this is the de
the Chia Chia hello everyone please join
us in the dean show I'm pretty sure you
guys are going to find a good segment
tonight thank you this the the
is the
D this is the this is
the
the this is
the this is the
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the this is the is
the this is the
D this is the D
this is the dean show peace be unto you
Alum to the bang to the bang to the Bone
what do that mean now for the people
that don't understand Portuguese
Brazilian so that means what's up how's
it going how are you now I mean you just
hit home man because I've been so
excited you know I come from a
background that I've been training
Brazilian jiujitsu okay the the people
my teachers they originate from Brazil
right and some they they I mean some of
them are the nicest friendly as people
you know and they're really welcoming
and warm and you know I used to travel
there to train Brazilian jiu-jitsu and I
always wanted to and I have shared you
know with many of them the purpose of
life and trying to you know talk to them
about this but it's different when they
hear someone who's from the culture from
the background and you're Brazilian and
in a predominantly Catholic environment
now how did you how how did you end up
becoming a Muslim one who submitted to
the will of God that's what a Muslim is
and you're Brazilian how does this work
exactly you know sometimes I think you
know every time we talk about Brazil the
first thing that comes out of people's
mouth is Carnival the beaches the
surfing and I'm not going to say the
other items that tends to be the
stereotypical you know but um you know
like you said you know uh it's a
predominantly Catholic uh culture um and
mostly like I said when we say Catholic
it doesn't mean that the people
necessarily follow those those beliefs
it's more of a cultural thing and for me
growing up uh I kind of grew up in the
in the cultural side of the Catholic
faith just you know Christmas New Years
and but when it came in February
Carnival you parted up and you did
everything that you really weren't
supposed to do right and then you get
back again and you repent and you do all
the stuff again but um for me uh I think
the pivotal point in my life was when I
immigrated to the US in 1990 you know I
think uh and I actually came by myself I
remember I was 9 years old and the
startist talking to me in English I
couldn't understand a word that were
saying but for me it was this Melting
Pot this cultural shock of just coming
to the US and meeting people of
different nations and different tongues
in different colors and different
backgrounds and that was really an eye
opener for me and uh while I was in
Brazil like I said I grew up uh in a
place called H Janu Rio De Janeiro
Brazil that's where you were born you
grew up Rio de Janeiro H Janu yeah
that's why people you say it little how
do you say it
properly because the r is with the H
exactly and then usually people from Rio
we call them Kaka so if you're from Rio
I think the Brazilian audience they
probably know what I'm talking about I'm
considered a kadaka because that's kind
of like the nickname you know like say
from New Yorker New Yorker so we say I'm
a karaka I'm from Rio exactly now you
also trained Brazilian Jitsu you know
the Gracies who are the developers of
this art that came over to the United
States and had the ultimate they the
ones that developed the Ultimate
Fighting Championship and they prove
without a shadow of a doubt that it is
the most effective martial art in the
world that's how they became known you
know about you obviously know about the
Gracie yeah absolutely know um you know
growing up in Brazil you know we always
heard about the the family of Gracie the
family Gracie and um and I I did kwi I
think most people probably don't know
kwi is another traditional martial arts
that was actually started by the African
slaves uh first uh disguised as kind of
like a dance and ritual but really it
was more of a of a training technique to
protect themselves from the plantation
owners but growing up in Brazil you know
in the beach and that environment um you
know I think there's a lot of machismo
right so I did have a lot of friends who
were Jiu-Jitsu Fighters um but really
for me uh my family wanted me to do more
of the traditional tondo in capua but
when I came to the US I really got into
grappling I wrestled uh part of my
middle school year and when I joined the
Marine Corps the Marine Corps has its
own martial arts program mcmap so it's a
lot of grappling and actually talking
about the Gracie the introduced a lot of
the grappling from the Gracie family so
uh you know hickon Gracie I've seen him
a couple of times I met him in the you
met Hixon yeah for audience that doesn't
know who Hixon Gracie is you know they
they know Schwarzenegger they think
that's a real strong guy or they know
Muhammad Ali but hick and Gracie you
know in his time or even until today
he's an
undefeated martial artist martial artist
ex people don't know that he's like 400
and0 exactly yeah and I think uh it kind
of goes into um and and I know probably
the viewers you know they don't know
about the story about Rana right who was
a companion of the Prophet peace be upon
him um and this particular companion uh
he was somebody who I guess at that time
let's say he was kind of like the Hicks
and Grace if we can try to compare right
so he was somebody in the time in Arabia
that nobody can beat him down no one can
take him down and here comes you know
this undefeated ultimate wrestler
Grappler going to the Beloved Prophet
peace be upon him and challenging him
not only once not only twice but the
third time and then finally the third
time he
says meaning I witness and testified
that there's only one God and that the
prophet Muhammad is the final messenger
so I think uh when I became a Muslim and
I and I and I came across that prophetic
saying it really kind of just opened my
eyes I'm like wow it's it's an
incredible story just to see that this
man who was able to say you know what I
was knocked down and this is the prophet
of Allah but yeah I always think about
hick and Grace and I always think about
the story of Rana and uh I just it's
it's something that I can equate you
know between the two of them I know a
lot of the Brazilians they can relate if
they look into Islam a submission to the
will of God they see that it's something
rational it's logical you know many of
them have good etiquet good manners you
know good character just you know uh
nice people in general so is there what
kind of uh Muslim Outreach is there is
there I know when I was there I found a
small little mid was like 1% Muslims
there and how can we like you know do
more to help deliver the message of the
purpose of life you know to the people
in that in in that part of the world
yeah Brazil is a very big country and
it's actually part of the acronym brick
uh which a British Economist actually
came up with that terminology so Brazil
Russia India and China so it's a it's a
country that's developing very fast and
I don't know I don't know if the viewers
know you know but actually in 2014 the
World Cup is going to be in Brazil and
in 2016 the Olympics so there's a lot of
Muslims Brazilian Muslims like myself
there a l Brazilian that are accepting
Islam especially in the city of s Paulo
uh because there's a big Lebanese
community in Brazil uh and through those
immigrants who came obviously they
bought in Islam but you do have a lot of
people accepting Islam and real the
problem is you know you have a beach
culture a beach environment and uh and
it kind of tends to be more of a
challenge you know how do you go ahead
and present this beautiful way of life
but Brazilians are very down toe they're
loving people they're very friendly and
I'm pretty sure you know that already
and I think uh as part of my culture
that's what it is you know we say we're
Amigos we're friends and they're very
hospitable people as well and I think
this is part of the nature of the people
there maybe has something to do the
tropical climate but uh when I went
there a couple of times you know to
visit my family to go to business uh you
know the first thing when they see they
see the beard you know they see the the
Hat the kfy and they think oh you know
you're Arab and you know but they see it
in a in a friendly way and then usually
know there's a lot of stereotypes which
they're called pronos so usually have to
break away those stereotypes and once
you break away those stereotypes they're
like w I didn't even know that I don't
know that I don't know that Muslims
believe in Jesus that you know there's a
chapter in the Quran called you know
medium the chapter of Mary we didn't
know that Abraham Moses these are all
prophetic you know prophets that God
sent to humanity so once you start
explaining to them these things it's
really an eye opening because
unfortunately the media there just like
anywhere you know they give a lot of
false claims about Islam so I think once
you start addressing the real issues
then the people say I want more I want
more so and then that's when you really
you know begin the work of of Da of
propagating Islam the creator of the
heavens and the Earth the one God the
same God that Jesus worshiped Abraham
Moses the Creator who created creation
you know through his last and final
messenger we know that is a saying that
if you're not thankful to the people
you're not thankful to God so I know
myself I'm very thankful to this family
the Gracie family that I got to benefit
and learn this art that I'm getting to
pass on to others teaching people how to
defend themselves in certain situations
you know uh training living a healthy
lifestyle they even called it Gracie
diet wonderful people and I you know to
give back you I can give them let's say
money or you know give them a house a
car you know these material things that
you know they'll perish you know at the
end but I feel the greatest gift that we
can give is to share this message of
Peace purpose Islam if we can share it
with them so hopefully some of them you
know are tuning in I'm I'm good friends
with a lot of them and alhamdulillah
thanks is to the creater that I got a
Brazilian Muslim on the show so let's
dwell into this before we go to break
you know uh uh beach volleyball and at
the beach drinking and all these other
parties and all that stuff but you know
most people it's not satisfying to the
soul you know what I mean just chasing
Your Lust and desires you were living
that like Carnival and you know just
that freestyle lifestyle you know why is
it important to think to ponder about
purpose of life why have I been created
I'm going to die soon where am I going
when I die you thought about these
questions absolutely all the time the
time that I grew up in Brazil and Rio uh
there was a lot of violence and I know
you've been to Rio and the thing about
Rio is that you know you have the
richest of places and poverty is right
in your face Eddie you know you have the
faelas the slums and growing up in this
economical Injustice you know you saw a
lot of hostility so growing up I
remember times in Brazil I didn't have
the you know the pretty yellow bus I had
a walk to school you know actually close
to 2 miles up a hill and uh there was a
time a season where you know just like
maybe you're driving down the road and
you see a dead squirrel but there was
times that you know as a young man as a
young boy I saw a lot of dead people in
the street because the violence was so
so strong and I think seeing that as a
young child seeing that wow you know
this this physical state it's going to
it's going to die one day I'm not going
to be here so at a very young age you
know being you know seen death like that
right in front of your face I've always
asked you know you know what's the
purpose of life why am I here and and
and I think that's something that from
the very beginning God was already
calling me was already you know calling
me to this straight path to this way of
life and uh and it's something that a
lot of Brazilians you know at that time
even now there's still a lot of violence
um but as things are changing you know
uh as anywhere it's becoming
materialistic but you still have people
who are are humble who are down to earth
and they know that all this material
having fun caraval enjoying all the the
beach life you know I think after a
point you kind of say I did everything
and that was the situation with me you
know I did everything at a young age I
experienced everything and after that
you say what else and I think once you
hit that point you know that's when
there's a void and you start saying wow
you know what else I have done
everything what else do I do and then
for me it was you know a near life
experience and like I said from a very
young age you know seeing death and and
going through a near death experience I
think is something that kind of woke me
up and choked me up and say you know I
need to find what's the purpose of life
I need to go ahead and and discover who
is the creator of the heavens and earth
and I began that journey I begin that
journey and all praise be to God um I'm
here and I'm grateful to be a Muslim uh
and and and most importantly being
grateful to be in a country where we
have freedom of Rel religion and even
though I never had the privilege prior
to Islam to know a Muslim you know I
read about makx shab and just reading
his autobiography especially when when
he went to Mecca and he said I sit next
to my brother with the blonde hair and
blue eyes you know it always gives me
the Goosebumps because it's just an
amazing story and ever since I read that
autobiography I wanted more I wanted
more and then uh you know eventually I
think the main thing that caught my
attention was a PBS program was you know
getting da from a a a public
broadcasting station I don't know if you
ever heard of the Religion and Ethics
program in PBS so I was actually
watching a program uh with Michael wolf
who was a Muslim convert he did a lot of
beautiful production American broadcast
American broadcast exactly and uh in
this particular show it was a story
about two Americans who accepted Islam
and I remember Sunday morning sitting
there and watching this program and
being like wow I want to I want to
follow that way of life I want to
experience that peace that they're
experiencing and I remember the next St
you know college guy in in New Jersey at
that time and obviously all tatted up
and I remember I went to to school and
and that's when I actually made the
decision to go to the Muslim Student
Association in monair State University
and and meet the Muslims we're going to
continue on with your story and we're
going to start giving some evidence
because Islam is not something that just
overtakes you and you get full of
something and you have this mystical
experience Islam is calling you the
Creator is calling you to reflect and
think and is based this truth is based
on proof on evidence is that right
that's right and we're going to dig some
more tell them something Portuguese we
be right
back everybody deep down they believe
that there is a God yeah and as much as
they deny
[Music]
it if God exists and he does if God
sends prophets and he does if God
reveals books and he does should he not
tell me how to live my life doesn't that
make
[Music]
sense they feel more secure and safe now
inside the religion of Islam than they
ever felt out in the
[Music]
streets but the best way to bring true
profound happiness true profound peace
true profound Tranquility is by
following the guidance that God has
given see for yourself what Islam has to
say because it really is the path to
happiness and Truth in life it comes to
you the truth and the attribute of the
one who created you that he's one and
alone running this universe that he
doesn't become born he doesn't die he
doesn't eat then go to the bathroom this
is not God you got problems here it
doesn't make sense who is Jesus
worshiping because this recorded in the
gospel despite all of the other issues
about the gospels we put those aside we
just say it's mentioned there that Jesus
[Music]
stand I am not afraid to stand alone if
Li by I am not afraid to stand
alone I am not afraid to stand alone if
Lies by I am not afraid to stand
alone I am not afraid to stand alone if
a Lies by I am not afraid of stand
alone show welcome back to the dean show
hey man what's going on we starting
again without me man alhamdulillah
listen now okay partying is getting
played out you know you've had all the
money and you've had all this Fame and
many people they're chasing these vain
Pursuits but death comes it's a reality
you know it it's a party stumper you
just don't want to talk about it but
we're all going to die and there's a
purpose to life and the one who
organized life there is a Creator I mean
most Brazilians don't they believe that
you know what this whole universe and
everything in it didn't just happen by
chance absolutely absolutely I mean U
and that's something that um in my
culture and the way I grew up you know
uh an open society and and and being
taught to respect people of different
backgrounds I mean um you do overall you
Brazilians tend to be aware and Keen
about the spirituality you know you know
they talk about the spirituality of life
and you know the purpose of life and you
know what is the afterlife you know
that's something that you have a lot of
Brazilians who actually you know look
into that subject about they Hereafter
afterlife you obviously we don't believe
in reincarnation but we do know that we
will be resurrected by our creator and
we will face what they say in Portuguese
G's you know Judgment Day so you do have
a lot of Brazilians who believe in that
and obviously as Muslims we know that
our Creator Allah God that we will be
before our creator on the day of
judgment so tell us now design obviously
indicates a designer and we're
intelligent human beings so we know that
there has to be someone who's
responsible everything that's the
Creator right so now what was it you
believed in a Creator you partied your
life at one point you were partying
having a good time and now you're like
okay I got to figure out the purpose of
life death came into equation you're
like I'm going to die but to figure this
out before I die and then what what was
it about this way of life Islam
submission to the will of God that
captivated your attention even more so
the evidences the proofs so the
Brazilian whoever else in the world he's
like I need some proof I don't want to
follow organized religion organized by
man or men I want to I want to uh follow
a way of life that is from the Creator
Not a Human Being absolutely and you
know what these are all important
questions and even myself before
becoming a Muslim meaning one who
submits to the will of God how do you
say that in Portuguese musu musu Muslim
and what how do you translate
uh kingad one who submits to God that's
it okay that's it mm so you know I had
all those Concepts and I went to an
Episcopal boarding school in buaron
Florida and and obviously you know
having to go to Chapel three times a day
um and having gone to like a religious
type School in Episcopalian which is a
sect of Christianity um and and and
being um always learning learning the
scripture and trying to understand the
scripture um you know whatever variation
whatever language I always wanted to
understand the scripture and I think for
me uh after I had my medical discharge
from the Marine Corps and going through
a difficult experience during my
training a NE death experience I think
that really was an eye opener and when I
moved back to New Jersey and I went to
college and uh studying anthropology I
think that was another way of learning
different cultures learning different
languages and in one particular course
we studied what called you know the
cultures of the Middle East and in that
particular course you know I really
learned a lot about what is the Middle
East and what are the different cultures
and obviously Islam there's a lot of
Muslims in the Middle East and when I
begin to search and watching that
program on PBS I think you know to those
people who say well I don't want to
follow organized religion but I'll tell
you something I never planned I never
wrote down in my agenda that in 2004
November of 2004 a college student I was
going to go to the Muslim Student
Association and that I was going to go
there and become a Muslim cuz the way it
happened is you know here I am Philipe
Mahin Felipe Martins you know a guy from
H Jan Brazil here I am
and for me it happened as if like it was
the will of God like it was something
that that was the will of God and and
and sometimes people they want something
tangible right they want something that
they can feel and the feeling that I had
is like going there and and seeing the
Muslims and being welcome and I'll tell
you Eddie I never knew what the word
shahada was which for your viewers I
don't know if they know the Declaration
of Faith but everything that a Muslim
believed I already believed I believed
in the one God the creator of the
heavens and earth because I'll tell you
when my grandmother had the image of
Jesus peace be upon him as a blond hair
blueeyed fair skin not that there's
anything wrong with that you know these
are just the pigmentation of your skin
but that was the image of what my
grandmother told me that's God and as a
young young child imagine I say how can
God be a created thing and I remember
when I would ask that the priest would
just say we have to have faith you know
how do I have to go to you to seek
forgiveness and I seek the forgiveness
from the one who created you and I so as
a young child I think that's something
that's called the F it's a Nate and when
I went to to the Muslim student ass
assciation I already had those beliefs
so for me it was a desire to go back to
something that I was I was already part
of and I remember one of the brothers
you know he said well you should take
your shahada but I remember Eddie I said
you know what I went to shahada where's
the shahada you know Haven been in a
fraternity I said okay where's the
ritual but it wasn't no dunking in the
water or doing some crazy ritual it was
just sincerely declaring that I bear
witness and testified that there's only
one Dy wor your worship which we say
Allah in Arabic and that the prophet
Muhammad peace be upon Him is the final
messenger and I believe that especially
after I read the book I I believe you
covered it in one of your shows the 100
most influential people uh in history
and I read that as a student and I was
amazed by the character of Muhammad
peace be upon him and having been in the
military not only from the military
aspect from a statement a father and
just seeing this wonderful man and I
think you know that was another way that
really caught my attention reading about
the who is the prophet Muhammad and that
really opened up so much doors for me
just to to say I want to emulate and
follow in his footsteps now what was at
the end so you took this step forward
you found out that Islam was trueth
based on proof and then you took the
shahada you declared that there's
nothing worthy of worship except the
creator of the heavens in the earth and
Muhammad is the last and final messenger
your relationship with Jesus did it get
cut off it didn't get it didn't get cut
off if anything it became more clear and
evident because Jesus himself never
proclaimed nor did he ever say because
obviously nowadays no one speaks Aramaic
no one speaks the actual language and
obviously Bible comes from the Greek
word biblios so uh just to make a long
story short you know after studying
extensively and I wanted to become a
pastor I wanted to actually go into that
route so I began to read a lot at a very
young age all the different versions of
the Bible but if anything it made it
more clear and crystalline understanding
that Jesus the son of Mary whom Allah
sent to this Earth for the people at
that time was a way for people to be
guided to the Right Way in that
particular time and place and that the
prophet Muhammad is the final he's
called the he's the Seal of the prophets
if anything it made it much more clear
um and I think it's you can't just
blindf follow anything you have to seek
the truth and seek knowledge and and be
objective and try to understand because
once you really are sincere God will
guide you to the right way we're going
to come back with more to wrap it up
here on the dean show don't go
nowhere on the outside everything looks
good you see the $100,000 CS you see a
lot of diamonds you see a lot of females
and they think that this is you know
this is a life this is this is like you
know Paradise right here on
Earth it's not anyone's job to go into
someone's heart and change their heart
your job is to tell people what the
truth is in the reality of it is while
we're sitting here while I'm sitting
here constantly paying for the disease
The Cure was
[Music]
free and if we're going to worship
something I figured I might as well
worship the Creator instead of any of
the
Creations now in upon investigating all
the religions I remember finding out the
meaning of what Islam is what a Muslim
is those who surrender theirself to God
is a Muslim those who surrender submit
to God God's will that is it Islam was
pure it was just you just pray to God
your
creator I am not afraid of
Al I am not AF afid to stand alone if a
li by I am not afraid to stand
alone I am not afraid to stand alone if
Li by I am not afraid to stand
alone I am not afraid to stand alone if
Li I am not afraid to stand
[Music]
alone back back here on the dean show
with Felipe Felipe Felipe to the Bone to
the all right and we are reaching out to
all of humanity especially the people
that really dear to my heart the
Brazilians and we know about the Gracie
family Hixon Gracie Hoy Gracie I was
just with the uh Gracie uh who father
brought the Ultimate Fighting
Championship here Henry Gracie and we
trying to Carlos Gracie Jr it's my
teacher Marcio fosa so many people to to
mention henzo Gracie you know henzo
Gracie and so many of the Gracies that I
really you know uh love dearly and we
really want to share this purpose of
life with them so continue on we're
almost out of time so again helping
people such as themselves who are
successful and they have so much and why
do you feel it's important like you did
to to stop and reflect that look I
should be thankful to God the Creator
who who created me and you mention we
mentioned Jesus many people are
connected to Jesus but as a as a Muslim
that didn't cut your connection out but
there's confusion over this man but
Islam cleared it up that Jesus was a
mighty messenger of God never did he
ever say he was godre right he called
people to worship God absolutely and
from there you you you you figured out
that this has to be the truth so give us
some other things that you feel that
they can relate to from your experiences
that will help them along the way to at
least you know stop and reflect and look
into this some more investigate this
form an investigation look into the
Quran theom word of God and do some
homework absolutely and kind of just
going back to it you know at that at
that particular point in my life Eddie
when when I was searching for the truth
I was searching for uh what is the right
way and what's my purpose of life and I
think you know um everybody you know at
one point or another um you always
Ponder and you say you know what you
know you think about a ticket the
boarding pass and you know that the
boarding pass there's a time of
departure and I I I I say that to my
Brazilian uhon and and Brethren my
brothers and sisters and in humanity
that you know what we have this
departure ticket and we have a departure
time and all of us will face that
particular particular time but we don't
know when so I think is we have to
prepare and in preparing that in this
wonderful way of life it's a way of life
that brings success not only in this
life but God willing in the here after
after and it's a way of life that brings
about so many good
things good things things that will make
you a better person a better father
brother son the brother husband whatever
it is if you're a professor in jiujitsu
it's going to make you a a better
professor in jiujitsu if you're a
competitor in Jiu-Jitsu it's going to
make you a better competitor in
Jiu-Jitsu and I say that because I find
that now that I'm a Muslim and things
are so much clearer right I'm not
chained I'm not enslaved by what culture
and what Society wants you to be because
if you become slaved by what Society
wants you to be you're never going to
fully evolve as a human being and that's
what I wanted to do I don't want to be
en Shackled by what Society wanted me to
be how I have to look what kind of car I
have to have how much money God doesn't
care if you have one cent or a billion
dollars in the bank or if you drive a
Ferrari or a hoopie as we say in my neck
of the woods so it's more about who you
are as a person who you are as a human
being before we leave just in Portuguese
break down some of the the the main
crust of the matter of Islam I we can
expound on this for so long but we only
have like I give you like 30 a minute in
Portuguese and then just break it down
summarize in English go ahead talk
now what' you say briefly just real
quick basically just saying that Islam
is a way of life it's it's a way that
brings about success and it's the
message that all the prophets from Adam
Abraham Noah Jesus the son of Mary and
the last prophet Muhammad it's a way of
life that it brings about success and
it's a way of life that for sure it's
going to make you a better human being
thank you very much God Almighty the
Creator Allah reward you for being with
us thank you so much and that was it
another episode of the dean show when
you die and we will all die and there's
only a few things that follow us to the
Grave I'm telling you right now this is
the truth this is the truth your family
will follow you and your wealth will
follow you and then your actions what
you did in this life but the only thing
that's going to carry on over with you
to the next life are your actions your
wealth and your material Goods stay
behind and the only thing that you can
take with you are your action and the
best action that you can have in this
life is to work to please your creator
before you meet him to worship the
Creator and not his creation not to
worship Jesus not to worship Moses
Muhammad but to worship The God Who
created this whole universe and
everything in it the same God that Jesus
worshiped the same God that all of
mankind profess that created this
creation that's the one God so now is
the chance to reflect why have I been
created where am I going when I die and
now is the time to beseech to ask to ask
the Creator for guidance before it's
done and then you got the hell fire in
front of you and Paradise now you can't
extend your hand for Paradise if you
didn't work for it so work right now
hard in this life to be the best that
you can be following God's game plan not
your desires so we hope you got the
benefit 1800 662 Islam and read this
book the Quran pick it up read it you
read everything else we'll see you next
time peace be unto
[Music]
you the
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