Tara Dahane's story of Conversion to Islam

This American non-denominational Christian lady discovered Islam through her Moroccan pen pal who became her husband.

My sister was writing a boy from Morocco. This boy asked my sister if she knew of another girl that could write to his friend. My sister decided to send my pic and address to his friend without telling me, it was supposed to be a b-day surprise. Sure enough my future husband liked the pic and decided to write to me, I received his first letter Dec 90. I decided that I would give it a try since he sounded so much different than American boys. We corresponded back and forth until Aug 95 when I visited him in Morocco.

After I started corresponding with my hubby I was so interested to know about Muslim culture and countries and especially Muslim women in order to better understand my hubby. I read Islam for about 5 years before I made the first trip to Morocco. I would talk to people and they were so happy to know that I knew the history and culture of their country plus a lot about their religion. My brother-in-law remarked that I sounded like I was already a Muslim, alhamdullilah. Nov 95 we decided to get married.

Well I left Morocco and came back home without my hubby but he joined me about two months later. I remember he used to pray in the bedroom and I would sit up on the bed and watch him. It was very nice to observe. At other times I would accompany him to the mosque. I would go sit in the back of the women's masjid [mosque] and watch everyone praying and just wonder to myself what a wonderful practice! I felt so left out! Meanwhile I was still reading about Islam and suddenly one day I asked my hubby out of the blue to teach me how to pray. He was shocked and happy at the same time. He agreed to teach me how to pray and drew illustrations and at time he was very impatient but I thank him so much for enlightening me. I declared to him that the next time we go to the mosque I was ready to take shahada. And May 96 that is exactly what happened! My husband couldn't wait to call his family and everyone was so happy for me, thanks be to Allah. My family ganged up on me and immediately accused my husband of brainwashed me, how funny. And how scary, this coming from the people you love the most. But I was adamant and wouldn't leave the fold of Islam.

And how could he have done that when I had never any religion in the first place. I was calling myself non-denominational because I had never been baptized. My mom was raised a Baptist but switched to being Methodist and I never quite understood what kind of Christian my father was. Anyway, I just knew that there was one God. I didn't worship Jesus (peace be upon him), after all he was only a prophet. I prayed to God before I went to bed but i never once expected God to talk back to me. I believed that God was everywhere in His knowledge, not only in my heart, and that He was a light. I think all of this helped in my transition to becoming a Muslim. It was very easy for me! Now I feel like I really belong....