Andrea Chishti, reflexologist and secondary school teacher, 47, Watford Andrea Chishti: Islam has strengthened my ethics and morals. Photograph: Felicity McCabe for the Guardian I have been happily married for 18 years to a British-born Muslim of Pakistani origins. We have a son, 11, and a daughter, eight. Fida and I met at university in 1991. My interest in Islam was a symbiosis of love and intellectual ideas. Fida wanted a Muslim family, and by 1992 my interest in Islam had developed significantly, so I chose to convert. It took us three more years to get married. During that time, we battled things out, met friends and families, agreed on how to live together. I grew up in Germany, in a household where religion did not play a prominent role. My father was an atheist, but my mother and my school left me with a conviction that spirituality was important. When I converted, my father thought it was crazy, but he liked my husband; even so, he bought me a little flat so I could always come back. My mother was shocked, horrified even. We had a typical Pakistani wedding with Fidas large extended family, and I moved to another country, so it was a lot for her to deal with. His family were not all happy either, because theyd have preferred someone from a Muslim background. I dont feel I need to dress differently. I dont feel I need to wear hijab in my daily life, but I am very comfortable wearing it in public when performing religious duties. I dont wear it also out of consideration for my mother, because it was a huge issue for her. I was a sensible teenager. I didnt drink. I am a teacher. So, I didnt drop out of an old life to find a new onee. But Islam has strengthened my ethics and morals, and given a good foundation for our family life. You sometimes feel like a trophy because you are white. If you go to a gathering, everyone wants to help and teach you and take you under their wing, up to the point where I found it suffocating. But, mostly, a lot of conversion problems are human problems, womens problems.
Posted on: Tue, 15 Oct 2013 23:22:24 +0000
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