Finding Islam in Cyberspace- The Story of a Jewish Boy

Finding Islam in Cyberspace

The Story of a Jewish Boy

By Musa Caplan



Prior to my conversion to Islam, I lived my life as a Jew. Although
my family was not traditional, I learned Judaism from traditional
Jews. I went to an Orthodox Jewish synagogue, and an Orthodox Jewish
school. I lived, and continue to live, in a Jewish community in the
United States where there is little diversity. And considering how
much Judaism was involved in my life, I did not have any non-Jewish
friends. But about a year ago, I began to chat online quite often
and my e-mail list slowly began to fill with more and more Muslims.
I developed a strong interest for studying other religions as well
as my own. I paid special attention to Islam, for I knew it was a
religion not much different than Judaism. We share many similar
prophets (peace be upon them all), morals, values, and most
importantly, we worship the same God — Allah. Although I knew much
about Islam and knew it was a peaceful religion, I cannot say I did
not have stereotypes. I was lucky because I knew many Muslims
online, one of which was my girlfriend who I consider to be my guide
to Islam. She led me to the doors of Islam, and Allah took me
through the rest. Regardless, when I heard of a terrorist attack,
similar to many others, I figured the cause of it was Islamic
extremists.

Many times I was not wrong. But then you must ask yourself, what
makes these people go to the extreme? Does their religion really
teach to kill innocent people? The reality is that it does not.
Prophet Muhammad was a great warrior. Yet he managed to never kill
an innocent human being. I realized that Islam is a religion that
teaches respect, peace, and tolerance. Never does it say to kill an
innocent disbeliever. A true Muslim is taught never to force
conversion, but instead, to share his knowledge with the world,
which I hope to do in this article. In the Qur'an a valuable lesson
to be learned is "to kill a man, is to destroy the world."

[Whoever slays a soul, unless it be for manslaughter or for mischief
in the land, it is as though he slew all men; and whoever keeps it
alive, it is as though he kept alive all men.] (Al-Ma'idah 5:32)

After realizing Islam was not a religion of war, I decided to look
deeper into the faith. By doing so I discovered flaws in my own
religion. According to the Old Testament, the great Prophet Aaron
committed the worse sin possible. Due to pressure put upon him by
the people while waiting for Moses to return with the Torah from
Mount Sinai, he built an idol.

How could a great prophet possibly commit one of the three sins that
are so great that one should prefer death before committing them? In
the Qur'an, Moses comes down and sees the Jews worshiping the Golden
Calf. At first he thinks it is the creation of Aaron and is angry at
him; later he finds it was other Hebrews who had created this idol.
A lot can be learned from this story.

Would a nation of people led by God really be forgiven for such a
sin? My view on this story matches the Islamic view that the Old
Testament has changed over the years. In the past, there have been
many Cohaneem (religious leaders at the Holy Temple) who were
corrupt. Couldn't it easily be possible for them to have changed
Judaism to make it easier to observe and less time-consuming in
order to make more money with their profession?

Another astonishing factor that led me to Islam is the
scientifictruth written in the Qur'an. The Qur'an mentions the human
embryonic development long before it was discovered by science.

[And certainly We created man of an extract of clay, Then We made
him a small seed in a firm resting-place, Then We made the seed a
clot, then We made the clot a lump of flesh, then We made (in) the
lump of flesh bones, then We clothed the bones with flesh, then We
caused it to grow into another creation, so blessed be Allah, the
best of the creators.] (Al-Mu'minun 23:12-14)

The Qur'an also mentions how mountains are formed and talks about
the layers of the atmosphere! These are just a few of so many
scientific discoveries mentioned in the Qur'an 1400 years before
discovered by science. Here is one of the key factors that led me to
explore my heart to find the truth of life. In Arabic, the word
Islam comes from salama which means "to submit"; "purity"
and "peace" come from the same root. The person submits to the One,
the Merciful, and the Most Beneficent Allah; whereas other religions
are named after people: Judaism comes from the tribe of Judea,
Christianity from Jesus Christ, etc. Islam is a word derived from a
verb; anyone who submits to Allah and believes in all the prophets
is a true Muslim. Many of the great prophets mentioned in the Old
Testament lived prior to Judaism and Judea; they submitted to God,
and therefore they were all Muslims. And we shall live as the
prophets lived, for they were great human beings.

Considering my situation of being very young and living in an all-
Jewish area, it would be difficult to have my beliefs accepted. My
parents and relatives are very respectful, but I am unsure how they
would react if it is their own son who reverts to Islam. So for now,
I am unable to live out an Islamic life to the fullest, but thanks
to Allah, I am able to pray five times a day, I am able to study
Islam online, and at least I am openly able to believe in one God
and express those feelings. In some ways it can be very difficult. I
become more emotional than most people would when I debate something
involving Muslims, for example the Middle East. When I talk about
Israel, my whole family supports Israel and doesn't know the truth
of what goes on to Palestinians, but I think they should have proper
treatment for the Palestinians. And when they talk about this
situation, I become easily offended, especially if they bring up the
idea that it is "the Jewish Holy Land" and "Promised Land."

Because I have not yet told my parents of my reversion to Islam, I
am unable to attend prayers at a mosque. As I stated before, my area
has little diversity and all the mosques are far away. I have never
had the opportunity to do Shahadah in front of witnesses although I
have said Shahadah for the best witness of all — Allah. When I am 16
in about one year, I will be able to drive to the mosque, in sha'
Allah (Allah willing). The most important thing is to improve the
person I am. I try to avoid my friends who do drugs, watch porn,
drink alcohol, and steal. It is not always easy to avoid close
friends, but I try my best for the sake of Allah. And I hope over
time my personality will meet what Allah wishes to see from us all.

When studying Qur'an, my advice to you is to read it for yourself.
Looking at biased websites, you are not able to see the full content
of a verse. "Go forth to war" will be a phrase you can find on
prejudiced sites in order to make you think Islam is a religion of
war. But if you read on, you will see the Qur'an specifically says
only with those who first wage war with Islam. Through this whole
experience I have discovered that I did not find Islam, I re-
embraced Islam; nor did I convert, I reverted; and on my ride from
darkness to light, it has only made me a stronger, more spiritual,
and a better human being. May Allah guide us all to the truth that I
was led to.

Ash-hadu an la ilaha illa Allah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammad rasulu
Allah!