[Music] what was the thing that

made you question your beliefs

how did 9 11 affect your life how
did your family and the people
around you react to your
conversion to Islam I was a
missionary I grew up in a place
called the Bible Belt which there's
more churches than there are
McDonald's and he looked at me
he stuck his finger in my face and
he says you're a Muslim man I
returned the finger and I said no
I'm not a Muslim my name and
that word will never be connected
he says the FBI is here what have
you done you've brought the most
shame to our family what have you
done and the guy puts a
Kalashnikov the two people that
were with me they just hit the
 ground I looked and I said the
American Muslim revert I'm 43
years old I live in south Mississippi
I have a farm I'm a farmer I've
been a Muslim since since 1998 99
somewhere right around there I
lived in Saudi Arabia moved there
when I was 20. I lived there for 10
years after that I moved back to the
United States where I live now
what was the thing that made you
question your beliefs so I was a
Southern Baptist Christian I grew
up in a place called the Bible Belt
which there's more churches than
there are McDonald's I studied the
Bible I was a youth Minister I was
a missionary I served in a mission
in Guatemala a time when I exited
Christianity I was a youth Minister
and a Southern Baptist Church
that's how it pretty much led me to
here how did you first hear about
Islam I was in high school and I
learned about they they taught us
all the different religions Hinduism
Judaism Christianity and Islam of
course it was slanted the people
that were teaching it were all
Southern Baptists like me which
they were not going to give the
whole truth but thank God that the
you know the test that we had it
gave the five pillars of Islam it told
us that Muhammad peace be upon
him was the prophet of course
when it was taught to me it was
like well this is what they believe
and that was from when Abraham
left Ishmael in the desert Isaac was
the one that was to carry the
prophethood that was the way it
 was explained but they did give a
good picture of Islam there was
nothing mentioned that would
damage the religion it was just
saying well that's for them and this
is for us what was the thing that
made you question your beliefs So
reading the Bible in the New
Testament studying Jesus
peacefully upon him with the
Christian belief that Jesus was God
and he was also the Son of God
that's what took me away because
he never said I'm your God pray to
me it came later on with the
Apostle Paul or Saul and also in
the Book of Matthew there is a
place where he was with three of
the we'll say sahaba he was with
the three of the Apostles and he
was going into a garden where he
 told these these three he says wait
here because if they find me they'll
kill me that was a very human trait
that's something that if a God was
saying something like that it would
be like I don't care what you do I'm
going to go here I'm not worried so
at least that was the thing that I
knew was true and then I prayed to
God alone and that was the I say
evolution of how I became Muslim
can you tell us about your journey
from from Christianity to Islam I'll
tell you the story how it happened I
had to have been 19 probably right
around 20. I was driving to church
I was going to teach my youth
ministry which they were from 15
to 18 that was that was the age
group that I was teaching I was at
war with myself like I needed God
 I needed him in my life I needed
the right path to God I was sitting
there I had my Wrigley spearmint
chewing gum in my mouth I was
chewing and I'm driving my Ford
F-150 down a highway in
Mississippi going to church I said
Okay God please show me the way
show me this path that you want
me to be in show me the truth I
need it now you know please God
please give it to me and just in my
mind I said you know what I'm
going to take this gum and I'm not
going to look and I'm going to
throw it and I said if it goes out
that window then I'm no longer
going to believe in Jesus as God
and I'm just going to pray to God
so I threw that piece of chewing
gum and then I turned my head and
 I looked I looked down I looked
down I pulled over on the side of
the highway I got out I walked
around the truck I opened the door
I searched I searched low the gum
was gone got back in the truck and
I passed right by the church so so
after this event had taken place I
met someone that I had knew when
I was in college studying he's from
Saudi Arabia his name's Ali Al
gombdi he's from the very southern
tip of Saudi Arabia a place called
bisha we had met up he asked me
he says what's your religion and I
told him I said I'm without religion
he says what do you mean what's
this there's no such thing as
without religion what do you
believe I said well I pray to God
and he says okay he said so are you
 a Christian I said no I'm not a
Christian he said well what do you
think Jesus peace be upon Him is I
said he's a prophet he's a man just
like me and you he says so he's not
the Son of God and I said no he's a
man he's a prophet he delivered a
word and he delivered a message
and you know I believe what he
came what he said was true and he
said okay he says well what do you
think about the prophet
Muhammad peace be upon him
and I said well he says do you
think he's a prophet I said yeah I do
I said I think he's a prophet he had
a word also but I don't believe that
was for me I believe that it was for
a different group of people and he
looked at me and he stuck his
finger in my face and he says
 you're a Muslim man and then I
returned the finger and I said no I
said I'm not a Muslim and my
name and that word will never be
connected so that day there was
something inside me it was like a
DOT there was some type of dot
that had been put in my heart so
back in the day I had my old
Packer Bell you know it was not
many people know what a Packard
Bell is today they don't exist and so
I would I would go on there and I
would ask Jeeves which Jeeves
was the the Google of today back
then so I would go and ask Jeeves
just type in Islamic topics one day
I'd come home from work and I
was you know just just following
my normal routine come home
from work take off my shoes and
everything get comfortable and sat
down at my computer you know
what is Islam you know give the
five pillars of Islam when I read
them for some reason I I read and I
said I believe that and then I read
you know make Hajj you know to
fast to face a cut to pray every
pillar that I read it was like
something had opened I can't
explain it it was like if my heart
was being painted or a light was
opening inside me then once I had
finished reading all the Five Pillars
I knew that I couldn't go any other
direction that was the only
direction that I could go and there
was a link to it said how to be
Muslim so I clicked that link and
there was a small PDF that opened
up I'm holding this piece of paper
 and then I went to the bathroom I
took my shahada and a bathroom
by myself I went in the bathroom I
washed myself in the bathroom and
then from that point I started
praying and your family how was
their reaction so one day I was
praying and I forgot to lock the
door the door opens and Ali he
comes in he says oh hey he's what
are you doing and I'm I'm standing
in prayer he walks away and then I
finish prayer and I quietly I I kind
of tiptoed in the living room there
and he's sitting on the couch he
says are you making fun of me he
says you're making fun of my
religion and I sat down beside him
and I sat there and I said Ali I said
I have something I need to tell you
and I said I'm Muslim I took my
 shahada and subhanallah this guy
it's like he took his shahada that
day we weren't on the best of paths
you know and that in those days
we we did things we weren't
supposed to and that day was when
this group of all of the Saudi
shabab there were they it was like
they become Muslim they they
wanted to be good because they
saw me and they wanted to be
good examples at that time Ali he
says well we have to go to the
mosque you have you been to the
mosque I said no I don't know I
don't know anything about the
mosque he says so we have to go
to the mall store that Friday that
Juma was a homecoming I was
hugged and kissed and picked up
and you know shown off and taken
 to this one and taken to that one
invited for dinners for days I
probably didn't spend money after
that for two months because they
all wanted me to eat in their home
and it was the most beautiful thing
was when I first went to that
mosque there in Pensacola just it
was it was a wonderful time so my
grandfather had had a heart attack
he was in the hospital and I had I
had driven back from Pensacola
Florida where I was living to be
there with him in the hospitals we
have a waiting room and there's a
telephone there and there's always
someone sitting near that phone
answering for all the families that
for people are having surgeries so I
was sitting there and my brothers
in Islam knew that I was you know
 my grandfather was ill and there
was a Saudi brother his name was
Muhammad letebe sitting there in
the phone rings and my aunt which
is she's the loudest one in her
family her voice carries for for
Miles phone rings she grabs the
phone I didn't know the
conversation I'm just assuming
what he told her was uh is harun
there and then my aunt Haroon
Haroon is there a harun here harun
family and I'm just kind of I sink
down in my chair and then
Muhammad he tells oh wait Carly
Carly is is cuddly there and then of
my aunt's curious now she's
wondering so I hear huh Carly
Islam so Islam huh she does that
and she she passes the phone to me
and I'm yes hello so at that point
 my whole family found out all at
once they all knew and the answer
the response was huh you know it
was very simple what was the
major change for you after
becoming a Muslim so the sale
helgamdi he told me he says okay
he says you're Muslim now he says
I have a company you're going to
do good in Saudi Arabia come to
Saudi and uh let's let's work I
moved there to Saudi Arabia
immediately when I got there Salah
had taken me to a place in the
place it's called jubail Saudi Arabia
it's Marcus de jeliott dawa Center
they educated me and I learned
from some of the best people there
you know I just sat back and
watched and just telling my story
you know we would be in front of
a group of 2 000 people just talking
you know we'd be telling telling
them how we embraced Islam they
just love to sit and to listen to what
we had to say that was how I got to
Saudi can you tell us about an
unforgettable event that happened
in the dawa Center there was it was
a prayer time and I was coming
there to the dawa Center so you
have in front of the Masjid there's a
bathroom and then right after there
there's a big open area and then
you can go inside the Masjid and
then you have upstairs the Daiwa
Center and all so I came walking
up and there were three people
standing there three from India I
could tell they were Hindu from
the gold rings that they were
wearing the gold necklaces so I
 walked up and I said oh I said do
you need some help they pointed
they said oh this place is for
Muslims only I mean I told him no
I said it's it's for anyone anyone
can come inside it's a dawa Center
you know that's basically we you
know propagating the religion of
Islam and he says no no it says
Muslims only and then I looked
and up on the where the bathroom
it says Muslims only and I said oh
that that's for the bathroom and I
don't even know why that's there
that shouldn't be there I said you
can come inside and see the place
he says no no no no this is for
Muslims only we're not going in so
there was a bucket of water that
was connected to the air
conditioner catching the
condensation the water the flowers
so I took that bucket of water and I
dumped it in the flowers I turned it
upside down and I stood on top of
it I pulled that sign Muslims only
off of it then I set the sign in that
bucket and set it back where it was
and they thought like we're going
to jail we're all going to jail we're
done and I was like no no no wait
wait wait don't run come come
back come please please there was
when uh one Saudi guy there he's
like oh what did you do what
happened I said just just stay away
just wait I'll talk to you later I
brought these three guys in the
mosque and they were terrified you
could just see the whites of their
eyes they were so scared to be
inside there and I said okay look I
said we're fixing to pray I said y'all
sit back here watch what we do
then I'm gonna be back I'll talk to
you you know after prayer got
there got all my guys all my
Indians on pakistanis and Filipinos
we all sat there in our Circle we
got they were bringing books for
them and everything in their
language we got to talking to them
and telling them you know the
basis of our religion two of those
Brothers they both embraced Islam
on the spot they they prayed the
next prayer we went to eat we had
we had you know we ate together
but the third one he uh you know
he he was hesitant and I felt from
him he was there he knew what we
were saying was true but I felt
there was something else holding
him back so about two days passed
and I went to his labor camp and
this labor camp is just a bunch of
men living in a place shared
accommodations shared bathrooms
not the best of living conditions
and I went there to him he was in
one room with probably about five
or six other people they were all
Hindu they were all looking at me
and I'm you know talking about
Islam and everything and then
they're all looking at him and
they're saying like what do you you
know what are you doing so at that
point I knew what was going on
with him is that he was afraid what
they were going to say or what
they were going to do so we left
that night took him out to eat and
everything and then he took a
 shahada that night but he said I
can't tell anyone and the brothers
around me at that time they said it's
okay no problem you keep it in
your heart until you feel that you're
safe that you can you can come out
and you can tell people I told him I
did the same thing you know I
didn't know that I wasn't supposed
felt bad when I had when I
embraced and I didn't tell people
because I felt I believed something
so strongly that I need to tell it I
was just afraid that I had the same
fear that he did he got the good
advice he got the right way and
that's the first three inshallah from
from those three you never know
you know you don't know what's
coming from them it's like a tree
those three could be millions in the
future how did 9 11 affect your life
and what kind of difficulties have
you experienced as an American
Muslim at that time that was a that
was a very difficult time I was out
working I was doing my job and I I
had no idea that what was
happening I received a call on my
cell phone it was one of my
brothers his name's Rashid khatib
he called me he said are you okay
and I told him I said I I don't know
why and I at that point I started
getting afraid he told me he says
you don't know what happened I
told him no I said I I don't I don't
know what happened I said just
please tell me quickly he said your
country's been attacked is your
family okay okay I told him I said
no I said I don't know what what's
 going on what happened he says
the world Towers have been
attacked and the Pentagon also has
been attacked and he says where
are you and I said I'm right here at
this place and he drove to me it
was a moment that uh you know
there was no sense in it there was it
was something that happened that
was so atrocious that damaged us
so greatly and it was a moment that
when you know when he told me
he says are you okay and is your
family okay it was it was terrifying
and then I started to think like all
of the people the children that were
inside there was there was a
daycare center inside there for the
people that worked there after he
took me he took me home he he
made me he said you're staying
 with me for a few days he's
because we did we had no idea
what was happening we didn't
know where it was coming from
we didn't know what was going to
happen next I received a phone call
from my brother and he said to me
he says what have you done and I
said wait hold on a minute what do
you mean he says you've brought
the most shame to our family then
anything what have you done and I
said Jamie I said wait a second I
said hold on I said what's happened
he says the FBI is here they've
come here and they're asking
questions about you and I said
okay I said there's just rest assured
there's nothing I've done nothing
wrong he says you run away from
the United States and you ran to
 this terrorist group I said just
please calm down I said give me
the telephone number of the FBI
agent I'm going to call them and
I'm going to get this straightened
out so what had happened is the
FBI agent went to my grandfather
that I spoke of earlier when the FBI
agent knocked on the door holed
up their badges to an old man like
that with already a pre-existing
condition he had to go to the
hospital they had to rush him to the
emergency room because he hit the
floor I got the number of this FBI
agent I called it up and I was
infuriated I was so angry at that
point and I had got on the phone
with with him and I said yes I said
this is Carly Dodgeville I heard
that you're looking for me he says
 oh yes Mr Dodger where are you
we've been searching everywhere
for you and I told him I said well
you being the FBI if you have any
sense you'll contact the consulate
where I'm registered and I'm living
here in Saudi Arabia I'm not hiding
from anyone he says well we need
to talk to you we've been searching
for you and we need to ask you
some questions and I said okay I
said but first if you go to another
family member of mine when I get
back to the United States I will find
you I will come to you where you
are at in your office and I will
teach you a lesson you'll never
forget he said do you understand
you're threatening me I said yes I
understand that I said I am
threatening you I said you will not
 go to another family member
friend or anyone else that is related
to me he says okay well let's we
need to ask you some questions so
he he starts asking about
algomedes and he starts asking
about all these people I told him I
said look let's make a long story
short if any of my brothers are in
involved and have were a part of
this type of this thing that
happened I said I'm involved as
well he says what he says do you
understand what you're saying I
said yes I understand very well I
said we were students we were
workers we were you know
sometimes we barely had money to
you know to get food that we
wanted or you know go out and do
things I said there's no way that we
could have any of them could have
had any part in this what what had
happened I said furthermore it's not
even an act of Islam it's an act of a
terrorist which is not what we are
so the conversation went a little bit
farther but I there was one thing for
sure that I didn't want to you know
harm my family I didn't want
people to think that I was part of
this yeah September 11th was uh it
was not an act of Islam it's very
defined in our religion that if you
take the life of any innocent if you
take your own life you're excluded
you're out there are some people
that have been misguided that do
have evil and hatred and they are
lovers of this life there are not
really followers of our religion
because our religion promotes
 peace and submission to one God
and it's in the name Salam Islam
and that's peace if our religion is
named peace you know how can it
be that this religion is such terrorist
and horrible people if you just go
and you follow the teachings and
you read the Quran and you read
the Sunnah of the Prophet then
you're going to know what this
religion is you cannot take this
religion from what one person said
or what one website said or what
one preacher had published a book
about you need to go and look at it
yourself and you will find the truth
but the only way that you're going
to have the truth in your heart is
asking God to bring it into your
heart you must go and submit
yourself open yourself up to God if
 you believe in God open yourself
up and let him show you the right
way what did you do after going
through all these difficulties did
you return back to the U.S so after
9 11 Heaven I continued I stayed in
Saudi Arabia everyone loved
America after September 11th
everyone was oh we feel sorry for
America they they were just they
supported America everyone was
all about you know this horrible
thing that happened it's you know
it's a terrible thing that all changed
and I'll never forget the day the
American forces entered
Afghanistan that day the whole
world changed the whole Islamic
community changed I was uh I was
coming out of a McDonald's that
day I was working I came out of
 this McDonald's and I have my
white shirt and my tie and the you
know the white guy there I stand
out there was a group of kids
standing over and then out of that
group of kids there was a wad of
spit came and it landed right in the
center of my tie and I looked at
that point and I'd never been spit
on before and I I just couldn't
believe you know such a thing just
happened to me you know how did
I get spit on at that point then all
these types of things there was so
many attacks that was taking place
on Americans people inside
compounds that were being killed
you know these people the enemies
of Islam which are the terrorists
they were seeking people out in
their homes I had to be careful at
 that point all my friends they said
you can't go out you need to stay
home you can't go out in the streets
and at that point my Arabic was
strong enough that once I spoke
Arabic it was hard to convince
people that I wasn't that I wasn't an
Arab or I wasn't someone from
Islamic country so when we would
go out people who would say oh
hello hey how are you and I would
say you know you know what do
you want they would say oh and
Asif into into America or oh I'm
sorry I thought you were American
I said you know I would say oh I'm
not American and then at that point
it was I I protected myself where
we were waiting for a brother out
in the street there was a Caprice
kept circling the I saw it one time
 two times I'm always aware of
what's happening around me and
especially at that time this Caprice
comes and it stops and the guy puts
a Kalashnikov russian-made
Kalashnikov firearm out the
window the two people that were
with me they just hit the ground
and I'm standing there and I'm
thinking like if he's going to shoot
they're dead we're all dead I can't
run this way I can't run that way I
looked and I said he pulled the gun
back inside the car and he says
you're forgiven and then he drove
away the shahada I I mean it's been
a protection for me since that day
in the bathroom to that day facing a
uh a firearm is America a suitable
place to live your religion for you
and your family a country built on
 accepting everyone you know it's
it's an accepting country however
the laws and the culture just like
you go anywhere laws are going to
state that you know I have the right
to practice whatever I want to
practice culture is a little bit
different we're we're not really
culturally accepted I've had
numerous issues with my children
in school and I've told some people
that I'm Muslim never spoke to
them again I've got friends that you
know they're in the church and
they they don't want any anything
to do with this and I have lost
friends because of that I can't just
go up to someone and tell them
that I'm Muslim I worked for a
company one time and one of the
questions that I was fixing to I was
 going to get promoted so this
promotion the manager that was
there had told me he said oh your
religion was in question he says we
actually discussed your religion
and we didn't know if that it would
be okay for you to be put in a
position that you're going to be put
in and uh in America's standard at
that point I could have owned the
company I could have you know
they all would have lost their job
they would have sent me a check to
you know support me for the rest
of my life because if they said they
said that statement but when I
heard that you know it opened up
the the channel for me to tell them
well this is what we believe you
know so I look for the
opportunities and I don't I don't
 want to damage the religion any
farther you'd be in the news a
Muslim guy gets issued two
million dollars because he was
discriminated it against at a job
interview um you know I don't I
don't want to damage the religion I
want to take every opportunity that
I can to spread the word and that's
what I do we just have to be
careful in the U.S but it is you
know it is a place of Justice you
know you don't have to worry you
will always get the Justice you will
always be you know as far as the
law is concerned but socially not
so much while I was on my way to
the mosques of America Tour I got
pulled over and one of my
headlights just went out all of a
sudden and uh so when I got pulled
 over the the sheriff's deputy there
were three vehicles I don't know
why there were so many and so I
said I said I'm a YouTuber do you
mind if I video he says oh no no go
ahead you can so I got the the
camera out and I I said I was
having problems with the video I
think my camera was full so I went
ahead I just went live I said okay
I'm just going to do it live so I
went live I set the phone on the
back of my car and this police
officer he's coming up he didn't
know you know he they went and
checked everything out I was I
didn't get arrested I didn't have any
criminal background he told me
well you need to fix your headlight
and I said I will I'll get it fixed and
he says I'm curious he says I just
 have to know and then I knew
exactly what he was fixing to ask I
said okay here's my door here's my
opportunity so you know all these
blue flashing lights in the
background and here I am you
know the how to ruin the American
Muslim revert fixing to make dawa
to a police officer in 7 seven or
eight others standing there with
firearms and dogs and everything
else so he asked he says I have to
ask he says what's your YouTube
channel about and then I told him I
I told him exactly you know uh
you know I was able to deliver a
message to him so you gave them
right I and I think it was in in 40
seconds or less I believe it was it
was a very quick I said do you
know about Islam do you know
what we believe and you know he's
like no and I said would you mind
if I tell you and then you know I
had the chance I just witnessed to
him real quick and shook his hand
which police officers don't shake
the hands of anyone because that
puts them in a vulnerable spot
when I stuck my hand out which is
very uncommon I I assumed that
he would just stand there and he
would he wouldn't shake my hand
but in that video he actually
accepted my Salam you know he
accepted my hello now all of them
I said hey guys I'm you know I told
them my YouTube channel so now
from that one video now all of
those police officers I'm sure they
went and they watched it when
they watched it the way the
algorithm algorithms and YouTube
work so many other people around
them that are friends with them and
know them they were suggested
those videos if someone is curious
about Islam how should that person
search about this religion so if
you're interested in Islam the first
thing would be you know you're
going to look online but for every
one good website we have that's
true we have a thousand that are
built to mislead and even among
our own beliefs and our own
religion we have certain people
that believe something completely
separate from what our Quran and
our Prophet teaches us so I would
say that going to the internet and
then also finding someone that can
help you that you can ask questions
that you trust and you know there's
a mosques there are mosques
everywhere if you just go Google
mosque near me you're going to
find one you can you know find a
mosque and find a good brother to
help you out what is the quality of
prophet Muhammed that impressed
you the most it would have to be as
Humanity you know the humanity
of the Prophet Muhammad peace
be upon Him is the example and it
is the example that we all aspire to
be he was so humble and kind to
everyone I've never seen harsh
words that he's given even when he
was getting on to someone if he
was telling them something that
they did wrong it was still in a way
that they wanted to hear they they
wanted to hear it it was never you
know like we get on to our children
it was it was delivered in a way
that people wanted to receive and
that's the way that I like to make
dawa when I when I make my Daw
when I tell people about Islam is I
try to think about how would the
prophet Muhammad peace be upon
Him approach this person this is
our belief it's the belief of
submission and peace to one God
you know it's it's the to strive and
to be more like him is what we're
all wanting to be what would you
like to say as your final comments
so you know my final comments is
that I've been given so much and
I've been rewarded with this
wonderful things that I have and
now I want to give myself back my
journey is right now and inshallah
 for the rest of my life is I want to
be in mosques I want to be in dawa
centers I want to be inside your
homes from your mobile device to
your televisions I want to be able
to be heard and I want my word
and which is the words of Allah to
be heard throughout the world and
to be accepted inshallah it was a
wonderful interview thank you for
coming foreign [Music].

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