Many friends of mine asked me why I study in India which means why not the US, UK, Australia, etc? Are the Indian universities are better than, say, the US universities?For those who have the same questions, these are my answers (and please dont ask me again next time we meet… :> )1. Indian colleges/universities mostly are below those of developed countries in terms of modern infrastructures and qualities, but not so much. in other words, they still have competitive edges compared to those universities in developed countries. yet, they still have an edge compared to the other developing countries universities, like, say, Indonesia.2. The university fee and living cost are much lower than in developed countries;3. Easy entrance. most indian universities have certain quotas for foreign students (IITs is an exception)who want to pursue studies in india;4. Easy scholarship. Scholarship is easier gotten. the procedure to get it is much simpler. (the scholarship slot for indonesian is 20, the applicants is around 40). You are not required TOEFL to get entry into indian universities and to get scholarship. besides, you dont need any recommendation from any indonesian university or institution to apply scholarship to india (anybody can tell me which country has so much easy procedure than india?).5. many indian universities got international acknowledgement in the field of science and non-science courses. Microsoft, for example, recruit many of its new manager and employee from Indian IIT (indian institute of technology) every year.Hope this simple explanation can serve your curiosity.student india indonesia blogger

Posted to Indonesia Forum by ListyLelucon ini menceritakan dua orang yang sedang berdialog. Satu orang Eropa dan satunya, sudah tentu orang Indonesia.Orang Indonesia bertanya pada orang Eropa, berapa gajimu dan untuk apa saja uang sejumlah itu?Orang Eropa menjawab, “Gaji saya 3.000 Euro, 1.000 euro untuk tempat tinggal, 1.000 Euro untuk makan, 500 Euro untuk hiburan.”Lalu sisa 500 Euro untuk apa? tanya orang Indonesia. Orang Eropa menjawab secara ketus, “Oh … itu urusan saya, Anda tidak berhak bertanya!”Kemudian orang Eropa berbalik bertanya. Kalau anda bagaimana?”Gaji saya Rp950 ribu, Rp450 ribu untuk tempat tinggal, Rp350 ribu untuk makan,Rp250 ribu untuk transport, Rp200 ribu untuk sekolah anak, Rp200 ribu untuk bayar cicilan pinjaman, … Rp100 ribu untuk….”.Penjelasan orang Indonesia terhenti karena orang Eropa menyetop penjelasan itu dan langsung bertanya.”Uang itu jumlahnya sudah melampaui gaji anda. Sisanya dari mana?” kata orang Eropa itu keheranan.Kemudian, orang Indonesia itu menjawab dengan enteng,” begini Mister, tentang uang yang kurang, itu urusan saya, anda tidak berhak bertanya-tanya,”Orang Eropa pun bengong………….indonesia humor blogger canda

For three days, Mumbai (formerly Bombay), the financial capital of india, severely affected by the historic flood caused by torrential rains. Three days back, the indonesian delegation of ministry of tourism forced to suspend their visit to the city. 900 reported killed and many still unknown.many celebrities are affected also by the flood. amir khan got stranded in the street. amitabh bachchan also could not go outside of his home. many more people got stuck in offices and cant find food and water for days.fortunaly new delhi and agra not affected by the rains and hopefully that wont happen in the two regions. Jakarta, Indonesian capital, also become regular customer of flood but i think it never affected the whole infrastructure of transportation like what has happen in Mumbai.india indonesia blogger indonesia indian blogger

Washington Report, May/June 2005, pages 44-45New York City and Tri-State NewsJournalist Yvonne Ridley’s Eyewitness Account of AfghanistanBy Jane AdasBritish journalist and former Taliban captive Yvonne Ridley (Staff photo J. Adas).AWARD-WINNING British journalist Yvonne Ridley has written for the Sunday Times, the Observer, the Independent, and the Sunday Express. When she was captured by the Taliban in September 2001, however, she herself became headline news. Ridley told her story at a March 5 benefit in Edison, New Jersey for the London-based Muslim Weekly.Soon after 9/11, the news editor of the Sunday Express sent Ridley to Pakistan, where the next stage of events was expected to unfold. The Taliban did not allow Western journalists into Afghanistan—which, Ridley said, was shortsighted because it allowed U.S., British, and the Northern Alliance to commit atrocities that went unreported. After being turned down three times by the Taliban embassy, she decided to put on a burka and sneak across the border with two Afghan guides. It was surprisingly easy, Ridley recalled. She found the market in Jalalabad bustling despite the fact that Afghanistan was about to be bombed by the richest country on earth. With that in mind, she decided to head back to the border, only to find that Pakistan had sealed it off.Her guides suggested they take the smuggling route, which Ridley discovered was as busy as the marketplace, with traffic in both directions—traders and women in burkas seeking safe haven in Pakistan and young men crossing into Afghanistan to fight the “great Satan.” When her feet became sore, she was offered a donkey to ride. The donkey must have sensed an infidel aboard, Ridley said, because it immediately tore off. Blinded by the burka, Ridley dropped her camera, fell off the donkey—and found herself looking into the eyes of a Taliban soldier. Having bought into the propaganda that the Taliban were the most evil, brutal regime in the world who hate women, Ridley handed over her camera and shut her eyes, expecting to be shot on the spot. Instead she was taken to Taliban headquarters in Jalalabad.The Taliban placed Ridley in a room to which they gave her the key. They offered food three times a day but, because they had taken away her cell phone, she refused to eat. When they urged her, “You are our guest, sister,” she assumed, “these are the good cops; any minute now the bad ones will come with electrodes.” On the third day a doctor was brought in, and she thought, “They do this on death row,” but he only checked her blood pressure.On the sixth day her translator told her, “Try to be nice. You have an important visitor.” Hearing a knock on the door, she unlocked it to find an imam in an immaculate ivory gown. He asked about her religion and what she thought about Islam. Although she knew little about it, she replied enthusiastically. When he asked if she would like to convert, she replied that she couldn’t make a life decision in prison, but promised that if she got out she would read the Qur’an. Half an hour later she was taken to a prison in Kabul.She was placed in a cell with six Western female charity workers who had been charged in August with trying to convert Muslims to Christianity. When Ridley took out one of the cigarettes given her by the Taliban, the women told her, “This is a no-smoking cell.” To avoid their evangelical hymn singing, Ridley smoked in the courtyard. On Oct. 7, her tenth day in captivity, Afghanistan’s deputy foreign minister visited Ridley to question her and chide her for hanging her laundry out to dry where soldiers might see it and have impure thoughts. He also told her she could go home the next day.That night, however, more than 50 cruise missiles were launched on Kabul within a quarter mile of the prison. Suddenly realizing that bombs don’t discriminate, at that moment Ridley became an anti-war activist. Even with the launching of the assault on Afghanistan, however, she was taken the next day to the Pakistani border. Reporters on the other side wanted to see her wounds and were incredulous when she told them she had been treated with respect and kindness, even when she had been rude.Back in London she kept her promise and read the Qur’an, hoping to find out why Islam is so hard on women. She was surprised to find that the first convert was a woman, the first edition of the Qur’an was put in the care of a woman, and that Islam was preserved and handed down by sisters. Western feminism, Ridley said, pales by comparison. After converting to Islam in June 2003, she has been shut out of Western media, and is now a columnist for The Muslim Weekly.When Ridley returned to Afghanistan, this time under cover from American special forces, she found the country in chaos. The only success story now, she said, are the poppy crops that make Afghanistan the world’s number one opium producer.convert islam british indonesia

Journey towards IslamBy Yvonne RidleyYvonne Ridley was the woman who was arrested by the Taliban for entering Afghanistan illegally. She feared severe punishment, but instead she was released after promising to read about Islam and emerged from her imprisonment praising the civility and courtesy of her captors. News reports of her embracing Islam have proved premature, but as she outlines for The Muslim News, Yvonne Ridley has certainly been wooed by Islam and the Muslims.ISLAM is by far the most misunderstood religion in the world today thanks to centuries of medieval-style propaganda successfully peddled by bigots and Christian zealots.So I should not have been entirely surprised by the almost hysterical reaction in the mainstream media to news that I am considering becoming a Muslim.I have even been accused of suffering from Stockholm Syndrome as a result of spending 10 days in the hands of the Taliban.Bearing in mind I spent my last four days in the company of six bible-bashing Christians in Kabul Prison I think we can knock that theory on the head.The truth is my captors probably thanked Allah when I was kicked out of Afghanistan. They appeared very happy to see the back of me since I spent most of my time being rather abusive and obnoxious to them – I think some are still receiving counselling!When I initially thought about converting, I reflected I had a fundamental problem… I started the day with a bacon sandwich and ended it with a large glass or three of whisky. I was told by someone who had ‘crossed over’ that these issues would become insignificant and indeed they have.However, my spiritual journey, like that for many converts/reverts, was always meant to be a personal affair between myself and God.Unfortunately, it has now become a very public issue and so I have decided to set the record straight to prevent any more misunderstandings or misconceptions.Stories of my premature conversion were wired around the world resulting in a deluge of e-mails from Muslim congratulating me – some e-mails were not that complimentary.It is true my journey did begin in the unlikely surrounds of an Afghan prison where I was being held by the Taliban facing charges of spying for entering their country illegally disguised in the all-enveloping burqa. I remember the day very clearly.Hamid, my interpreter, said I had a very important visitor and that I must be respectful. My heart skipped a beat as a tall man wearing long flowing white robes and a turban walked into my room.I realised immediately he was a religious cleric. He asked me about my religious status – Protestant – and then asked me what I thought of Islam and if I would like to convert.I was terrified. For five days I had managed to avoid the subject of religion in a country led by extremists. If I gave the wrong response, I had convinced myself I would be stoned to death. After careful thought I thanked the cleric for his generous offer and said it was difficult for me to make such a life-changing decision while I was in prison.However, I did make a promise that if I was released I would study Islam on my return to London. My reward for such a reply was being sent to a primitive jail in Kabul where I was locked up with six Christians who faced charges of trying to convert Muslims to their faith.I was also brought up in the Christian faith, sang in the church choir and was a Sunday School teacher, but I felt their brand of Christianity was almost as extreme as the Taliban’s brand of Islam.I remember one evening sitting outside my cell in the prison courtyard listening to happy clappy hymns in my left ear as someone made the call to prayers in my right ear. I thought to myself I was caught in between two sets of religious fundamentalists.It was a very clear night and as I gazed up at the stars I felt I was trapped in a parallel universe and pondered my fate.Several days later I was released unharmed on humanitarian grounds on the orders of Mullah Omar, the Taliban’s one-eyed spiritual leader.My captors had treated me with courtesy and respect (despite my bad behaviour) and so, in turn, I kept my word and set out to study their religion. It was supposed to be an academic venture but as I became more engrossed with each page I turned, I became more impressed with what I read.I turned to several eminent Islamic academics, including Dr Zaki Badawi, for advice and instruction. I was even given several books by the notorious Sheikh Abu Hamza Al-Masri who I spoke to after sharing a platform at an Oxford Union debate.This latter snippet was seized upon by some sections of the media in such a ridiculous fashion that outsiders could be forgiven for thinking I was going to open a Madrassah for Al-Qaida recruits from my flat in Soho.It earned me a place on a ‘Watch on Terror’ website in America, so I’m probably now classed as a subversive by those incompetent spooks from US intelligence agencies.I have also listened to and spoken with Dr Muhammad Al-Massari and had a very enlightening lunch recently with three sisters from Hizb ut-Tahrir.One of the most useful reference points for me has been the New Muslim Project chat site on the Internet, which has given me access to others who, like myself, are in the process of converting.Thankfully the support and understanding I have been given from my brothers and sisters (for I regard them as that) has been unstinting and comforting. Not one of them has put pressure on me to become a Muslim and every convert/revert I’ve spoken to has urged me to take my time.One of the big turning points for me happened earlier this year when the Israelis began shelling The Church of the Nativity in Manger Square . . . one of the most precious monuments for Christians.Every year thousands of school children re-enact the Nativity at Christmas time, a potent symbol of Christianity. Yet not one Church of England leader publicly denounced the Israelis for their attack.Our Prime Minister Tony Blair, who loves to be pictured coming out of church surrounded by his family, espousing Christian values, was silent. Only the Pope had the guts to condemn this atrocity. I was shocked and saddened and felt there was no backbone or conviction among the C of E religious leaders.At least with Islam I need no mediator or conduit to rely upon, I can have a direct line with God anytime I want.While I feel under no pressure by Muslims to convert/revert there has been real pressure to walk away from Islam from some friends and journalists who like to think they’re cynical, hard-bitten, hard-drinking, observers of the world. Religion of any form makes them feel uneasy – but Islam, well that’s something even worse.You’d think I had made a pact with the devil or wanted to become a grand wizard in the Ku Klux Klan. Others feared I was being brainwashed and that I would soon be back in my burqa, silenced forever like all Muslim women.This, of course, is nonsense. I have never met so many well-educated, opinionated, outspoken, intelligent, politically aware women in the Muslim groups I have visited throughout the UK.Feminism pales into insignificance when it comes to the sisterhood, which has a strong identity and a loud voice in this country.Yes, it is true that many Muslim women around the world are subjugated, but this has only come about through other cultures hi-jacking and misinterpreting the Qur’an.I wish I had this knowledge (and I’m still very much a novice) when I was captured by the Taliban, because I would have asked them why they treated their own women so badly.The Qur’an makes it crystal clear that all Muslims, men and women are entirely equal in worth, spirituality and responsibility. Allah ordained equality and fairness for women in education and opportunity, at least that is my understanding.Fair property law and divorce settlements were introduced for Muslim women 1500 years ago – maybe this is where Californian divorce lawyers got their inspiration from in recent years!The Qur’an could have been written yesterday for today. It could sit very easily with any Green Party manifesto, it is environmentally friendly and it is a true inspiration for the 21st century, yet not one word has changed since the day it was written – unlike other religious tomes bent on courting popularity.“It’s more punk than punk rock,” musician Aki Nawaz of the band Fun’da’mental recently told me. And, of course he is right.Yvonne Ridley is a freelance journalist and a peace campaigner. Her book, In The Hands of the Taliban, is published by Robson Books, price £6.99.yvonne ridley islam britain indonesia

In South Africa, many blacks convert to IslamIslam is growing in South African communities, offering a haven from social vices, an ethic of charity for the needy, and social reform.By Nicole Itano Special to The Christian Science MonitorSOWETO, SOUTH AFRICA – When Bilal Motsau converted to Islam in 1976, he was considered an oddity in Soweto, a sprawling black township on the outskirts of Johannesburg that was once the center of anti-apartheid activism. In the South Africa of that period, Islam was practiced primarily by the country’s small South Asian and Malay populations, and blacks considered it an “Indian” religion.But these days, Mr. Motsau, who wears short, trimmed beard and a black and white prayer shawl over dark, Western-style clothes, is being joined in his faith by a growing number of South African blacks. Though still a small force in black townships, Islam is gaining a foothold in many black communities in this predominantly Christian country. The faith is attracting both poor shantytown dwellers who appreciate Islam’s emphasis on charity, and young intellectuals attracted by the faith’s focus on lifestyle and social reform.”In 1976 there were about 10 black Muslims in Soweto, and everyone knew each other,” says Motsau, who, like many black South African converts traded his Christian first name for a Muslim one, but retained his African surname as a sign of his heritage. “There used to be one Bilal and everyone knew who I was. The growth of Islam these days has been tremendous.”Many of the new converts are young men like Omar Khambule, who was attracted to Islam’s belief in one God and saw it as a way out of gangsterism and drugs.”Islam teaches you how to behave,” he says, sitting with a friend outside Soweto’s one mosque, a traditional Muslim skullcap on his head. “I was corrupt and was heavily involved with dagga Muslims in South Africa are more worried about problems far from their eyes. They see a problem in Afghanistan, but not in Soweto,” says Omar Duma, who struggles to raise money for the small religious school his family runs from their home. More than 100 black children attend the after-school classes in his maddrassa, receiving soup, bread, and education in Islam, the Koran, and Arabic.Small schools like one run by the Duma family are playing a lead role in spreading Islam in the townships, especially among the poor. Their founders and teachers believe they are doing a double good by feeding poor children and spreading the faith. But not every community has welcomed such charity. In one area of Soweto, neighbors have gone to court in an attempt to close a newly opened maddrassa. Tensions between Muslims and Christians are rare, but some are concerned such conflicts may increase as the faith grows.***south africa islam convert indonesia

Sheikh Yusuf Estes——-And then after a while I raised up my head and I noticed something. No, I didn’t see birds or angels coming out of the sky nor did I hear voices or music, nor did I see bright lights and flashes. What I did notice was a change inside of me. I was aware now more than ever before that it was time for me to stop lying and cheating and doing sneaky business deals. It was time that I really work at being an honest and upright man. I knew now what I had to do. So I went upstairs and took a shower with the distinct idea that I was ‘washing’ away the sinful old person that I had become over the years. And I was now coming into a new, fresh life. A life based on truth and proof.——–“My name is Yusuf Estes and I am the National Muslim Chaplain for American Muslims, sponsored by a number of organizations here in Washington, DC. As such, I travel around the entire world lecturing and sharing the message of the Christ of the Quran in Islam. We hold dialogs and discussion groups with all faiths and enjoy the opportunity to work alongside of rabbis, ministers, preachers and priests everywhere. Most of our work is in the institutional area, military, universities and prisons. Primarily our goal is to educate and communicate the correct message of Islam and who the Muslims really are. Although Islam has grown now to tie Christianity as the largest of religions on earth, we see many of those who claim Islam as Muslims, that do not correctly understand nor properly represent the message of “Peace, Surrender and Obedience to God” (Arabic = ‘Islam’).Dear me, I am afraid that I got a bit ahead of myself, I was trying to give a bit of background on my own personal experience to see if it would in anyway benefit you in your ministry. This may seem quite strange that I would offer to help you, while we perhaps share a few different perspectives and concepts of God, Jesus, prophet hood, sin and salvation. But you see, at one time I was in the same boat as you. Really, I was. Let me explain.I was born into a very strong Christian family in the Midwest. Our family and their ancestors not only built the churches and schools across this land, but actually were the same ones who came here in the first place. While I was still in elementary we relocated in Houston, Texas in 1949 (I’m old). We attended church regularly and I was baptized at the age of 12 in Pasadena, Texas. As a teenager, I wanted to visit other churches to learn more of their teachings and beliefs. The Baptists, Methodists, Episcopalians, Charismatic movements, Nazarene, Church of Christ, Church of God, Church of God in Christ, Full Gospel, Agape, Catholic, Presbyterian and many more. I developed quite a thirst for the “Gospel” or as we say; “Good News.” My research into religion did not stop with Christianity. Not at all. Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Metaphysics, native American beliefs were all a part of my studies. Just about the only one that I did not look into seriously was “Islam”. Why? Good question.Anyway, I became very interested in different types of music, especially Gospel and Classical. Because my whole family was religious and musical it followed that I too would begin my studies in both areas. All this set me for the logical position of Music Minister in many of the churches that I became affiliated with over the years. I started teaching keyboard instruments in 1960 and by 1963 owned my own studios in Laurel, Maryland, called “Estes Music Studios.”Over the next 30 years my father and I worked together in many business projects. We had entertainment programs, shows and attractions. We opened piano and organ stores all the way from Texas and Oklahoma to Florida. I made millions of dollars in those years, but could not find the peace of mind that can only come through knowing the truth and finding the real plan of salvation. I’m sure you have asked yourself the question; “Why did God create me?” or “What is it that God wants me to do?” or “Exactly who is God, anyway?” “Why do we believe in ‘original sin?” and “Why would the sons of Adam be forced to accept his ’sins’ and then as a result be punished forever. But if you asked anyone these questions, they would probably tell you that you have to believe without asking, or that it is a ‘mystery’ and you shouldn’t ask.And then there is the concept of the ‘Trinity.’ If I would ask preachers or ministers to give me some sort of an idea how ‘one’ could figure out to become ‘three’ or how God Himself, Who can do anything He Wills to do, cannot just forgive people’s sins, but rather and had to become a man, come down on earth, be a human, and then take on the sins of all people. Keeping in mind that all along He is still God of the whole universe and does as He Wills to do, both in and outside of the universe as we know it.Then one day in 1991, I came to know that the Muslims believed in the Bible. I was shocked. How could this be? But that’s not all, they believe in Jesus as:a true messenger of God;prophet of God;miracle birth without human intervention;he was the ‘Christ’ or Messiah as predicted in the Bible;he is with God now and most important;He will be coming back in the Last Days to lead the believers against the ‘Antichrist.’This was too much for me. Especially since the evangelists that we used to travel around with all hated Muslims and Islam very much. They even said things that were not true to make people afraid of Islam. So, why would I want anything to do with these people?My father was very active in supporting church work, especially church school programs. He became and ordained minister in the 1970s. He and his wife (my stepmother) knew many of the TV evangelists and preachers and even visited Oral Roberts and helped in the building of the “Prayer Tower” in Tulsa, OK. They also were strong supporters of Jimmy Swaggart, Jim and Tammy Fae Bakker, Jerry Fallwell, John Haggi and the biggest enemy to Islam in America, Pat Robertson.Dad and his wife worked together and were most active in recording “Praise” tapes and distributing them for free to people in retirement homes, hospitals and homes for the elderly. And then in 1991 he began doing business with a man from Egypt and told me that he wanted me to meet him. This idea appealed to me when I thought about the idea of having an international flavor. You know, the pyramids, sphinx, Nile River and all that. Then my father mentioned that this man was a ‘Moslem.’I couldn’t believe my ears.A ‘Moslem?’No way!I reminded my dad of the various different things that we had heard about these people, how they are -Terrorists; hijackers; kidnappers; bombers and who knows what else?Not only that but:They don’t believe in GodThey kiss the ground five times a day andThey worship a black box in the desert.No!I did not want to meet this ‘Moslem’ man. No way!My father insisted that I meet him and reassured me that he was a very nice person. So, I gave in and agreed to the meeting.But on my terms.I agreed to meet him on a Sunday after church so we would be all prayed up and in good standing with the Lord. I would be carrying my Bible under my arm as usual. I would have my big shiny cross dangling and I would have on my cap which says: “Jesus is Lord” right across the front. My wife and two young daughters came along and we were ready for our first encounter with the ‘Moslems.’When I came into the shop and asked my father where the ‘Moslem’ was, he pointed and said: “He’s right over there.”I was confused. That couldn’t be the Moslem. No way.I’m looking for a huge man with flowing robes and big turban on his head, a beard half way down his shirt and eyebrows that go all the way across his forehead.This man had no beard. In fact, he didn’t even have any hair on his head at all. He was very close to bald. And he was very pleasant with a warm welcome and handshake. This didn’t make sense. I thought they are terrorists and bombers. What is this all about?Never mind. I’ll get right to work on this guy. He needs to be ’saved’ and me and the Lord are going to do it.So, after a quick introduction, I asked him: “Do you believe in God?”He said: “Yes.”(Good!)Then I said: “Do you believe in Adam and Eve?”He said: “Yes.”I said: “What about Abraham? You believe in him and how he tried to sacrifice his son for God?”He said: “Yes.”Then I asked: “What about Moses?”“Ten Commandments?”“Parting the Red Sea?”Again he said: “Yes.”Then: “What about the other prophets, David, Solomon and John the Baptist?”He said: “Yes.”I asked: “Do you believe in the Bible?”Again, he said: “Yes.”So, now it was time for the big question:“Do you believe in Jesus? That he was the Messiah (Christ) of God?”Again the said: “Yes.”Well now:“This was going to be easier than I had thought.”He was just about ready to be baptized only he didn’t know it. And I was just the one to do it, too.I was winning souls to the Lord day after day and this would be a big achievement for me, to catch one of these ‘Moslems’ and ‘convert’ him to Christianity.I asked him if he liked tea and he said he did. So off we went to a little shop in the mall to sit and talk about my favorite subject: Beliefs.While we sat in that little coffee shop for hours talking (I did most of the talking) I came to know that he was very nice, quiet and even a bit shy. He listened attentively to every word that I had to say and did not interrupt even one time. I liked this man’s way and thought that he had definite potential to become a good Christian.Little did I know the course of events about to unravel in front of my eyes.First of all, I agreed with my father that we should do business with this man and even encouraged the idea of him traveling along with me on my business trips across the northern part of Texas. Day after day we would ride together and discuss various issues pertaining to different beliefs that people have. And along the way, I could of course interject some of my favorite radio programs of worship and praise to help bring the message to this poor individual. We talked about the concept of God; the meaning of life; the purpose of creation; the prophets and their mission and how God reveals His Will to mankind. We also shared a lot of personal experiences and ideas as well.One day I came to know that my friend Mohamed was going to move out of the home he have been sharing with a friend of his and was going to be living in the mosque for a time. I went to my dad and asked him if we could invite Mohamed to come out to our big home in the country and stay there with us. After all, he could share some of the work and some expenses and he would be right there when we were ready to go to out traveling around. My father agreed and Mohamed moved in.Of course I still would find time to visit my fellow preachers and evangelists around the state of Texas. One of them lived on the Texas — Mexico border and another lived near lived Oklahoma border. One preacher liked to a huge wooden cross that was bigger than a car. He would carry it over his shoulder and drag the bottom on the ground and go down the road or freeway hauling these two beams formed in the shape of a cross. People would stop their cars and come over to him and ask him what was going on and he would give them pamphlets and booklets on Christianity.One day my friend with the cross had a heart attack and had to go to the Veterans Hospital where he stayed for quite a long while. I used to visit him in the hospital several times a week and I would take Mohamed with me with the hopes that we could all share together in the subject of beliefs and religions. My friend was not very impressed and it was obvious that he did not want to know anything about Islam. Then one day a man who was sharing the room with my friend came rolling into the room in his wheelchair. I went to him and asked him his name and he said that it didn’t matter and when I asked him where he was from he said he was from the planet Jupiter. I thought about what he said and then began to wonder if I was in the cardiac ward or the mental ward.I knew the man was lonely and depressed and needed someone in his life. So, I began to ‘witness’ to him about the Lord. I read to him out of the book of Jonah in the Old Testament. I shared the story of the prophet Jonah who had been sent by the Lord to call his people to the correct way. Jonah had left his people and escaped by boat to leave his city and head out to sea. A storm came up and the ship almost capsized and the people on board threw Jonah over the side of the ship. A whale came up to the surface and grabbed Jonah, swallowed him and then went down to the bottom of the sea, where he stayed for 3 days and 3 nights. Yet because of God’s Mercy, He caused the whale to rise to the surface and then spit Jonah out to return back home safely to his city of Nineveh. And the idea was that we can’t really run away from our problems because we always know what we have done. And what is more, God also always knows what we have done.After sharing this story with the man in the wheel chair, he looked up and me and apologized. He told me he was sorry for his rude behavior and that he had experienced some real serious problems recently. Then he said that he wanted to confess something to me. And I said that I was not a Catholic priest and I don’t handle confessions. He replied back to me that he knew that. In fact, he said: “I am a Catholic priest.”I was shocked. Here I had been trying to preach Christianity to a priest. What in the world was happening here?The priest began to share his story of being a missionary for the church for over 12 years to south and Central America and Mexico and even in New York’s ‘Hell’s Kitchen.’ When he was released from the hospital he needed a place to go to recover and rather than let him go to stay with a Catholic family, I told my dad that we should invite him to come out and live with us in the country along with our families and Mohamed. It was agreed by all that he would so, he moved out right away.During the trip out to our home, I talked with the priest about some of the concepts of beliefs in Islam and to my surprise he agreed and then shared even more about this with me. I was shocked when he told me that Catholic priests actually study Islam and some even carry doctors degrees in this subject. This was all very enlightening to me. But there was still a lot more to come.After settling in, we all began to gather around the kitchen table after dinner every night to discuss religion. My father would bring his King James Version of the Bible, I would bring out my Revised Standard Version of the Bible, my wife had another version of the Bible (maybe something like Jimmy Swaggart’s ‘Good News For Modern Man.” The priest of course, had the Catholic Bible which has 7 more books in it that the Protestant Bible. So we spent more time talking about which Bible was the right one or the most correct one, than we did trying to convince Mohamed about becoming a Christian.At one point I recall asking him about the Quran and how many versions of it there were in the last 1,400 years. He told me that there was only ONE QURAN. And that it had never been changed. Yet he let me know that the Quran had been memorized by hundreds of thousands of people, in it’s entirety and were scattered about the earth in many different countries. Over the centuries since the Quran was revealed millions have memorized it completely and have taught it to others who have memorized it completely, from cover to cover, letter perfect without mistakes.This did not seem possible to me. After all, the original languages of the Bible have all been dead languages for centuries and the documents themselves have been lost in their originals for hundreds and thousands of years. So, how could it be that something like this could be so easy to preserve and to recite from cover to cover.Anyway, one day the priest asked the Mohamed if he might accompany him to the mosque to see what it was like there. They came back talking about their experience there and we could not wait to ask the priest what it was like and what all types of ceremonies they performed. He said they didn’t really ‘do’ anything. They just came and prayed and left. I said: “They left? Without any speeches or singing?” He said that was right.A few more days went by and the Catholic priest asked Mohamed if he might join him again for a trip to the mosque which they did. But this time it was different. They did not come back for a very long time. It became dark and we worried that something might have happened to them. Finally they arrived and when they came in the door I immediately recognized Mohamed, but who was this alongside of him? Someone wearing a white robe and a white cap. Hold on a minute! It was the priest. I said to him: “Pete? — Did you become a ‘Moslem?’He said that he had entered into Islam that very day. THE PRIEST BECAME A MUSLIM!! What next? (You’ll see).So, I went upstairs to think things over a bit and began to talk to my wife about the whole subject. She then told me that she too was going to enter into Islam, because she knew it was the truth. I was really shocked now. I went downstairs and woke up Mohamed and asked him to come outside with me for a discussion. We walked and talked that whole night through. By the time he was ready to pray Fajr (the morning prayer of the Muslims) I knew that the truth had come at last and now it was up to me to do my part. I went out back behind my father’s house and found an old piece of plywood lying under an overhang and right there I put my head down on the ground facing the direction that the Muslims pray five times a day.Now then in that position, with my body stretched out on the plywood and my head on the ground, I asked: “O God. If you are there, guide me, guide me.” And then after a while I raised up my head and I noticed something. No, I didn’t see birds or angels coming out of the sky nor did I hear voices or music, nor did I see bright lights and flashes. What I did notice was a change inside of me. I was aware now more than ever before that it was time for me to stop lying and cheating and doing sneaky business deals. It was time that I really work at being an honest and upright man. I knew now what I had to do. So I went upstairs and took a shower with the distinct idea that I was ‘washing’ away the sinful old person that I had become over the years. And I was now coming into a new, fresh life. A life based on truth and proof.Around 11:00 A.M. that morning, I stood before two witnesses, one the ex-priest, formerly known as Father Peter Jacob’s, and the other Mohamed Abel Rehman and announced my ’shahadah’ (open testimony to the Oneness of God and the prophethood of Muhammad, peace be upon him).A few minutes later, my wife follow along and gave the same testimony. But hers was in front of 3 witnesses (me being the third).My father was a bit more reserved on the subject and waited a few more months before he made his shahadah (public testimony). But he did finally commit to Islam and began offering prayers right along with me and the other Muslims in the local masjid (mosque).The children were taken out of the Christian school and placed in Muslim schools. And now ten years later, they are memorizing much of the Quran and the teachings of Islam.My father’s wife was the last of all to acknowledge that Jesus could not be a son of God and that he must have been a mighty prophet of God, but not God.Now stop and think. A whole entire household of people from varying backgrounds and ethnic groups coming together in truth to learn how to know and worship the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe. Think. A Catholic priest. A minister of music and preacher. An ordained minister and builder of Christian schools. And they all come into Islam! Only by His Mercy were we all guided to see the real truth of Islam without any blinders on their eyes any longer.If I were to stop right here, I’m sure that you would have to admit that at least, this is an amazing story, right? After all, three religious leaders of three separate denominations all going into one very opposite belief at the same time and then soon after the rest of the household.But that is not all. There is more! The same year, while I was in Grand Prairie, Texas (near Dallas) I met a Baptist seminary student from Tennessee named Joe, who also came to Islam after reading the Holy Quran while in BAPTIST SEMINARY COLLEGE!There are others as well. I recall the case of the Catholic priest in a college town who talked about the good things in Islam so much that I was forced to ask him why he didn’t enter Islam. He replied: “What? And loose my job?” – His name is Father John and there is still hope for him yet.More? Yes. The very next year I met a former Catholic priest who had been a missionary for 8 years in Africa. He learned about Islam while he was there and entered into Islam. He then changed his name to Omar and moved to Dallas Texas.Any more? Again, yes. Two years later, while in San Antonio, Texas I was introduced to a former Arch Bishop of the Orthodox Church of Russia who learned about Islam and gave up his position to enter Islam.After accepting Islam-Year 2000And since my own entrance into Islam and becominga chaplain to the Muslims throughout the country and around the world, I have encountered many more individuals who were leaders, teachers and scholars in other religions who learned about Islam and entered into it. They came from Hindus, Jews, Catholics, Protestants, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Greek and Russian Orthodox, Coptic Christians from Egypt, non-denominational churches and even scientists who had been atheists.Why? Good question.May I suggest to the seeker of truth do the following NINE STEPS to purification of the mind:1.) Clean their mind, their heart and their soul real good.2.) Clear away all the prejudices and biases3.) Read a good translation of the meaning of the Holy Quran in a language that they can understand best.4.) Take some time.5.) Read and reflect.6.) Think and pray.7.) And keep on asking the One who created you in the first place, to guide you to the truth.8.) Keep this up for a few months. And be regular in it.9.) Above all, do not let others who are poisoned in their thinking influence you while your are in this state of “rebirth of the soul.”The rest is between you and the Almighty Lord of the Universe. If you truly love Him, then He already Knows it and He will deal with each of us according to our hearts.So, now you have the introduction to the story of my coming into Islam and becoming Muslim. There is more on the Internet about this story and there are more pictures there as well. Please take the time to visit it and then please take the time to email me and let us come together to share in all truths based on proofs for understanding our origins and our purpose and goals in this life and the Next Life.And once again I thank you for your email today. If you hadn’t sent it, I probably would still not have completed this task of putting down the story once and for all of how “Priest and Preachers Are Coming to Islam.”May Allah guide you on your journey to all truth. Ameen. And May He open your heart and your mind to the reality of this world and the purpose of this life, ameen.Peace to you and Guidance from Allah the One Almighty God, Creator and Sustainer of all that exists.Your friend,Chaplain Yusuf Estes——————————————————————————–About Yusuf EstesYusuf Estes (born 1944), reknowned modern-day Islamic scholar and leader who has become one of the soundest voices of Islam in the English-speaking world today. Born to a Catholic family in Ohio, Estes was raised in Texas, where he became an ardent Christian minister. Upon learning about Islam and the Quran, Estes converted, along with his father, wife, and children, to the Islamic faith in 1991.Estes has become a tireless activist and scholar of Islam, influencing and inspiring the paths of many future converts to Islam. His lectures and sermons have been notably published all over the world in many Muslim countries, alongside his birthplace the United States and many other places within Europe. Considered one of the most influential leaders of modern-day Western Muslims.Yusuf Estes’ Official Website http://www.islamtomorrow.comDownload Yusuf Estes’ Speeches Aswat Al-IslamDownload Yusuf Estes’ Lectures Islam Indexislam muslim convert american indonesia