Jfid – Gaza, a region continuously plagued by conflict and violence.
However, behind the suffering and sadness experienced by the Palestinian people, there are also inspirational stories that demonstrate their faith and resilience.
One such story is about 30 Australian women who decided to embrace Islam after witnessing the war in Gaza.
These women come from various backgrounds, ages, and professions. They have different reasons and motivations for choosing Islam as their new religion.
However, there is one common trigger: reading the Quran and witnessing the strong faith of the Palestinians facing the war in Gaza.
The Gaza conflict erupted in October 2023, when Israel launched air and ground attacks that killed more than 12,300 Palestinian civilians.
These attacks sparked anger and sympathy worldwide, including from Australian women who were then interested in studying Islam more deeply.
One of them is Madison Reeves, a 24-year-old mother from Tampa, Florida, who became interested in Islam in September 2023 after talking to a Muslim girl on a language app.
She then bought the Quran and began reading it. When the war in Gaza broke out, she became more determined to declare the Shahada and wear the hijab.
She shared a video of herself with the hijab on October 24, 2023, celebrating her new Islam.
“It’s a big change,” said the former soldier to Free Press.
Madison is not the only one who recently decided to convert to Islam.
Also in October 2023, American influencer and TikTok writer Megan Rice declared the Shahada after reading the Quran.
Her journey to Islam began when she created a World Religion book club to read the Quran in remembrance of the genocide in Gaza.
Another conversion that caught attention is Alex, a TikToker who identifies as a ‘left queer gremlin,’ who recently bought the Quran and started covering her hair with a hijab.
In one of her videos, Alex responds to criticism that she will return to a Western lifestyle after this ‘trend’ ends.
“Which part of the Western lifestyle do you think I’ll go back to?” she asks. “Uh, rampant capitalism? All colonization? Because I hate both of those.”
Experts suggest that for many people, this choice is a “major rebellion against the West.”
“Rebellion is part of being young,” says Lorenzo Vidino, Director of the Extremism Program at George Washington University, to Free Press.
“At this moment, what is more rebellious, what is more anti-Western and anti-capitalism and anti-government, than converting to Islam?” he concludes.
Converting to Islam is not just about changing religious beliefs but also about challenging the status quo and existing norms.
This statement indicates that converting to Islam can be seen as a form of rebellion against Western norms.
It is a way for individuals to express their dissatisfaction with the existing system and seek alternative ways of life.
Islam offers a different framework of thinking and values that can help them understand and navigate the world in a different way.
