According to Astan News, the young Greek teacher who converted to Islam was influenced by his Muslim students.
"I grew up in a Christian religious family and I always had questions which I did not find answers to," Gracious, 34, from Philadelphia, said about changing his religion.
"Many students in my schools are Muslim immigrants, and my interactions with them opened the window toward facts and realities for me", he continued.
Stating that the lifestyle and behavior of these children taught him a great lesson, the Muslim convert added, "This friendly relationship with the students brought me a lot of advantages and made me familiar with the religion of Islam and the Shia in particular.”
"With respect that most of these immigrants have migrated illegally to Greece, they live in difficult conditions yet they keep trying to learn," said Gracious.
The Greek young man emphasized, “This effort is rooted in their deep inner religious beliefs and their faith in God, the One for whom they perform prayer every day to talk with, and fast in the hot and long days of the summer.”
Noting that Christians have a specific day and place to speak with God and pray, he added, "But Muslims do not have special time or place to worship, unlike Christians who worship only in the church, and they can supplicate with God at any moment and this is the greatest advantage of Islam.”
"I believe Islam is a peaceful religion and tries to have a good relationship with all", the Greek teacher stated.
He expressed satisfaction that the Greek government has promised to construct a mosque in Greece, and added, “Despite the opposition of the Greek Orthodox Church, I hope that the doors of the mosque will be opened to the Greek Muslims in the future.”
"I'm glad that on such a day and place I converted to Shia Islam. I ask Imam Reza (A.S.) for a beautiful and peaceful life," he said.
Noting that today the extensive control of media over the world does not allow for keeping in contact with other countries, Muhammad Jawad Hasheminejad said, “The imperialist-run media do not allow people to have good relations with each other; yet, the same media have enabled the people of countries to communicate with each other and learn about one another’s culture.”
He stressed that in this turbulent space, the media can be an effective means of showing the facts to other countries and revealing the reality of Islam to all.
It is notable that at the end of the ceremony, a volume of Qur’an and several religious books were donated to this Muslim convert by the Management of the Non-Iranian Pilgrims of Astan Quds Razavi.
MS/PR
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