"I started the wrong way," said Ms Mainit, 34, a secretary from Cotabato City. "I only learnt how to pray, read the Quran and know more about Islam this year."
Her parents and seven siblings, all Catholics, have accepted her decision. Her Muslim name is Alyssa.
"They got to learn about it through Facebook, now I'm now wearing a hijab," she said. "They told me that I'm old enough to make my own decisions and they'll support whatever makes me happy."
Since May, Ms Mainit has attended Arabic-language classes and Quran and Islamic studies at the New Muslim Centre in Abu Dhabi.
"I recall meeting her earlier this year," said Ms Mainit's teacher, Dr Nasser Raciles, an office administrator at the New Muslim Centre.
"Alyssa only learned about Islam here at the centre but I can see that she's dedicated and passionate to learn more."
She is spending her first Ramadan in Abu Dhabi. "My husband, who's a Muslim, did not force me to convert," she said. "For years I've been seeking some kind of inner peace and I found that in Islam. My faith has brought me closer to Allah."
/106
source :
Monday
7 July 2014
4:15:33 AM
621950
Therly Mainit converted to Islam before she left the Philippines in August last year.