The "Black September" incident led me to Islam

He grew up and was educated in a middle class family in the US who embraced Christianity, even though he was not a member of a particular church or routinely attended services every Sunday and was involved in various religious activities. The only moment they celebrate to show their religious identity is the celebration of Christmas.

Even though he is not a Christian, who is keen to attend church, his parents teach firmly and clearly about the "morals" he must obey, in order to become a man of good character and behavior. On the other hand, his parents' interest in the history and culture of various nations in the world creates an environment that teaches them to be tolerant, respect and admire the customs and beliefs of others who are different from the beliefs they hold. And this environment will one day make a major contribution for him to accept and eventually convert to Islam.

That's the background of the life of Justin L. Peyton, a US citizen of African descent from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His journey to Islam began with the September 11, 2001 attacks. He read more about Islam and Muslims from the mass media after the event, even though his coverage tended to be negative. But he claimed a negative portrait of Islam and Muslims exposed by Western media did not affect his interactions with Muslim friends or neighbors.

"The negative preaching never interfered with my desire to take the time to study Islam," Peyton said.

With the attitude of openness instilled by his parents, he decided to do his own research, look for facts about Islam and find a common thread between his personal experience of associating with Muslims with negative media coverage of Islam and Muslims. Because at that time Peyton was still a student, the internet was the first medium he used to conduct the "search and study".

For several months he accessed information from the internet, his knowledge continued to increase gradually. Peyton read various articles ranging from basic knowledge about the teachings of Islam and Muslims to more in-depth matters about the concept of divinity in Islam, the prophets, the Koran, the Day of Judgment and instructions on the procedures for performing prayers, fasting, pilgrimage and other knowledge about Islam and Muslims are like the concept of family in Islam, spawning and stories of converts. The story of those who converted to Islam was the article he liked the most.

He then bought the Koran with translation in a bookstore and began reading the contents of the Koran. Within a day, Peyton could read pages and pages of the Koran and list the contents of the Koran that most triggered a deeper curiosity about Islam. "What I read, gave a sensation in my soul," said Peyton.

Accessing the internet and reading the contents of the Koran apparently did not make him feel enough to know and understand more about Islam and Muslims. Peyton decided to visit the closest mosques in Philadelphia. "I contacted a mosque 45 miles from home, talked with the mosque's leader and arranged a schedule to come and discuss Islam with the Muslim community at the mosque," he said.

On the appointed day, Peyton came and spent a lot of time with a Muslim at the mosque. The meeting and conversation moved him, until his second visit in the summer of 2002, Peyton believed that Islam was the truth. At that moment Peyton said the two sentences of the shahada and stayed for a week in the mosque to learn the prayers and the obligations that must be done alone as a Muslim.

Two months after converting to Islam, Peyton signed papers to join the US Marine corps and must stay in military barracks. As a new convert, Peyton acknowledged that military life was not conducive. For example, the schedule and length of training which sometimes makes it very difficult to fulfill the obligation of prayer or fasting during the month of Ramadan.

Even after completing training as a Marine, Peyton was placed in an area where there was no Muslim community at all, which made it even more difficult to strengthen the religious beliefs he had just embraced. Only three years later, Peyton met a fellow soldier who was also Muslim, who could teach him about Islam and lead him to live life as a Muslim in the US military service.

In the summer of 2007, Peyton completed his military service and returned to Philadelphia, his hometown. He then became active in a mosque and with his abilities, he got a job in the largest Muslim organization in the US, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

"During the two years of being a part of the Muslim community and working at CAIR was an extraordinary learning experience, making me even more developed and interested in studying Islam more deeply," he said.

In 2009, Peyton enrolled at Hartford Seminary in Connecticut and obtained a master's degree in the field of study of Islamic Art, Muslim-Christian relations and received a certificate in the field of Islamic da'wah. (ln / oi)

source: http://www.eramuslim.com/berita/dakwah-mancanegara/peristiwa-black-september-mantarkanku-pada-islam.htm