By Aiden Pearce
A 19-year-old Christian of Congolese background has revealed why she has converted to Islam.
Fidelis Kasindi, from Leicester, had followed in her family’s footsteps all her life by being a practising Christian.
But in December last year, she converted to Islam and has now spoken of how her current faith is enriching her life.
“I’ve faced certain hardships in my life that my faith in Islam has got me through,” she said. “It teaches that everything happens for a reason; therefore, I shouldn’t blame myself.”
Seeing her Muslim friends pray brought on the curiosity that led to her converting her religion.
It proved to be a hard transition; including changing to more modest clothing and covering her hair.
Despite not having the acceptance from her Christian family, Fidelis’ Muslim friends supported her through it all.
She said: “The community was very accepting of me which I didn’t expect. They see my faith as more respectable if anything, as I found Islam myself, instead of being born into it.”
Fidelis’ interest also sparked from how men are expected to treat women in Islam, although she believes a large majority of non-Muslim people tend to believe women in Islam are oppressed.
“I wish people understood that this is not the case,” she explained. “Women are treated like queens if anything!”
Nevertheless, as Fidelis is starting to practice the faith more, she wishes she had a friend who had also converted.
“They’d understand my struggles, as it can get overwhelming at times, dealing with the changes I’m making to my lifestyle,” she added.
“It’s easy to burn out, as I mistakenly made the changes quickly all at once. I wanted to be seen as a proper Muslim as soon as possible.”
Fidelis explained how easy it is to get overwhelmed and just want to give up altogether, but having the support of friends has helped her process run a whole lot smoother.
