"Are you nuts?" a woman converts to Islam

[Uthman]

"Are you nuts?" a woman converts to Islam


Breda (ANTARA News) - Rabi'a Frank is a 31-year-old Dutch woman who converted to Islam in 1994, changing her first name from Rebecca.

She is married to a Moroccan man who grew up in the Netherlands, and they have three sons.

In 2005 she began to wear the niqab face veil and is one of about only 50 women in total to do so in the Netherlands, according to estimates by the Dutch Muslim community.

The Netherlands is home to almost 1 million Muslims, or 5.4 percent of the population -- the second highest density of Muslims after France.

Bubbly and spirited, Rabi'a spoke to Reuters in her home, where she unveiled to reveal a blonde pony tail and western clothes.

"I was young when I became interested in Islam and when you are young, nothing is strange, you just dive in. It is a bit of a cliche -- I had a Moroccan boyfriend. At first I wanted to learn more about his culture. I got out library books about
Morocco and then I got to Islam. I read about it in secret. I didn't want to give him the impression that I was doing it for him.

I first read the Koran in Dutch translation and it just got into my heart. It felt good, I could relate to it, I understood and it touched me.

"I heard of a Muslim centre in The Hague and I went there every week. Then one day the imam asked me if wanted to join some others taking their Shahadah (proclamation of faith in God). I gulped. 'Already?' I thought. I didn't think I knew enough yet, but then I agreed.

"I wore this ugly scarf I remember, I just grabbed one from the closet. After the Shahadah I couldn't stop crying. It was very emotional.

"When my mother heard of my conversion she rushed into my room screaming and crying, yelling: 'Why did you do that, what are you thinking?' It was awful. I thought to myself: 'That reaction is exactly why I didn't tell you.'

"Wearing the hijab felt like a form of liberation. Every day I had had to walk past some builders and they would whistle at me. Then the morning I walked past in my hijab they didn't.

"On the one hand I felt so happy, thinking, 'Finally, this is who I am,' but on the other hand I wanted to say 'Hey, look, I am still the same girl underneath.'

"It took me years to work out how to tie the scarf. When I first converted I took old Turkish and Moroccan women as a model. I wore those typical long coats -- and ugh -- it just wasn't me. I felt insecure especially when people said, 'Look, a
Turk with blue eyes!' I didn't know how to dress.


"Tramp" phase

"There is a joke of the 'new Muslim tramp'. You are so used to wearing jeans and caring about fashion, and suddenly you abandon these concerns and start to wear these mixed-up clothes.

Most converts go through this 'tramp' phase, I think before they find a style.

"I didn't have a lot of contact with native Muslims at first. My family-in-law thought that as I wasn't Moroccan I was no good. It took me years to prove myself to them and I think now I am the one who takes religion most seriously.

"I feel a lot of respect from native Muslim women. They think, 'wow -- you are Dutch yet you dress like that.'

"I can't really pinpoint when I first started thinking I should wear the niqab. But when I first became a Muslim I was in love with Islam. I was like a sponge, everything was Islam, Islam, Islam. After a few years that feeling became less intense yet I wanted it again -- I wanted to do something more for Allah. Seeing other women in a niqab touched something in me. I told my husband I wanted to wear it too. 'Are you nuts?' he said. He was not happy about it, but my feeling didn't go away.

"Wearing the niqab has nothing to do with being ashamed of your femininity or being oppressed. It is just a way to express more love to God.

"It is nonsense to suggest that by wearing a niqab I don't take part in society. When you walk through the streets or go shopping, how much contact do you really have even without a niqab? It is not as if you talk to everyone you meet. A woman
once said 'I can't make contact with you,' but I thought, 'well did we ever make contact before?'

"I've joked I had a gun or a bomb under my robe in my rebellion days. I still have rebellion days sometimes. I always say something back if someone makes a comment about me. Part of it is that people don't see you as human. So if you respond they
are shocked. And if that response comes in good Dutch then they are really stunned. I think I have to try and educate people a bit.

"Some people think converts are just looking for any religion. If that was so I would choose an easier one. Islam is a beautiful religion but it is not always so easy. You have to battle with yourself a lot."

http://www.antara.co.id/en/arc/2007/...erts-to-islam/

[syilla]

MashaAllah ...lovely story.

Thank you for sharing

[Nσσя'υℓ Jαииαн]

MashaAlah, may Allah bless her, Ameen. I liked this part, it's so true!

"It is nonsense to suggest that by wearing a niqab I don't take part in society. When you walk through the streets or go shopping, how much contact do you really have even without a niqab? It is not as if you talk to everyone you meet. A woman
once said 'I can't make contact with you,' but I thought, 'well did we ever make contact before?'

[NobleMuslimUK]

MashaAlah, may Allah bless her, Ameen. I liked this part, it's so true!

:sl:
Sister, and to all sisters it would be nice if you lot covered and saved us men from a lot of fitna.:-[

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[Pk_#2]

It would be nice if the brothers made a bit of dua for 'us lot'

JazakAllah khair for the article that was a wonderful read mashaAllah,

:)

AsalamuAlaykum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.

['Abd al-Baari]

:sl:

Mashallah...Jazakallah Khair for sharing

[*~Sofia~*]

good read.. jazakallah 4 sharing :statisfie

:w:

[------]

:salamext:

Allaahu Akbar! :D Really good story, Jazaak Allaah Khayr!

[Al_Imaan]

Jazak Allah for sharing...

[Nσσя'υℓ Jαииαн]

:sl:
Sister, and to all sisters it would be nice if you lot covered and saved us men from a lot of fitna.:-[

I didn't get why you said that :X...

[Encolpius]

:sl:
Sister, and to all sisters it would be nice if you lot covered and saved us men from a lot of fitna.:-[

Well, I think "us men" should be able to control our libidinous urges... and besides, what merit is there in faith if it's not tested?

[- Qatada -]

Well, I think "us men" should be able to control our libidinous urges... and besides, what merit is there in faith if it's not tested?

Yes, we should. :) And the brother made the point because it is everyones duty to be modest aswell as the duty of both genders to lower the gaze.


Regards.

[Encolpius]

Yes, we should. :) And the brother made the point because it is everyones duty to be modest aswell as the duty of both genders to lower the gaze.


Regards.

Yes, well, you'll have no problem with me in that regard. Both I and my lady friend dress from head to toe in black every day.

Make of that what you will.

[Pk_#2]

Really? cool!

I dunno what pagan is, is that a sect

Peace.

[NobleMuslimUK]

Really? cool!

I dunno what pagan is, is that a sect

Peace.

Pagans worship the sun and the moon.

[.:Umniyah:.]

BarakAllahu feek bro for sharing, nice. but why was she uncovered for the interview?

Bubbly and spirited, Rabi'a spoke to Reuters in her home, where she unveiled to reveal a blonde pony tail and western clothes.

[Encolpius]

Really? cool!

I dunno what pagan is, is that a sect

Peace.

Pagan is the dark, foreboding land that the Avatar visits in the computer game Ultima VIII from 1994 which his nemesis, the Guardian, has already conquered and subjugated.

Paganism is a catch-all term used to describe pre-Christian European religious beliefs of all stripes - be they Roman, Celtic, Greek, Norse, Slavic, or whatever. Similar African-originated beliefs are known as "Animist" but I know comparatively little about those ones.

Basically they tend to be polytheistic beliefs revolving very much around the natural world in origin. One of the reasons Christianity spread so quickly through the Roman Empire was because the early Church co-opted Pagan feast days - Christmas was originally the Roman feast of Natali Invicti which revolved around light in the dark days of midwinter and thus, metaphorically, the light of hope represented by the birth of Christ, Easter was a feast to symbolise rebirth and thus the resurrection of Jesus fits, and so forth. Hallowe'en, or All Hallows Eve, was the first day of the Pagan calendar and was the day in which the dead are remembered by a symbolic libation and originally the practice of dressing as monsters was dressing in a funereal manner to pay one's respects. The amount by which people today unwittingly practice Pagan customs is rather large, but that's another post.

Roman, Norse, Celtic, Slavic, or whatever, generally, Pagan deities and feasts tend to be fairly homologous, which leads some commentators to theorise that they must have originated from a common European belief. There are differences though that mainly can be ascribed to cultural factors.

One final thing - the days of the week. In Northern European languages they tend to be named after Norse gods, in Southern European languages, Roman gods, although with exceptions:

ENGLISH - GERMAN - FRENCH - ITALIAN - ORIGIN

Monday - Monntag - Lundi - Lunedi - The Moon (luna)
Tuesday - Dinsdag - Mardi - Martedi - Tyr/Mars (god of war)
Wednesday - Mittwoch* - Mercredi - Mercoledi - Odin/Mercury (both have roles in being the gods' messenger, though they're both quite different)
Thursday - Donnerstag - Jeudi - Giovedi - Jupiter/Thor (god associated with thunder, "Iove" or Jove is an alternate name for Jupiter)
Friday - Freitag - Vendredi - Venerdi - Freyja/Venus (god of love)
Saturday - Samstag - Samedi - Sabato** - Saturn (god of agriculture)
Sunday - Sonntag - Dimanche*** - Domenicá** - The sun (but see notes)

* = No idea why we have Mittwoch in German.
** = This is most likely due to Catholic influence in Italy.
*** = Complete exception, it's literally "rift day" - "di" "manche" as it was the division between one week and the next.

[Uthman]

:sl:

Thanks for the informative post Encolpius :)

BarakAllahu feek bro for sharing, nice. but why was she uncovered for the interview?

Bubbly and spirited, Rabi'a spoke to Reuters in her home, where she unveiled to reveal a blonde pony tail and western clothes.

I'm not sure sister. Perhaps she was being interviewed by another woman? Allah knows best.

:w:

[- Qatada -]

Encolpius, what's better - One Supreme and Perfect God or lots of different gods, who have no power to harm or benefit? Just ponder over that. :)

[.:Umniyah:.]

Encolpius, what's better - One Supreme and Perfect God or lots of different gods, who have no power to harm or benefit? Just ponder over that. :)

Whom can't hear your call when you call onto them. And even if they could they would not be able to answer you , because they too were created.

And what is better...The God who encompasses the ability to do ANY and EVErything. or a bunch of gods who are diffcient because you have to have so many to call on?

[Encolpius]

Encolpius, what's better - One Supreme and Perfect God or lots of different gods, who have no power to harm or benefit? Just ponder over that. :)

Four minutes. That must be a record for me telling people what Paganism entails grosso modo and people jumping on me to try and convert.

To my mind neither of them are better. Whether you ascribe a propitious and positive happening in your life to one omnipotent supreme being working in ways the human mind cannot possibly comprehend to stack things in your favour or to one of a pantheon of deities and his/her/its vagaries, it's all one in the end.

However, since you broached the question, I'll ask you why you believe that one single supreme God is better.

[- Qatada -]

Four minutes. That must be a record for me telling people what Paganism entails grosso modo and people jumping on me to try and convert.

To my mind neither of them are better. Whether you ascribe a propitious and positive happening in your life to one omnipotent supreme being working in ways the human mind cannot possibly comprehend to stack things in your favour or to one of a pantheon of deities and his/her/its vagaries, it's all one in the end.

However, since you broached the question, I'll ask you why you believe that one single supreme God is better.

Because the One who created us is Perfect without any flaws. Whereas the others are themselves created and can't answer your prayers whether you wanted them to or not. [i.e. stone idols etc.] They can neither harm you nor benefit you. They are simply a creation of humans, and God is not created - rather He is the Creator and Originator of all things.


However, if we were to say that there is more than One God in the heavens, then one may have a different opinion with another - they both may disagree on a certain concept, and this may cause chaos in the universe; each wanting to have power over his own dominion. This would lead to the universe being destroyed, and one would end up losing. Now if he was to lose, then that wouldn't be God since he has a weakness. And something which is weak cannot be God, since God is way above what they associate with Him, and He only does what befits His Majesty.

[Link]

Four minutes. That must be a record for me telling people what Paganism entails grosso modo and people jumping on me to try and convert.

To my mind neither of them are better. Whether you ascribe a propitious and positive happening in your life to one omnipotent supreme being working in ways the human mind cannot possibly comprehend to stack things in your favour or to one of a pantheon of deities and his/her/its vagaries, it's all one in the end.

However, since you broached the question, I'll ask you why you believe that one single supreme God is better.

Do you know of Socretes conversation with a polythiest? We believe in the light, and we believe in virtue, for the light and virtue to have real existance, there must be absolute origin for what see as the beautiful qualities. Othewise, there is no good, no evil, just feeling, no right, no wrong, and no one worthy to be worshiped, and no perfection, no ancesion. The world would be chaotic no order, which of the Gods can claim to be the perfect, to the absolute right, the absolute wise or powerful, the one to be obeyed, why there be a difference in essence or will if any of them were perfect, or truly wise and infintely knowledgable and infintely powerful and are absolutely good in their essence. We know whatever always existed is indeed infinite in essence and knowedge and power and perfection and infinite in the virtuous attributes, and that all the virtous attributes are infact one.

Jinn or aliens who have sort of amazing power in some people eyes are not Gods, nor they have authority over us, nor should we seek them for enlightenment nor should anyone mix experience with them with that of faith in the divine, be the experience with them telepathatic or not.

[Link]

btw people study socretes, he basically showed it's imposibble to believe in virtue and multiple dieties at the same time and it was logically sound argument all philisophers will testify to that.

[Link]

O and getting some things you want done through worship of jinn is not proof of jinn being Gods.

Travel left or right, go where you want, there is only one perfection and only one path of perfection, which is returning to God, in God, by God. That is to the light, in the light, by the light.

Everything else is a fancy, deviation, unbefitting of us as we have been originated on the perfect essence and everyting else other then passing away into the majestic, humans will never find tranquility in.

Take care.

[Encolpius]

But, Fi/Umniyah/Link, that still requires faith. For instance, suppose you're drowning after the boat you were on sunk and there were no other survivors, yet a helicopter came into view just before you were about to definitively go under. You might believe that a single God has saved you for whatever reason, but that still requires faith. Similarly, a polytheist could ascribe this to one of a pantheon of deities with varying dominions with the same faith.

This is why I said that it's all one to me, since believing in one God or many requires just as much faith.

The argument of universal moral standards, yes, could be seen as evidence for a single God... but in polytheistic beliefs there's generally one single deity that created Man and the others represent different facets of the Divine in general which inspired this creation to some part or another. Furthermore, from an evolutionary perspective, it implies that humans originated from a single common societal ancestor which had those standards.

I ought actually to generate a thread on this sort of thing so we can keep questions of that nature in there, but it's late and I've stuff to do...

[- Qatada -]

But, Fi/Umniyah/Link, that still requires faith. For instance, suppose you're drowning after the boat you were on sunk and there were no other survivors, yet a helicopter came into view just before you were about to definitively go under. You might believe that a single God has saved you for whatever reason, but that still requires faith. Similarly, a polytheist could ascribe this to one of a pantheon of deities with varying dominions with the same faith.

This is why I said that it's all one to me, since believing in one God or many requires just as much faith.

The argument of universal moral standards, yes, could be seen as evidence for a single God... but in polytheistic beliefs there's generally one single deity that created Man and the others represent different facets of the Divine in general which inspired this creation to some part or another. Furthermore, from an evolutionary perspective, it implies that humans originated from a single common societal ancestor which had those standards.

I ought actually to generate a thread on this sort of thing so we can keep questions of that nature in there, but it's late and I've stuff to do...

Thanks for your response :) If you believe there is only One deity who created you and sustains you, and gives you all you have - then why are you dependant upon other deities which people create through their own hands? When you are in severe need of help, do you truelly turn to these stone idols etc? Or do you turn to the One who truelly gives you life and is aware of all that you and us all do?

If you turn to the One who gives you life and all you have - then why not worship Him Alone? He is not in need of intermediaries, rather He is the All-Hearing, All Seeing.

What! Do they take for intercessors others besides Allah? Say: "Even if they have no power whatever and no intelligence?

Say: "To Allah belongs exclusively (the right to grant) intercession: to Him belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth: In the End, it is to Him that ye shall be brought back."

When Allah, the One and Only, is mentioned, the hearts of those who believe not in the Hereafter are filled with disgust and horror; but when (gods) other than He are mentioned, behold, they are filled with joy!

Say: "O Allah! Creator of the heavens and the earth! Knower of all that is hidden and open! it is Thou that wilt judge between Thy Servants in those matters about which they have differed."

[Qur'an 39: 43-46]

Think about it, the only reason why you do this is because you see this from culture. You know that your God is One, so why not worship Him Alone?

Say: "I have been forbidden to invoke those whom ye invoke besides Allah,- seeing that the Clear Signs have come to me from my Lord; and I have been commanded to bow (in Islam) to the Lord of the Worlds."

It is He Who has created you from dust then from a sperm-drop, then from a leech-like clot; then does he get you out (into the light) as a child: then lets you (grow and) reach your age of full strength; then lets you become old,- though of you there are some who die before;- and lets you reach a Term appointed; in order that ye may learn wisdom.

It is He Who gives Life and Death; and when He decides upon an affair, He says to it, "Be", and it is.

Seest thou not those that dispute concerning the Signs of Allah? How are they turned away (from Reality)?-


[Qur'an [Al-Ghafir/The Forgiving] 40: 66-9]

I really hope you ponder over this. :) Because your God is One God, and there is none worthy of worship except Him Alone. The One who created you, the One who sustains you, the One who will cause you to die, and it is Him who will ressurect us all to judge us all.


By the way, take care of yourself insha Allaah [God willing.]



Peace.

[Muezzin]

Good news in the first post.

Yes, well, you'll have no problem with me in that regard. Both I and my lady friend dress from head to toe in black every day.

Make of that what you will.

You're Goths?

[skhalid]

Enchanting story...as it says in the Quran..more and more people will follow God's religion and will join Islam.....but it is good to do that now coz once the gates have close...no more time will be given for sinners to repent and for those who want to convert to do so.....
jazakallah

[Link]

We seek the grandname that has all the beautiful names united.

Since Adam (as) knew all the names, and as hadiths say was created in God's image, he was a proof against Angels (as).

God is infact not multiple, for all the beautiful attributes unite, and all become lost in the grandname, and the grandname is only seen through faith.

This is the meaning of suratal ikhlass, Allah (swt) is the outer, all the beaufitul names represent him, but since the inward of the beautiful names is that he is single, and so this mean beautiful attributes unite and are infact single. He is single not multiple. He is outward in his inwardness and inward in his outwardness, outer leads up to inward, and inwards descends down to outward.

Mohammad (pbuh) was designated to make known God's singleness and sheer essence and that all beautiful outward beauftil attributes infact all refer to the single pure attribute of Allah (swt).

Also, by what you said, they would all be signs of God, not gods themselves, in other words, why make the creation of God equal to him?

All creation is infact sign of God, but Adam (as), Isa (as), Mohammad (pbuh), etc, are infact proofs of the fact all attributes are one attribute, so they are the "biggest sign" or the signs of God by which he is truly known.

And ofcourse God alone is infinite and is above all creation, forever will be, hence we will not call them re-incarnations of God despite them although being finite, are the light of God.

Infact, the polythiest knew these concepts, hence why Mohamamd (pbuh) was able to bring them to realize there is no point of equating creation with God but rather just realize all praise and beautiful names infact belong to God so worship God and adore God.

The true religion requires logic not go to extreme (equating creation with God) and faith so not to be falling short (disbelieving the light of God in his creation and thus having no connection to his essence).

Why don't you seek unity? why seek incomplete diversities? Infact, the way to know God is seeking unity, not diversity. The more you seek diversity, the further you will be from the blessed tree of unity, where all beaufitul names are but one.

Aside from this tawheed, their was the practical tawheed, which says to reject obedience to all others but God. Reject guidance all except from God. Hence we seek social, political, and spiritual guidance from revelation of God, and submit to no other then God.

peace

[Encolpius]

Thanks for your response If you believe there is only One deity who created you and sustains you, and gives you all you have - then why are you dependant upon other deities which people create through their own hands? When you are in severe need of help, do you truelly turn to these stone idols etc? Or do you turn to the One who truelly gives you life and is aware of all that you and us all do?

I think you misunderstood when I said "it's all one to me." I meant "it's all the same."

The thing is, the different gods in such a belief reflect not only aspects of the natural world but also different facets of one personality and as such they're neither "good" nor "evil" since those bits that, if you like, they "put into" humans can be used for both good and evil. It would be interesting to get an adherent of a Dharmic religion on here actually because I'm of the impression that there's similar things in Hinduism and Sikhism but I don't know enough about those to properly comment.

You're Goths?

Not quite; she is, but I prefer extreme metal... again, make of that what you will.