still I'll make him guys how you doing
you're about to meet Marion
she's studying law at the University of
Surrey up in Bosnia and she comes from a
powerful tribe in Uganda
she was raised a family of Christians
and she was a practicing Christian and
she got a hold of a book a book talking
about people's experiences and how they
came to Islam she accepts Islam the
persecution begins her story begins but
it hasn't ended yet
and we're gonna share it with you here
on the Dean show in Bosnia with Mary
it's a credible story that we can all in
Shaw log God willing benefit from know
anyway
[Music]
sonica guys so we got Mary and
practicing Christian she hated Islam and
the persecution begins I can't begin to
tell you I'm gonna let her get in to her
story with met him not legal can we can
we start off the beginning of your
journey you actually hated my journey
into Islam started in 2010 Ramadan I
honestly as I was growing I never liked
Muslims I was I I grew up from a
community where they hate Islam so much
and from a family where Islam is never
tolerated in such surrounding it was
really I mean a dream for you to even
think of becoming a Muslim in such a in
such a family so I never liked Muslims
and I never even wish to talk to any
Muslim at all in my entire life but even
though aside the hatred I heard for
Islam I always feel something deep down
in in me that I just like the dressing
of the most
women I like the hijab and other stuff
stuff is done by the Muslim women I just
didn't like the religion you can see by
just the dressing of the Muslim women
and being a Christian for some time I
had my own doubts about Christianity
even though it wasn't really a lot for
me to ask about those problems I didn't
really like about Christianity but did
die within me I felt it wasn't right for
us to do that but that was the religion
I grew up from and it was hard you know
comments negatively about those
practices I just I just needed more I
wanted more in terms of salvation and
alhamdulillah Allah got me here know now
we're actually if you guys are no we're
in Bosnia right do you speak any Bosnia
I don't know to be so your family
comes from one of the most powerful
tribes in Uganda right in Ghana and you
were raised by a priest was that right
can you tell us a little bit about that
I actually wanted to be a subjects of
the church so when I was growing when I
was 10 years my parents actually gave me
to the priest
I can stay with him and learn about the
church more to become somebody who is
connected to the church so I was just
going through these different phases of
training so become somebody who is
connected to the church I was really a
good singer in my church and I used to
lead the car in my church also I never
missed
Christian Church activity
I never miss them I was so devoted to
Christianity to the extent that I never
thought I mean I hope become a Muslim
never even if Allah Himself had you know
come to me to tell me you one day become
a Muslim Subhan Allah I wouldn't have
believed it it would have been hard to
accept that but you know those whom
Allah guides to the right path Lankan
industry Allah really wanted me in Islam
and now for you guys tuning in I mean
you hear this word a lot it's simply the
name of God in air make Jesus bolo hot
it's over the not yet Muslims tune in
and they're just amazed or they're about
to be even more amazed by the story when
she's saying Allah this is just the
crater God Almighty
now tell us sister Marianna how did
things take a turn at what point you
went from hating Muslims because talk
about you know the Muslims are supposed
to be the best of examples they're
supposed to be those who are living as
long they're really supposed to be at a
higher level of morality of you know of
character manners and everything that is
just you know the best but tell us what
were you saying if I had the behavior of
the Muslim
that I solo or the behavior the Muslims
in the society I wouldn't have become a
Muslim I realized that Islam is not what
people actually are talking about there
is it it runs deeper than that
there is something really about the
religion that people who talk about it
negatively do not know about there is so
much more into it than we see it outside
so I read a lot about the religion and I
asked so much questions and gradually it
was you know pulling me from
Christianity into their religion which I
couldn't assert initially and I couldn't
even believe it myself but alhamdulillah
through my studies I realized that
everything I had about Islam all those
misconceptions that I had about Islam
other walls Korean were all lies and
that was not exactly Islam that Islam is
real the Islam is peace the Islam that
Allah has prescribed for us is beauty is
love is tolerance his obedience is
complete submit men to a God himself so
it was kind of contradicting with what I
actually knew and
it's turned my life upside down you know
like it was like a clear-cut for me to
all of a sudden start to read about
Islam and you know start to change my
dressing and also act in a different way
receive people in a different way feel
differently communicates God differently
everything just changed from hitting
each month loving Islam so much tell us
about that experience that happened your
neighbor was all alone and you got a
hold of a book it was in 2010 ramadan i
finished my junior high school by then
so I was just at home doing nothing and
I just had this feeling that let me just
read something about and she just read
something so I wondered that there was a
man a Muslim guy will stain in my house
I got a book from his room which was
titled and why did they embrace Islam
which is a story of people who reverted
to Islam their struggles and their
beliefs now so I took the book and I
literally read everything in that book
and I took the second book which was
about Hajj and that night I had a dream
and in the dream there was a man dressed
in a white of jeong-bok with a calabash
in his hand and I was just cutting by
the river I mean something to me so he
mentioned the name Miriam drink this
water
it's a purify your heart and I looked at
him and I was like this water is for
Muslims I'm not a Muslim so why would I
drink this water and he told me actually
he didn't say anything when I asked him
he didn't so I just took the water and I
drank it because my entire life I was
always so concerned and interested in
issues related to purification religious
loves so I took the water and I drank
the water so from there we went to a
different stage where they slaughter
animals so one man came with a boiled
meat and he told me to eat the mystery
meat will make me stronger when I weak I
think in that particular dream Allah was
preparing me for whatever was going to
happen in my journey to Islam because
naturally I was very weak I had a very
big personality
so Allah through everything he prepared
me spiritually through that dream and
it's it's manifested physically so the
next day I met the guy
and I was like well I had this dream and
you know I was trying to explain
whatever happens in the dream to him and
in his room he has his computer desktop
with the 99 names of Allah which which
were flipped and one after the other
beautifully so I saw it and subhanAllah
I couldn't believe that something so
beautiful such beautiful names actually
existed so I got so much interested in I
went closer to breed actually everything
all the needs my name's of about so I
read them all and finally I just I just
felt like like something I felt so heavy
we didn't me I felt so heavy that I
found something really it's like this is
what my life is like my life depends on
this is all I've ever been wanting to
have you know so I took more books from
him I took really a lot of books and I
started to read about Islam
unfortunately for me at that time I
didn't have Muslims as friends so I
decided to we know Rome in the Muslim
communities and find some Muslim friends
and discuss with them about Islam ask
questions and get answers
from them so fortunately I got a lot of
friends who helped me with my answers
and gradually I was moving on from one
stage to the other with my studies about
this month three weeks after my studies
I decided to revert Islam but I knew the
consequences of my decision even though
it was scary to me and I was really
young I was just 15 years by then to
take such a decision I I couldn't you
know just imagine taking such a decision
because where I'm coming from Islam is
like taboo it's like an abomination a
big Haram you know ten for you to ever
do so I just couldn't think of living
Christianity to Islam so gradually my my
my activities in my church was dwindling
I was not attending church as I used to
attend and I was not that active at my
church anymore so my parents got to find
out that was not attending church and
you know
the later on used to make sure I go to
church because they found out about what
I was planning to do they were never
ready to allow me to you know do that as
a kid at that time and it wasn't
something that I just read and I wanted
to practice it was something that was
weighing on me I could feel it I could I
could feel feel really it's hard to
express this to explain that feeling you
know
I could feel it deep deep down in me
that if I don't get this this particular
thing I can't survive I need this in my
life in order to be able to survive and
that is Islam so gradually I I gathered
my courage to tell my family that I
wanted to become a Muslim and that
everyone was like the greatest disaster
in my home ever it was a big shock and a
surprise to everybody in the family it
was really hard for them to accept that
so my family after that tried to do
everything possible to stop me from
taking such a decision they were
thinking that it was something wrong
with me psychologically oh you know or
maybe there's these pastiches believe
that Muslims those Muslims who ascribe
Islam with I don't worship and you know
maybe they are you they are actually
using juju or me to think like that to
try to practice Islam
you know but honestly it was nothing
like that as we all know in Islam there
is nothing like I don't wash it man
so it was just Allah who wanted to bless
me with Islam sometimes I do ask myself
did I really do something to deserve
Islam but subhanAllah because I never
really thought of becoming a Muslim ever
in my entire life but alhamdulillah it
was a long struggle and finally I took
my Shahada and after my Shahada a whole
lot happened I went through a lot of
difficulties from family to friends my
church my society my school and
everything it was really a tough time
for me but alhamdulillah Allah saw me
through it all from hunger and tests and
on the street I mean struggling all
alone the loneliness the emptiness and
controlling everything
it wasn't easy for me and it's still not
easy but I think that there is there is
pleasure in every difficulties that I
went through in order to get this mom
and it's surely worth it
talk a little bit about the experience
in the jungle to talk about your
experiences with your family really that
had a great impact on you but you still
didn't give up I mean most people when
they would have got that kind of
backlash most people they agree that
there's nothing worthy of worship except
the Creator that happens and we explain
them you know the fundamental beliefs of
this life makes sense it connects it
really connects I mean if you take a
time off here sincere people will agree
people have a really a block when it
comes to accepting this Trinity God
being my ex etc but the belief system is
Miss Lama theology it just makes sense
but now by sticking to it when the heat
gets turned up many people run you got
to be really courageous you went through
some just amazing no I mean just just
some struggles beyond you know
comprehension for some people but you
still help
Django in my family my parents because
they wanted me to forget about Islam
they wanted to take me away from their
society from the people so that we'd be
able to interact with the Muslims
untamable islam into francis it was a
jungle in the western part of Ghana I
went with both my parents and
they stay then everyday they made sure
there is this force priest who visits
the jungle and comes to me and telling
me all lies about Islam about our
Prophet Muhammad Allah Allah Allah
and I would just stare at him I I mean
because I knew that everything he was
saying was a lie about their religion so
I just I knew that truth I found and I
didn't I was never ready to allow
anybody to corrupt it with any
information of any kind so before they
took me to the jungle
I had this personal diary which I which
Sura of elephants write it for us and
thus enables the transliteration so I
used to read it every day every time
even before I sleep
in 2010 Idul Fitri in my country was
on Friday so the night before that
Friday in the jungle with my parents I
was reading those serials before I sleep
and my dad had it it was really serious
I mean incident that happened he really
wanted to shoot me at that particular
moment because he was not ready to
accept me to break you know for me to
bring disgrace into their family because
in my family they see Islam to be like
the greatest abomination somebody can
ever commit like you you become like a
stigma you become shame for your family
essential while they are Muslim so for
them not to live without stigma of
people you know not they were not ready
to assess me
so my dad wanted to shoot me and my mom
actually interfered to stop him
can I hum good luck they actually they
talked throughout the night and for me I
was just a kid 50 years by then I didn't
really bother about what was going on
so I slept and the next morning my dad
actually called my family members in the
city and he told them we've disowned you
you are no more part of this family you
know go and stay with the Muslim spend
the rest of your life with them you know
a whole lot you know it was a painful
moment I mean I really understand I
understood everything that they had to
do during that time because I don't know
what I would have done if I were in
their shoes but I think every parent's
wish to see their children in the right
place and to them I was actually at the
wrong place and me just that maybe the
measures they used to direct me toes
back to Christianity was wrong but I
think they they love me and they care
for me and they wanted to see me doing
the right thing and since Islam is you
know framed with all the negativity in
the world I mean no parents would wish
for their child to go to such an extent
so they tried in on hamdullah my mom
actually helped me and after they
disowned me that's Friday morning I'm bi
I found my way back to the city and it
was so painful that I didn't really know
where to go I was in a big city but I
didn't really know where to go there is
this Islamic Center in my country one
suburb called M here and there is this
Mahlum his called Mahlum of the rock I
went there
and his friends and they helped me
really a lot they helped me to stay with
some people for a while and later I had
to go back to high school the struggle
in high school
they hunger they test the loneliness I
developed really huge stomach oza and it
was really really frustrating because
almost every two weeks I'll collapse on
come on in school and I'll be admitted
at the hospital because of hunger
I I could it was really hard time but I
was really active in school so people
could hardly find out I was going to
live that particular you know problems
and all that I used to keep things to
myself because I didn't like to share my
personal problems with anybody at all
and it was a school it was an
institution so you don't you don't have
to think that somebody's going to
sympathize with you and you will share
your pains with you that is there to
study you know so it was really hard and
later on my teachers found out about my
reefa story and they decided to help me
financially and also care for me Mischa
was okay
I finished high with all the difficulty
some hamdulillah I finished high school
and I went to university and
alhamdulillah even though being a Muslim
within all these institutions hasn't
been easy because sometimes you feel
like you need family you feel like you
need to talk to someone when you are
sick you need to talk to your mother
because I'm that type that no matter how
I fall sick if I just hear from my
mother if I just hear her voice I feel
good I just feel good all of a sudden so
it's really hard to live with our family
I mean because of faith you know it's
it's hard but I realized that my family
is in this dunya and if I miss this
period and I follow my family and I
don't worship Allah
on the day of Toyama my family cannot
save me from the wrath of Allah so with
the help of Allah was able to make that
strong decision for myself to stand and
fight for what I believe in it wasn't
easy really for 16 years
also you know rivetti Islam and leave
her family leave life on her own
struggle up and down you know meet good
people bad people
I mean spend some time you know falling
sick you know and recovering everything
it wasn't easy
supporting myself financially taking
care of myself without without any
current I change it was really hard but
I believe that anything that Allah takes
from us he will he will give it back to
us in a better way so I think that it
was really a good but I my gift to me
and sometimes I I do ask myself did I do
something to deserve Islam because it's
I feel that it is the best thing that
can ever happen to anybody and after I
became a Muslim Subhan Allah
I feel Islam in everything that I'm
doing I just sit down and I I just look
at everything and I see Islam in
everything we are doing I ask myself if
I if I hadn't heard Islam I mean what
would happen to me
where would I be on the DL hey Emma what
will happen to me but I won't leave
Islam to me and now it has been my life
it has been my family it has been my
friend it has been my everything Islam
is really not what people think it is
Islam is more than what people think
Islam
runs through our veins it runs through
our minds it's it runs through our
actions
I was pitched our dress in our everyday
life there is Islam in it but we rather
as humans seek to ignore the signs of
Allah in our lives and we do not want to
obey you but al hamdulillah I thank
Allah for granting me Islam really I'm
grateful for Islam and I feel that even
though it's hard but I feel like I'm the
most happiest person in the world
because I have Islam whenever I feel
down I think about the gift of Islam and
it's it brings me back on my feet so I
thank Allah so much for Islam and really
Islam is not what people think it is if
really people knew what Islam is nobody
will ever criticize them
because it's really so much peace of
confidence just a couple more questions
because you are right
many people they get the impression from
the media that now and that's
understandable the parent thinks that
now you're going to be some in some cult
and extreme and you're gonna do some
suicide attacks and terrorism but
obviously when you really get to know
Islam it's the opposite you know it
calls you to be the best towards your
parents you know not to even harm an
animal but alone a human being so talk a
little bit just in a minute or so we're
almost out of time about the teachings
what do you actually believe in now you
know from the theology you know to some
of the daily practices so maybe who
knows maybe you're your parents we can
get this to them and you know they will
kind of you know that wall will come
down and maybe a loss of a lot greater
because a lot of times there's these
these these misconceptions that push
people away but when we let them know
look you're your name you're trying to
follow Jesus's mother Mary right you
love we love her we love Jesus as a
mighty Messenger of God
so when people
and Islam just calling you to connected
directly with God not his creation right
to worship to create another creation so
when when they hear a lot of these
commonalities you know their defense has
come down opened some of the hearts and
you can your elaborate on a few of these
in Islam Islam see Jesus that's our
German our heaven it lies under the feet
of our mothers and if you try to
interpret that it means we should love
our mothers we should respect our
mothers we should be obedient to our
mothers we should care for our mothers
we should do everything good for our
mothers and with that if our mothers are
happy not just our mothers if our
parents are happy with us Allah subhana
WA Ta'ala will also be happy with us and
when I was a Christian sometimes I used
to get confused as to whom I'm praying
to my friends Jesus or my friends got in
one and who is he really
I mean that time there is these
contradictions all over you know you
don't know really because you go to this
church and this priest is preaching
maybe Jesus is God and you're going in
here and they're like Jesus you know son
of God we are just getting confused so
sometimes I used to get confused I'm
like I don't know whom am i praying so
you know I just wanted I just wanted
something authentic you know thou direct
me you are praying to just God you know
just got in but alhamdulillah now all
those you know
confusion is gone it's gone because I
know that I'm praying to just one guy
and I feel like there is nothing
blocking my communication with Allah if
I want to talk to him it's just
straightforward you know I'm just if I
want to accessing for forgiveness just
treat but when I was a Christian I'm
pretty like you know I'm praying like
kind of through Jesus you know even
though that is not the Jesus that Islam
you know talks about the Prophet ISA
alaihi Salam he was a prophet of Allah
he wasn't the son of Allah as I used to
believe when I was a Christian and to
talk more to talk a little about this
negative perception about Muslims and
ideas about becoming a Muslim you know
if people human beings do not like
something regardless of how you make it
beautiful to look to them they still
would they like it and that is how Islam
is and there is there is a miracle about
Islam in such a way that Allah has made
it so beautiful in the inside and on the
outside but it takes people who reflect
people who pounder people who have a
heart a heart without I mean locks on it
to feel it to see it and to practice it
so you will only be able to feel this
Islam we are talking about only if it is
by the will of Allah that is what I can
say you cannot feel Islam and you cannot
talk good about Islam if Allah has not
put the light of Islam in your heart you
only feel it when our helps you with it
because it is only Allah who guides
people to the right path who knows these
people out there who who attached
negativity to Islam maybe one day these
people are even reverting to Islam
because a time will come that people
will be reverting to Islam and even now
people are reverting to Islam and then
was
but about this is that most of these
people who are reverting to Islam there
are the people who never liked the
religion there are the people who
actually talked bad about the religion
but al hamdulillah now most of them are
reverting to Islam and if you if you if
you talk to them you really feel that
there is a spiritual understanding to
what they are saying than the physical
aspects even though Islam talks about
physical and also in a pod
but you cannot say your process in your
religion just in any way I mean
internally it has to reflect and that is
the problem that what is having with us
now
since our religion since we are
practicing the religion
exactly as Allah tells us to do they
find problem with it and they see us to
be like extremists you know terrorists
and you know everything but at the end
it is only there were the weight of
Allah which will succeed well thank you
very much made the creator of the
heavens and earth Allah continue to
bless you and ease your journey and
reunite you with your with your family
thank you for sharing your story with us
here in addition phenomena