My father, on the other hand, though he occasionally attended church, is a trained scientist with a strong humanist streak. Growing up in this mixed environment was a blessing, as it exposed me to the different modes of thought and forced me to choose what I believed in.

I attended church regularly with my mother until I was old enough at 13 to say no. At that point I had many questions about Christian traditions and practices. Chief among these were what I believe to be the inherent contradictions in the Trinity and an inability to accept the idea of Jesus (pbuh), or any man, as a deity. I also struggled with the ideas of original sin, that man is inherently bad and must be baptized to go to heaven, and salvation is guaranteed by faith alone, that regardless of evil actions, asking forgiveness and believing in Christ was enough.

For many years I knew what I did not believe, but not what I believed. My search continued until college, where I ended up majoring in Comparative Religion at the University of California at Santa Barbara. By that time, based on personal experiences, I had come to believe in God, a Singular God, wholly separate from our existence, the complete comprehension of Whom is outside the abilities of any human. Yet as I read the scriptures of more and more world faiths, I came to see many common threads and deep insights between them. Eventually, I came to believe that God, though apart from human reality, chose to communicate to His creation through Prophets.

Already holding these two main beliefs, of the Unity of God and a prophetic tradition of revelation, I began to focus my studies on Islam. In Islam I found a strong focus on the concept of the Unity of God, individual accountability, and faith through action in the world. Through my studies I gained many Muslim friends, from whom I was able to observe the practice of Islam. It was a practice I found to be humble and moving. Never once did any Muslim I knew actively try to convert me or put down other faith traditions. Instead they patiently answered my questions and allowed me into their circle, despite the fact that I did not share their religion.

Slowly, it dawned on me that Islam was what I had searching for. It was never sudden, but instead a gradual realization. I was concerned, however, that I was being influenced by my Muslim friends. Since I was scheduled to study abroad for my last year of college in Jerusalem, I decided to wait to be alone before making a life altering decision.

In Jerusalem I found myself very alone. The experience of being there, studying at an Israeli state school at the start of the second Intifadah, is still difficult for me to communicate. But shortly after arriving, I knew that I was ready to take the Shahadah. I was so moved, I took the Shahadah alone, as I did not know any Imams or scholars there. I studied how to pray on websites on the internet. I soon met a Shaikh who ran a small Mosque in the Old Town, which focused on Dawah (propagation of Islam). He insisted I take the Shahadah in front of him and taught me how to pray properly. Eventually, I took the Shahadah again, this time in front of the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, so that I could receive permission to pray at the Al Aqsa Masjid which, because of the violence, had been closed to foreigners.