- But, I just don't know,
how shall I start?
Okay.
This is so awkward.
Talking to you is easy, but cameras.
Okay.
My name is Elena
and I'm 36.
I was born in Tashkent,
which is in Uzbekistan
and I became Muslim in age of 25
here in UAE.
My family, because it was Communist country,
so they didn't believe in God.
My father completely didn't believe, ever.
My mother, she was somehow close to God
but became better now Alhamdulillah.
From early age, I was interested
and I was looking from age of 17
I started to go to church
and start to look for answers.
Trying to find God or at least something
which, I couldn't explain, I was child.
But, I couldn't find answers at all.
And when I came here, also,
I didn't feel anything, either,
towards Islam or anything until
I met one person and then we have
short, or long, you can say, talks
and discussion, like, I was trying to convince him
that I was right and he was trying
to convince that he's right, that Islam is right.
So, until he said,
"Okay, don't argue with me,
"just get Quran in your language and read it.
"And then we'll talk."
I just found it and I started to read.
And this is how it started.
What got me in there, in Quran,
it was a point when I reach
the creation of a baby.
From this small dot,
'til how it structured the body of the baby,
and what comes first, bones and flesh,
and all this.
Because I was very much interested
into genetics and things,
so when I saw it, and I knew that
the book was written nearly 1,000, five years ago,
so I said, "It cannot be anything but truth."
And the rest just came as package.
I accepted everything in one time
after only this point 'cause this was enough for me.
I don't have any concerns, at all
because I was looking for answers and happiness
and when I felt that this book is giving me answers
and it's giving me satisfaction and happiness,
that's all, I didn't think about anything,
I didn't think of my parents, friends,
whatever how it would impact them
or what would be their reaction
I didn't think of it.
I couldn't tell my parents for
at least a year 'til I got some knowledge
and then, also, hijab was not easy for me
in the beginning, so it took a year
for me to adopt this idea and that change of mentality.
For my father, I had no problem at all.
Because he didn't believe in God,
he said, "Are you happy with it?
You like it?"
I said, "Yes."
He's like, "Okay, do whatever you want, as far
you're not hurting yourself so do it."
But my mother, she had problems.
She had issues because she's a believer,
she believes in God.
And it just took awhile 'til she adopt the idea,
until she started to respect it and accept it
and now, of course, she's very much proud of me.
She's telling everyone that, "My daughter is Muslim."
She's really really proud.
But it took awhile.
It took nearly seven years or so
for her to become this way.
You feel yourself a queen.
Actually, you feel like, you have rights,
you don't need to fight for it.
It's there already, it's for you.
I was not a person of partying
and even I was not liking drinking
or this stuff even I was doing it.
Now I was even more happy that
I have a reason to say, "No."
Because, it's already I cannot do this anymore
and I say, "No," and no one even forced me to do it.
It's over.
Islam is, like, protecting me.
It's actually a protection.
I got a lot of protection and I got peace,
peace inside because before I was looking,
I was looking here and there
and no one could give me proper answers
for my questions and I found it in Islam.
I found it in Quran.
I found it in Sunnah,
and that's it.
Don't be scared.
Don't be scared of anything.
Go into it with open mind.
Don't be attached to your society,
your nationality, your family, or anything.
Just go in it, read it, feel it,
and then you will see that it's very easy,
there's nothing to be scared,
and you will get all support from
the God and from the right people around
and you will feel happy.
You will feel happy that you made this final step.
Just don't be scared.