Ipa Tonkin

‘I’m a 16 year old half cast- Polynesian- Australian girl who switched from Christianity to Islam.’

It all started from the minute I started Catholic school (there weren’t any Christian schools in the area I lived). I never had that “connection” with the Christian/Catholic God that nearly all my peers had. Every day after school I would go home and ask the Christian/Catholic God “Why don’t I feel this connection with you? Why don’t I feel your presences?” This question that I was asking for 11 years never got answered and that’s where I started to lose faith.

Finding Islam

It wasn’t until late December of 2013 where I started researching into other religions and that’s when I came across Islam. The more I read about Islam, the more I wanted to convert. So I decided to contact my Muslim friends and ask them about Islam. At the time of all of this happening I was already learning Arabic, Reading the Holy Quran and praying 5 times a day. To me I felt like a Muslim already. But I needed to make it official. So I waited until school started back up again and I went and informed my Somalian friend Leyla Ali. I told her how I wanted to convert to Islam and she was so happy. Later that day my other Somalian friends came up to me to congratulate me and they asked me “Have you said your Shahada yet?” of course my answer was “no” because I haven’t learnt it properly yet. So they helped me. After I said my Shahada I felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. I felt alive. At the moment of all that happening, all I could say was “I’m happy now. I’ve finally found the right path in life.”

It wasn’t very long until I was being contacted from other Muslim peers in my school asking me “Did you really convert to Islam?” At first I was hesitant to tell people that I converted or why I converted. But opening up to them really helped me a lot. 

My first visit to the Mosque

My first visit to the Mosque was such an amazing experience. Being able to go there with my Somalian friends really showed me how supportive they are. My Catholic friends, they were a bit iffy about it at the beginning.

When I arrived I was greeted by Amina. The Sheikh wife. She was already informed about me converting to Islam. As we waited in the Sheikh house I got asked, “Do you know how many times you have to pray? Do you know how to pray the correct way?” I said to Amina, “We have to pray 5 times a day and yes I learnt how to pray the correct way.” She was surprised how I knew how to pray properly already and that’s when we got informed that Sheikh Issa wanted to see us. I was so nervous.

Talking to Sheikh Issa really opened my eyes a lot. For a man who is blind, he truly is magnificent. Sheikh Issa helped me realise that Jesus (Isa) is not “the son of God”. Jesus (Isa) is a messenger of Allah. 

My knowledge was still very limited, so I was given two books to read. The first book was ‘The book of Prophet Muhammad’ (pbuh) and the second book was ‘A brief illustrated guide to understanding Islam’. Both of these books were very helpful and increased my knowledge about Islam.

Disguised

The first time I wore the Hijab I was at study camp. I was coming back from Maghrib and I decided I’ll leave it on for the rest of the night. The Somalian girls told me to take it off because people may judge, but I didn’t listen. Because I knew I had Allah by my side. My last day of study camp I had to deal with drama between me and my Catholic best friends. I tried my hardest to get through to them. That the changes that are happening in my life are for a good reason. But even telling them that, it still didn’t make things better. So I decided I’ll give them space. The main person who helped me through that day and who still is was Yassir Halli. 

I wanted to wear my hijab at school, but I was also in secret from my parents. So every morning I would pack my hijab into my bag and once I got there I would rush into the bathroom to place it on. I felt confident wearing the hijab and I still do. I do get people talking nasty about me. But I try my hardest to not allow their comments to get to me. I was informed from one of my Somalian friends Najmo that when someone is backbiting you, you get their good deeds, while they get the bad deeds. So hearing that boosted my confidence and belief even more.  

My second visit to the Mosque

My second visit to the Mosque I was really excited and very impatient. The reason for that is because it was the day I get to say my Shahada once again in front of Sheikh Issa, my friends and also Magda’s mum. 

I was given by Sheikh Issa ‘The declaration faith (Shahada)’ to read out loud. I was a bit confused at first on why I was saying my Shahada in English. Until Sheikh Issa said “The reason I’m making you read it in English is because you may not understand the whole meaning of the Shahada.”As much as I wanted to read it in Arabic. I continued to read it out loud in English. 

After saying my Shahada I remember Magda’s mum crying. I knew her tears were tears of happiness. So I just hugged her even harder because she has given me so much support since the day she found out. She is like a mum to me now. 

It’s no longer a secret

It was the day before my one month anniversary of converting to Islam when my secret life of being a Muslim came to an end. I was busted by my brother at the shopping centre wearing my hijab. You would have thought I would have been scared and panicking. But I wasn’t. I was calm and happy that he saw me. 

Telling my parents wasn’t the easiest thing I’ve done in my life. But it lifted a great big burden off my shoulders. My father accepted me right away, but immediately he started asking questions about Islam. My mother on the other hand, didn’t accept me at all. She thought it was all a phase and that I was crazy. But I knew the truth.So I lied. I lied to keep myself protected once again. To keep myself from getting disowned or even kicked out of home. I’m back to having a secret life, but only from my mother. When the time is right I’ll tell her again that I’m a Muslim. InshaAllah.

Dealing with people who rely on facts

Through the beginning of my conversion I had to deal with people telling me that “99% of Muslim men beat up their wives” with them ending it with “that’s a fact.” I questioned them on how they know that 99% of Muslim men beat up their wives. I knew right away what they were doing. They were poking holes into my religion. Trying to find a way to get me to convert back to Christianity. It didn’t work.  

It was up to me to educate these people and show them that the 'facts' they are being told is not the truth and what they are seeing in the media is being portrayed. At first nobody wanted to listen and they all thought I knew nothing about Islam. So I gave it another go. Still no luck. The only person who would actually listen to me was my father. I helped him realise that Islam is a peaceful religion and it doesn’t promote violence. 

Support

Just in 1 month and 2 weeks I’ve got so much support from all of the Muslim peers in my year level and also a few in the year levels below me at school and also Muslim parents who haven’t even fully met me yet. I’m truly grateful of them. Alhamdulillah.

Having these people in life has truly been blessing from Allah. All of these people have given me a piece of knowledge I never knew about Islam and I now use that knowledge myself to inform other non-Muslims (Gallo/a). Fahmo Abdul, Leyla Ali, Yassir Halli, Omar Alotaibi, Sammirah Farah, Magda, Najmo and many others I’d like to thank you all for the support you have given me and for not giving up on me.