and they
they watched this because I was very
open about it with all of my friends and
they saw me less and less because I
wasn't in those clubs anymore and I
wasn't doing those things and when I
would talk to them about what I was
doing with my new life they kind of felt
like wow you know she's moving on with
her life and we're still doing the same
thing also uh so that my friends would
better understand what I was going
through and why I wasn't really around
anymore I uh I wrote a Blog about it put
it online and invited a bunch of people
to go on there and read it and we had
lots and lots of girls who weren't
following any religion who were just
kind of living life and doing whatever
they wanted and they went on and they
read about my life changes and who I was
before and who I was after and tons and
tons of girls who go out and drink went
on there they read this blog and they
wrote that they were crying when they
read it that they felt like it touched
them and that they looked at their life
and thought you know I need to make
changes too so hamula you know the more
that I talk to people about what I was
before and then after the more that they
look at themselves and think may you
know what I can do that too I so my
friends uh embraced it like that and
they respected the decision I made do
you face any of the challenges in front
of people like as a as an American
become Muslim like finding a job or like
for example after you became Muslim um
uh of course you had to quit your job
right were you I stopped uh working in
the clubs uh that I was photographing in
and so I had to find something different
you know a different area and uh when I
started to wear the hijab I noticed some
changes that uh I was interviewing more
often than normal for jobs but um now
that has all kind of been squared away
honestly I just uh I dress nice I go to
the interview and I show them that I
have the skills I have the experience I
have everything and I haven't really had
a problem with it so far you know
alhamdulillah so um but yeah it's
different you know as an American um you
get a lot of questions but it just opens
up opportunity for DOA when I go around
even around town people will stop me and
ask me uh are you Muslim you know
because they can tell I'm American and I
just take the time to tell them yeah I
am and I tell them why and it makes them
think
wow e