I did not heed his warning. Again I went to Mr. Fernandez; then he asked me “DID JOSEPH, MARY, THE 12 DISCIPLES WORSHIP JESUS CHRIST AS GOD, AS YOU SEVENTH DAY ADVENTISTS DO TODAY?” I turned speechless.  

I went back to our quarter in Zamboanga City, and debated with my team leader!  At that moment after our confrontation, our team leader immediately ordered me to pack up my things and leave.  That time I could not accept that I was a Muslim. My team leader and our whole group branded me that I became a Muslim and not fit to do our task in a Muslim community.   

With tears and confusion, I was forced to leave my SDA companions.  That was the turning point which led me to research Islam and eventually became a Muslim a few months later in September 1981, Isabela, Basilan, Philippines.

I pondered. The center of the Muslim world is in the Middle East! If the West and the East knew the life of the Prophets, and particularly Jesus’ life, how about in the Middle East - the birthplace of the Prophets, and where the Muslims are praying, in the House of God,… built by Abraham, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him.

There are almost two billion Muslims throughout the world, and more people are embracing Islam daily than any other religion. Why? This trend had challenged me to research history in the Middle East and the life of the last Prophet.

I had never believed that Muslims believe in God

I never thought that Muslims believe in God, as well as the above mentioned. What I had believed before was that Muslims are people who are doomed to Hellfire. Some non-Muslims believe that Muslims are like rats, a menace to a developed and peaceful society.

This might be the reason why some countries systematically carry out ethnic cleansing and deprive Muslims of basic human rights. Such state-sponsored activities were done in Bosnia, Kosova, Kashmir, Chechnya, Mindanao, and the occupied territories in Israel which originally belong to Palestinians. […]  

I embraced Islam because I found out that Islam is the true way of life (religion) prescribed by God, given to the Prophets, and the Quran is the only perfect book of God that has never been revised. I am appealing to non-Muslims to know about Islam from the Quran and authentic sayings or references written by Muslims.

Sad Reality

At the time I write this article, the population of the Philippines has reached 95 million, only 10% are Muslims. This means that more than 80 million are non-Muslims, and the majority of these non-Muslims are Christians.  Most Islamic propagators in the Philippines are driven to Muslim-Arab Countries for economic survival.  If our Arab Muslim brothers are sincere to spread the message of Islam, why don’t they send us back to our country with substantial support to propagate Islam there?

In Saudi Arabia 90% who embraced Islam are Filipinos. It is easy for the Filipinos to understand Islam because the original culture and traditions of Filipinos are rooted in Islam.  Historically, Islam came to the Philippines in 1380, almost 200 years before Christianity.

Christianity came to the Philippines on March 16, 1521. Muslims remained a minority due to incessant civil war, struggle for independence and enormous efforts and well-funded activities of Christian Missionaries. The early Christians embraced Christianity not because they love and understand Christianity.  They were forced to embrace Christianity through guns and cannons brought by the Christian Spaniards.

Personally, spreading Islam to Christians is an interesting and challenging endeavor.  Due to my background as an energetic Evangelist in SDA, I am enthusiastic in propagating Islam both publicly or privately. Alhamdulillah! I strongly believe that light is for the darkness: Likewise, the non-Muslims need Islam for them to see that light and embrace the truth.

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My name is Darrick Abdul-hakim.  I am a 20-year-old Muslim brother living in the United States.  […]

I grew up as a Christian who had a good deal of information.  I was very excited to express my Christian belief to my friends, co-workers and colleagues.  However, at the age of 17, life became a bit more complicated than before.  I began to observe my fellow Christians in more depth.  I was shocked how most didn’t practice the Christian faith to 100% expectation. 

To make matters worse, I became increasingly dissatisfied with the Biblical scriptures.  For example, the belief that Jesus claimed to be God was a church addition.  Jesus certainly never asserted that he was the God of the world. 

[…] I wondered what would happen if I were to become more religious, but that never happened and instead I left the Christian life and bid it farewell.  Not only that, but also my faith and belief in God, slipped quietly out the door.  I was now an agnostic, not knowing what faith to follow, or knowing if we are surrounded by God or not, I was just lost in a chaotic world.  I wasn’t an atheist, I was just confused about who, or what God really was. 

[…]  I began to have thoughts about the Universe whether we are really humans at all.  I began to ask why I should remain moral (I refused to drink because I felt it was a sin, interesting for someone who didn’t have a faith or believed in a God!). I began to question my own existence.  I began to contemplate whether I should be here or not and on account of this, I had seriously considered suicide.  I wanted to quit my job because I was coming under stress, by this time I was 18 years old.

Alhamdulilah, I had the comfort of friends to keep me from committing such a catastrophe.  But, I was still without a faith, life couldn’t get much better from my end, and I still didn’t know how to cope with my grandmother’s death. 

Eventually, I began to read for myself.  I ran across a book, which was discussing the world’s faiths, and I came across Islam.  I simply never had given Islam any thought at all.  On the following day, when I was on my way to work I saw a man with a copy of the Quran in his hand so I asked him if I could see it, Alhamduliah (all praise is due to Allah) he not only let me see it, he gave it to me! I was stunned, excited, and compelled.  I went to read it and was amazed by its literature; the things I didn’t notice before struck me.  It was comprehensible, and lucid for a layperson like myself. 

On September 11th, I saw the world trade centers go crashing down.  I wondered to myself, could the teachings of Islam have provoked such an act? Could Islam be this bad?

But, the more I read, the more I found out that Islam was a faith that denounced all forms of extremism.  Islam by all means is peace.  We certainly wouldn’t judge Christianity by the barbaric abortion clinic bombings, or we wouldn’t describe Judaism as an ethnic faith that just wants a Jewish world from the Israeli who assassinated the Israeli prime minister in 1995 because he felt the Prime minister was an apostate of God. Why must we do the same to Islam? 9/11 compelled me to learn more about Islam.  I bought and read a total of 10 biographies on Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him.  I was amazed by his life.  I didn’t look at Muhammad from a Christian perspective, but from a Historical, Political and cultural perspective.  After my readings into Islam, I decided to convert.  I was on a quest for the faith, and I found it.  Alhamdulilah.

Now, after my conversion, I have read a large number of books on Islam.  I still am currently reading the Biographies of Prophet Muhammad.  I can truly say that life now is much better!

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