| Assalaamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu! Peace be upon
you, and the mercy of God, and His Blessing! This Arabic phrase
is the thread that ties every Muslim on Earth together -- all
one billion of them. It is used as a greeting by Muslims from
every imaginable nationality; no matter what language a Muslim
speaks, he will greet his brothers and sisters in faith with these
words. This is not an exception among Muslims in America, the
great "melting pot" of cultures and faiths. The number of people
converting to the Islamic faith grows daily, and Islam now has
a strong presence in the United States. Islam being a religion
based on unity and brotherhood, almost every Muslim community
has a masjid (mosque), Islamic Center, or Islamic Association
through which the local Muslim families can meet for prayer, Sunday
school, religious festivals, and other activities. The Islamic
Center of Raleigh, North Carolina is one such masjid which serves
all these purposes for Muslims in the Triangle area and beyond.
It was here that Candace Watson, a student at the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill, came to convert to the religion
of Islam. She learned about the faith from her brother in high
school, and after a few years of study and questioning came to
the conclusion that Islam is the truth. Candace made her decision
to convert after fasting throughout the Muslims' holy month of
Ramadan, during which no food or drink is taken between the dawn
and evening prayers for all thirty days of the month. In her last
few weeks as a non-Muslim, Candace increased her awareness of
the religion by attending the Friday prayers held at the UNC-Chapel
Hill Student Union, and by attending the meetings and activities
of the Muslim Students' Association (MSA) on campus. Her conversion
took place less than a week before the celebration of 'Eid al-Adha,
the Festival of Sacrifice, at the Islamic Center of Raleigh. |