That Revert Girl Podcast

In this week's episode I talk to Susian, a Canadian Vietnamese revert with strong ties to her Buddhist family. We talk about Susian's journey to Islam, difficult family situations and how Allah placed Islam in Susian's life long before she became Muslim subhan'Allah.

In this week's episode we go back in time to the 1800s in Victorian Britain to learn about the first British Muslim revert, Abdullah Quilliam (né William Henry Quilliam). Born into a wealthy Christian family in Liverpool nearly two centuries ago, William Quilliam became a prominent solicitor and journalist in Victorian Britain. In his early 30s he travelled to Morocco and Algeria where he converted to Islam and became Abdullah Quilliam. His story is remarkable and complex and during my years of being a Muslim revert I have taken a lot away from his adversities and how he balanced faith with his British culture. I am so honoured to have Professor Ron Geaves on this episode, a respected professor on comparative study of religion who wrote the first full biography on Quilliam.

In this week's episode we have Whoopi, a revert with strong Samoan roots living in Australia. Whoopi was a key member of her church even training to become a pastor. She converted in 2016 despite an undeniable bond with her family and the ultimatum they gave her: choose between Islam or them. Whoopi’s strength and trust in Allah is a true inspiration for us all masha’Allah. We talk about a lot of key issues in this episode from negative family reactions to not feeling accepted as part of the ummah to dealing with islamophobia and then finally about how her family eventually came together again.

In this week's episode we have Perrie Biston, a revert of 8 years from Cardiff, Wales. We talk about life before Islam, what he was looking for when he found Islam and why it intrigued him. Perrie shares an incredible story of what happened the night before he converted which I truly think was a sign from God subhan'Allah.

In this week's episode we have Alice, a British mental health nurse who converted to Islam seven years ago. In this episode we talk about her journey, navigating challenging family dynamics, leaving unhealthy sister circles, embarrassing stories and how Islam can show up in your life even before you convert to Islam.

In this week's episode I talk to Rotimi, an American Nigerian revert who went viral on Tiktok after sharing a video of his marriage into a Bangladeshi family. We talk about Rotimi's journey to Islam, misconceptions about reverts, marriage and the challenges that came with marrying a Bengali spouse.

Welcome to Season 2 of my podcast! Season 2 will feature many many amazing guests and I am so honoured to kick-off Season 2 with one of my favourite friends Mathilde Loujayne. Mathilde is the author of Big Little Steps, a women's guide to embracing Islam. In this episode we talk about her journey converting to Islam and (spoiler alert!) her family's journey as well, we discuss the many issues that reverts face and why she embarked on her journey to write Big Little Steps.

In today's plus one I speak to Ustadh Momodou Taal (IG: @thegambian) about the Black Lives Matter movement and the issues that Black people face. We talk about why people are fixating on the riots and property destruction, what non-Black Muslims can do to help make community spaces more inclusive and many many other topics.

In this plus one session Helwa, author of Secrets of Divine Love and person behind @quranquotesdaily, and I answered questions sent in and shared gems from our journeys. This session took place during the weekend of Eid al-Fitr 2020 at the Virtual Eid Party.

In this week's episode I end the season by sharing with you my revert reflections. These are 5 things I wish someone told me before I converted about my identity, culture and adversity. Last week I came across a letter that I wrote to my mum the day I converted, I share this with you at the end of the podcast.