According to rahyafte (the missionaries and converts website):
What is your name and where are you from?
A: My name is Isaac Spiro Kassis and I am a Palestinian-Czech American from the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
See the Persian text here
Tell me about your former religion
A: My former religion is Greek Orthodox Christianity, which is the initial organized form of Christianity. It teaches us to worship God and that Jesus is the Son of God and a part of God in a Trinity that includes the Holy Spirit. Church service is every Sunday and is called Liturgy and the two major holidays are Christmas and Easter(Pasqua). There is a strong priesthood centered around 5 Churches of Jerusalem, Alexandria, Constantinople, Antioch, and used to be Rome before they broke away to became Catholic Church. The Armenians, Ethiopians, and Russians also have their own branches, though my family and other Palestinian Christians remained under Constantinople patriarchy which is why we are considered Greek Orthodox.
How was your former religion different from Islam?
A: Orthodox Christianity is very similar to Islam except it doesn’t have Muhammad(sawas), Ali(as), and Husayn(as), but it reinforces the importance of Jesus(as) and this is good for everyone and makes it the closest religion to Islam.
How did you get to know Islam and what attracted you?
A: It had much to do with my ethnic background as a Palestinian, the majority of whom are Muslims and the Palestinian struggle is mainly an Islamic one.
Are you afraid to tell your shahadatein??
A: No, alhamdulillah am not afraid. I even say Ali Wali Allah in front of my non-Shi’a peers. I am learning to be more cautious, though, not to flaunt my jewels in front of those unworthy to hear them. What was the reaction of your family members when performing religious acts or salat? A: They certainly discouraged me, mocked me, and tried to convince me that I didn’t need to perform this type of prayer to get closer to Allah. They convinced me for many years but I realized that they were wrong and Islam was right and now they are seeing that also.
How did you feel when you prayed for the first time? Wasn’t it hard to pray 5 times?
A: When I prayed the first time and made Sujood, I cried. It was a great release. I made it on my bed. Getting the 5 prayers down was difficult and although I began praying during the first year after my conversion, I went for many years without praying consistently until recently alhamdullah, I haven’t missed a prayer in over 2 years. I just made my Dhuhr prayer on the train even.
When and how did you announce your conversion to Islam?
A: I said Sunni Shahada in from of two of my Muslim brothers at Penn State, and I said the Shi’a Shahada in front of two brothers in Bent Jbail, Lebanon. So I said it twice and continue to renew it around fellow Muslims. I never said it in front of the Jama’a because I did not want to show off my conversion, even though it is tradition to do so.
How do you see the spread of Islam in your country?
A: The spread of Islam in America is especially strong among the African American community who are more passionate in many ways than many immigrants who come here and lose their religion. Many continue not to drink and to pray, but they lack the revolutionary fervor of many African Americans and people like me who accept Islam of my own will and hence are not as cautious of worldly success and government suspicions.
How did you adapt yourself to the principles of Islamic ethics, such as food and drink??
A: It took me around 10 years to give up alcohol and I did so only after it became out of control and I crashed my car from drinking and drugs. Allah saved me from alcohol this way and I haven’t drank in more than 3 years. As for pork, I continued eating bacon once in a while but I fully stopped within the last couple of years. I do not eat any shellfish except for shrimp.
What was the effect of reading the Holy Quran on you? What do you think is the most beautiful verse in the Quran?
A: The Qur’an is a powerful force in my life and comforts me in the most stressful of times, though I have trouble listening to it at any time and I need to set time aside to listen and read in order to appreciate it. Ayat al-Kursi is what I consider the most beautiful verse.
As a Muslim, what do you think is the most effective way to invite non-Muslims to Islam?
A: The most effective way, I believe is through knowledge of history and politics. If you know enough about history and politics, with all biases aside, then there is no logical reason not to convert to Islam.
Did any of your friends convert to Islam after you?
A: I do not remember any friends converting but I invited many friends and family and they were all close to converting, but Allah directs as He wills and I have no control over who accepts the religion no matter how much I try to convince others. I am not a manipulative person. I am straight forward so if someone wants to accept Islam they should do so on their own
Tank you
Zahra sadat husseini
