(chuckling)
- [Interviewer] So before Islam, were you an assassin?
- Pardon me, what is that?
What did you say, can you please,
can I hear again please?
Okay, and I was (mumbles)
(laughter)
My name is Marina.
I'm from Ukraine.
I'm 27 years old.
I've been in Dubai for two years
and I converted one year ago.
As you know, Ukraine was part of USSR.
So at that time, there was no religion.
The only religion was communism.
Communism was the religion,
it was the lifestyle, everything.
As my parents told me.
All the churches, mosques, everything was destroyed.
Yes, like Uzbekistan, Tajikistan,
there were Muslims there before.
Not like Christians, as Ukraine or Russia itself.
So, my parents were not religious.
They never went to church,
they just believed in god and that's it.
Especially my mom, she was always against church.
Why? Because if you go to the church,
you see church is same as mosques,
the place where you come to talk to the god,
to be closer to do the religious stuff.
Not just to come, give money for the people
who are like working there, to buy themselves
phones and drive Mercedes cars, sorry, it's not the religion.
I was not raised in the religious family,
so I was not like Christian-self.
You can not call me that I was Christian before.
But of course, because when I was born,
it was like used to that everybody was taking their kids
to the church and making them Christian
and all this stuff like this.
I never believed that Jesus is the son of God
like most other people believe in.
I believe that he was a prophet
and that he was sent by God.
I was reading like small, not too much,
like not deep into books.
I was reading about Islam
and before I came to Dubai, I bought Quran
like in Russian, translation,
I start living in this community
and around, everybody's muslim,
most of the people Muslims
and at work, everybody are muslims
so I saw that Islam is gathering people together
and it does like if you're gonna be in some bad situation,
they will always help you.
Before Ramadan came, I was, because the thing is like,
I'm a smoker.
And before I was smoking like two packs a day.
I was thinking I want to see myself,
like rather I can hold myself for this goal,
the whole day long, the whole month,
for not smoking because really
it was a big addiction for me.
From the first day of Ramadan I started fasting
but I didn't convert,
I converted in the middle.
So like all these two weeks I was fasting,
it was easy for me.
I didn't even feel like: "I want to smoke,"
like: "I'm dying."
Like before, one day without smoking was very bad.
But in Ramadan it was easier for me
because when you believe that you are doing something,
not for someone, not for people at all,
not to show off, you're doing it for yourself
and for Allah.
So I made the Shahadah and I converted.
But I finished fasting but I didn't cover myself.
The biggest concern for me, like before,
like all our country's people, we are drinking,
not like we are alcoholics but like each party
or as soon as people meet together,
they're not drinking chai.
Like they'll come and drink chai, no,
for us, like everybody's drinking beer,
so for me, I don't do this stuff anymore.
The thing that attracted me mostly to Islam
was the way they treat women in Islam
because before, when I didn't know about Islam much,
I was thinking that the women that wears abaya
and she's always staying home,
like she's not allowed to work, I was thinking.
In general, Islam has helped me.
My life became easier, not like socially
or because of some work,
it's only from inside myself.
There is, like sometimes, especially now,
like Ramadan, you're fasting, you're driving,
and so much people, they are driving the way they want,
they are not following the rules,
and you're getting angry,
but you're just like: "Okay, whatever."
I would get angry, I would kill them all there,
but no, you just, okay, so it has to be.
MashaAllah
You have to, no really,
because in general, I'm an aggressive person,
like I'm quiet, but--
(chuckling)
- [Interviewer] We can tell.
(chuckling)
- Don't be afraid.
Allah is with you
and if you believe in Islam, you believe in Allah,
you believe in prophets,
just, and you're still not sure
whether you want to accept it or not,
better come to Islamic centers where you meet the people
who just convert to Islam,
it's gonna be easier for you
because you need to communicate with people
who are already with Islam,
not with the people who are outside.
Welcome to Islam.