 Asalaamu alaikum everybody, we are here with Miguel, we are very excited to be speaking with him and learning about his experiences, Miguel, welcome, salamu alaikum. Salam, hello everybody, yeah, glad to be here, I've been around the faith for quite a few years now, I've been taken since 2013, so I've had some ups and downs and some family experiences and some, you know, some typical hardships that I think most people with culture clashes experience, but it's your interview, so you got the questions, lay them on me. Alright, wonderful, so tell us about your first Ramadan, what were some of your expectations going in, what ended up being a reality, what were some surprises? My first Ramadan was actually before Islam, I was actually, I did it as a support for a co-worker who is still a Muslim, I should say. He was fasting and I was asking about, you know, what's his fasting business all about and he tried to explain it to me and I didn't understand anything, he gave me a copy of the Quran to read, I didn't read it at the time. I was just doing the fasting, eating, no drinking, but I still wasn't praying, but I did want to see what it was like to actually not eat or drink or go through the feelings or at least that were being described to me by my co-worker, feeling humbled, feeling, you know, more appreciative and I did, so I didn't expect much going in except that I was going to be hungry, but then I found that during the process, the first two or three days was really difficult and then after I got into the routine of waking up early, really early and for that super early breakfast, I think it's called supper. I started noticing some changes in the way my brain works, I think, the way that they actually started well and it actually got well. I was able to focus more and a lot of some people, I think, consider the little miracles. I found more time in my day to get things organized and done and I started to, well, my eyes started to open a little bit to maybe this, maybe not the religion itself, but some of the regimented aspects of it may actually be beneficial for my health, so that was actually one of my first, my intro, so I was actually more intrigued by the daily prayers and the health benefits associated with the motions, the body motions, so from my second Ramadan, which was actually my first after my shahada, I had incorporated the actual Islam into it, but I don't know if I have sidetracked too much when they're catching me if I have, I can ramble, but my expectations for my second Ramadan were a lot higher, I didn't want to miss any prayers, but then it was a little difficult because I didn't know the words and whatnot, so for my second Ramadan, I actually kind of sat in place and just waited a specific preset number of seconds while my examples were going to the mosque, which we'll get to a little later, because that was an interesting experience. I'm not sure if it's one of the questions, but maybe we can squeeze that experience in. Well, go ahead and tell us about it right now, tell us about your shahada experience. Okay, well, before my shahada, because that was actually, I think believe you orchestrated that in a way. There was a particular mosque in the city that I lived in, I don't want to put them on blast, but I actually walked in unannounced, stepped on the carpet with my shoes on and all these other things, I probably upset some folks and my first actual Islam experience from real Muslims, so to say, was being yelled at in foreign language and told to leave the building because of, I guess, my behavior or something or another. I didn't understand, it was in a foreign language and all I was doing was looking for a pamphlet or maybe some more information on how to pray or what Islam was all about, or maybe just sit down and speak with somebody to see if my ideals kind of lined up with the religion's ideals and what not, and that didn't happen. And I went to their website, Complained, and I found you, Muneer, and then I led me to the Talif Collective. I'm not mistaken. You said that was the place where the beginners go or something to that effect, and here we are today, still practicing the so-so real life changing events, but it wasn't easy because after, obviously, I was almost turned away from the fold because of the initial treatment. I figured, well, if this is how the pious people treat people, then maybe I don't want to be one of these, and I'm really glad that I investigated further because I couldn't have been further from the truth. Very sorry about that unfortunate beginning experience, but alhamdulillah that you were able to find a community, and that's what I would like to talk about. What were your experiences like with the community during that first time? Were there positive negatives? Well, with the actual community at Talif, everything was great because they were so welcoming. They gave me a Quran, a prayer mat, some instructions, some guidance, people to call websites that I could go to if I was feeling different or wanted to just read up or just kind of see how to take the baby steps in Islam. So, all that helped. The difficult parts were introducing the idea to my family, which are predominantly Christian, Catholic, mixed. So, there aren't very many Muslims in my family, a primary family or extended family. So, it was really, and then this was, I mean, we're after, I mean, we're in 2013, but still the stigma that 9-11, I guess, brought in 2001 to my family members who were a little, I was younger then, but they still carried the stigma and thought that I was joining a cult or any other type of terrorist organization. So, I had to overcome being called a terrorist, being called a sympathizer, just some pretty ignorant claims. So, I did eventually, I think I overcame this with my family, not by arguing with them, but by simply just practicing my Islam. And then eventually they just accepted me for who I was. I never spent any time trying to convert anyone in my family, nor do I spend very much time trying to convert many people. I find that the religion almost speaks for itself and most people ask me, what is it about you? And I find it's easier to give Dawa that way than to try to change someone's mind. I just, I let them take the first step and, you know, the same thing happened with my family. They're not Muslim, but they're totally accepting that. I don't know, it took a few years, but it was tough being the black sheep in the family for the years. And sometimes it still feels like it, but everyone treats me a lot better now. I'm glad to hear that. So, you had eight Ramadan's, seven of which we were Muslim. What do you look forward to now in Ramadan? Well, to be honest, I actually, and not to say that I haven't been up to this point. I just, the first thing that I really gravitate to as far as Ramadan is, I actually enjoy the, I guess some people have described the suffering of the first few days of the fast. I like the challenge of being able to just stop eating and drinking cold turkey and then just purely telling myself it's because of my fear of God, that I have the ability to just stop doing something that's been trained for 11 months. So, I like to challenge my ability to do this. So, I look forward to that moment and I look forward to every morning, every new morning with the same, with the same idea that, you know, I'm not, people are going to offer me food and water and tease me and say, hey, come have lunch with us and all these things. And I look forward to each opportunity to tell myself, no, no, thank you. No, no, thank you. And I find that more and more when I get challenged like that, that I tell myself that it's not, that I'm not the reason I'm doing this, that I'm doing this for something greater than me. And I find it's easier to quit things during this month than any other month actually. I can put the Xbox down, I can just put all sorts of frivolous things down during this month and I'm finding, I mean, at least I read that that's because all the devils are locked up. So, that probably has something to do with it. But I think I look forward to the challenge, the actual challenge of not eating or drinking and then just pushing myself. So, that's what I really look forward to for Ramadan. But I also use them as I use these moments as opportunities to reconnect with my faith, especially right now. I've experienced a pretty traumatizing life event that I'd not like to go into too much detail about, but that's sort of broken my daily prayers routine and I'm using this Ramadan to just get back on track and hopefully to stick with it in the end. So, Miguel, as a convert, do you have any advice to any newer Muslims out there who are currently experiencing their first Ramadan? Actually, yes. Sometimes the first reaction, some converts, and I don't want to speak to everybody, but I went through these phases. I either wanted to really, really, really, really prove other people wrong or I really, really, really wanted to just be quiet and take the abuse. I don't suggest you take any of those paths. Try to find the common middle. For example, you don't need to henpeck your parents if they disagree with your ideals or the ideals that you've chosen to follow, but you don't necessarily need to isolate yourself from them as well. So, you can still be Muslim and their child. You don't have to dishonor your parents by trying to prove them wrong about their faith or maybe they'll just come along in time or if they don't, they don't, but they're still your parents and you still have to honor them in all other manners. Just if they're advising you away from the faith, then you can distance yourself from them, but still honor your parents regardless of the distance. And I think if you apply the same concept to friends and extended family, you shouldn't go wrong, really. Well, thank you for all the insight and sharing your story with us, Miguel. We really appreciate that and continue to have Quasaramo Don in these last 10 days.