I had read about other religions and countries but never had...

I had read about other religions and countries but never had the pleasure of actually knowing such people. Unexpectedly, I decided to travel and explore Europe during the University spring break, 4 weeks to be precise, while my friends went to visit their families. During this period, I had the opportunity of visiting my first non-Christian environment in Morocco. I stayed in small towns away from tourists and immersed myself into the Moroccan culture.

In addition, I saw the vast number of Muslims in Amsterdam and Germany. This led me to deeply question my Muslim friends about their clothing attire, religious differences, food preparation and most of all their own personal beliefs about being a Muslim. Curiosity now consumed me. My priority was to examine Christianity and prove that my religious beliefs were not irrational even if it meant being considered a heretic by my family and in the eyes of the Catholic Church.

I explored the historical roots of the trinity and the bible only to validate my theory that the Christian bible was written to appease the hierarchy of the church and politically strengthen their position of authority. As A. Osman states from his book Out of Egypt: The Roots of Christianity Revealed, The Roman fathers of the early Church, combating what they regarded as heresy, began to place this theology in a historical setting, providing locations and dates for the life of Jesus.

These doctrines were enforced by the authorities from the second half of the 4 th century AD, when Rome adopted Christianity, causing it to spread throughout the world. It was when Rome, then the center of civilization, adopted Christianity that old books were burned to destroy the memory of the past, and history was rewritten to confirm new interpretations of past events.

Arriving in the USA, I was prepared to use my knowledge acquired from my studies and experiences to openly discuss the problems with Christianity and this new religion I had encountered, Islam. I had not yet considered converting, since conversion had never been an idea I thought plausible with my family. It was Allahs mercy that my mom who had been separated from my father now for three years allowed my father to divorce her and break away from Catholicism.

She joined a Pentecost congregation and openly discussed the problems with being a Catholic rather than the concept of being Christian. I felt abandoned, empty and confused.