Tell us about your life in the pre-Muslim time?
I grew up in Mills Falls, Massachusetts on the east coast of the United States and is a Catholic. My parents were not really religious, but they sent me to church or Catholic weekend schools.
How did you come up with the idea of converting to Islam?
I was hesitant about many of the rituals that Catholics had to perform from an early age; Like original sin, baptism, confession, trinity, and so on, from young age I was looking for something stronger to believe, that would make me feel better in my life. For this purpose, I researched on other religions, but I did not come to a conclusion, until I met an Iranian group. I became friends with them and my husband was among them. They introduced me to Islam, and I started asking questions, and after a while I converted to Islam in my early 20s.
How did you come up with the idea of converting to Islam?
Fortunately, my father, sister and two brothers came to terms with this issue well and accepted my conversion to Islam. My mother had already died when I was 17, so she never noticed that I was converting to Islam. My family treated me like before, even after I wore the hijab. But unfortunately, they were not interested in knowing Islam. In my opinion, God chooses who becomes a Muslim. My friends did not have a problem with converting to Islam, but due to my life conditions and the fact that I live in Iran, I have lost contact with many of them, but we still see each other from time to time and we communicate through the Internet.
What is the most beautiful aspect you have seen in Islam?
One of the most beautiful things I have seen is the attention and care of Muslim students to each other. Fasting was also very interesting for me. I had many questions about Jesus Christ, but it was Islamic books that answered my questions. In my opinion, the most important issue is that, Islam is rational.
Tell us about your family and life in Iran, please.
My children were both born in the United States. My daughter Sara has a good hijab and faith, and my son, Hadi, is a good Muslim but God willing, as he gets older, the better he will be, and I am sure he will stay on the right path. My children both go to university. My husband works hard to protect his family in Iran. In my opinion, most Iranians are kind and loving. They treat me with respect. I love teaching and I am very satisfied with my work in the two high schools where I teach. I also have private students who, in addition to the teacher-student relationship, we are friends with. At the moment, living in Iran is much easier for me than living in the United States.
