I
left the Maryland school system as the Chairman of the
Mathematics Department and joined the Islamic School of
Seattle as the Principal. Kathy was a secretary
there and was very active as a Muslim worker in the community.
She accepted Islam in her own unique way. This
is how she narrated her story:
“I
was only in elementary school when I went to the public
library with my mother.
These libraries do not throw away duplicate or
discarded books.
They sell these books for petty coins. There was a sale of
books in the library.
I had a few coins in my pocket, so I bought one
book for a nickel or a dime.
I stored it in my room. The usual life activities
continued. I
went from elementary to middle school. In due course of time
I went from middle school to high school. Finally, I graduated
from high school.
I was lucky to join a college. I studied arts instead
of science. My
major was Comparative Religion. My professor offered
very extensive coursework in this area. The comparative study
of Judaism, Christianity and Islam was the major theme. None of my teachers
happened to be Muslims.
I passed all these courses with ease. In this way
I accumulated enough credits to graduate from college.”
“As
a fresh graduate I started looking for a job. In this part of the
country jobs are few.
It is a miracle for a female graduate of the arts
to find a job. I
got exhausted, bored and sat idle at home most of the
time. To minimize my boredom
I started looking at various items that I had in my house.
I came across the book, which I had purchased years
ago from the library.
It was covered with dust.
I cleaned it and picked it up. It is human nature to
value those items on which you have spent your pocket
money, especially as a child.
It was a precious piece of personal
property for me.”
“I
started reading this book. It happened to be the
Interpretations of the Meanings of the Quran in English. It was fascinating.
The more I read, the more curious I became about
Islam. It was totally different
from what my professors taught me in the university.
Anyhow, the true Islamic values offered by the
Quran satisfied my mind and conscience. I realized that if this
is Islam, it is wonderful. I wanted to become a
Muslim.”
“I
inquired about how I could become a Muslim. The process was extremely
simple, so I embraced Islam. All Praise be to Allah.
I soon married a young man from Afghanistan. We both offered our
services to the Islamic community and worked hand in hand
with the local Muslim leaders. We never wish to change
this way of life.
May Allah accept our efforts.”