Prayer is an
inspiration in both Islam and Christianity
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The story of
how two East Midlands residents converted from their original religion
to another holds some keys to understanding the two faiths.
Washiela Ratcliffe
of Coalville in Leicestershire is a new arrival in the Christian
church. She converted from the Muslim faith and now embraces the
faith of Christ.
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| Studying
the Koran |
Meanwhile Ibrahim
Lawson has moved in the other direction, deciding to turn to Islam
after originally being in the Church of England.
For
Washiela, the move was the result of discontent with an Islamic
lifestyle that she says was very strict.
"Everything
has to be obeyed. Studying the Koran, going to classes every Thursday
evening. It is a very strict lifestyle," she says.
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| Each religion
has its own style for a place of worship. |
"My father
died when I was 10 and I hated God with a vengeance. You know, I
wanted to know why He had to take my father away."
I didn't want
to become a Christian. I was looking for God in all the wrong places.
I was heavily into the occult.
"One day
I went past this monastery and the car slowed down. The wheel just
turned toward the gates. I think God has a sneaky sense of humour'"
Washiela says.
For Ibrahim,
it was an upbringing in the Church of England, with training as
a choirboy from the age of 10.
But he found
that Christianity really didn't satisfy him, so he looked to other
Christian sects first and finally to Middle Eastern religions.
"I met
a group of British Muslims and their religion was a complete way
of life: it dealt with everything a human being has to deal with
spiritually, socially, politically and economically," Ibrahim
says.
"All of
my friends thought I had gone crazy. Islam is probably the most
misunderstood religion. It is difficult to understand why anyone
should want to become a Muslim, because it is so strange to the
British people."
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| Washiela
says she gets a total buzz from being a Christian. |
"There
are some similarities: we believe in Moses, the Torah, Jesus and
the Bible, but our belief is that the earlier revelations have been
superseded by the revelations of the Koran," he says.
Ibrahim says
he changed his name and took a Muslim name, adding: "Since
then I have become a different person."
Washiela says
she gets "a total buzz from being Christian" and is happy
that God says "you are no longer my servant, you are my friend."
成人论坛 East Midlands
is featuring stories about the region's Muslim community as part
of its .
, visit the special page prepared by our London
Live site or check their impressive .
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