I was a bit vain, however, and it took years to adopt hijab.

I was a bit vain, however, and it took years to adopt hijab. +I sure would like a bacon sandwich once in awhile! +What is painful to have left behind is the very close-knit and rich network of meaningful and lively friendships. +I wasn't really sad to leave anything behind except maybe sausage pizza, but I have since found a place in our area that serves halal beef sausage pizza. +I have worn hijab ever since converting.

Although I recognize its protection, I have found myself wanting to run out to the grocery store without it. I miss the beach, swimming, and basking in the sun. +Connecting all of my life to God is the most meaningful part of Islam to me. I need and love the discipline of prayer and all required of Islam. I now love hijab, and I'm grateful that God saved me from where I was headed and where so many of my friends are stuck.

The woman converting to Islam takes on a whole new way of relating to the world. She is accepting a set of practices that, although they may vary with cultural interpretations, are basically universal. She has the task of blending her Western upbringing with that of her husband's culture, that of the Islamic practices, and that of the ummah that is her support group. All this she must do plus rebuilding relationships with her family of origin.

The woman converting to Islam will have the responsibility to help interpret the rights extended to Muslim women in the settings in which they are, whether moving to countries with majority Muslim population or associating with new converts or immigrants to America. They will serve as mentors to teach new converts and to extend friendship to new Muslim immigrants.

📌For American-born converts, jihad becomes a personal reality as they struggle to live out their commitment to God by living and practicing Islamic principles. Notes Jamilah Kolocotronis, Islamic Jihad: An Historical Perspective (Indianapolis: American Trust Publications, 1990), x. Islamic Sisters International, vol. 2, no. 7 (January 1994). Riffat Hassan, "The Issue of Woman-Man Equality in the Islamic Tradition," in Women's and Men's Liberation -Testimonies of Spirit, ed.

Leonard Grob, Riffat Hassan, and Haim Gordon (New York: Greenwood Press, 1991), 68. Ibid., 66. Ibid., 66. Accepting the Daughter's Journey Reconciling The Lifestyle Choices Between Daughter and Parents It had been three years since Jodi told us of her conversion to Islam.

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