Born in a predominantly Orthodox Christian Romania where Islam was associated with the enemy Turks of history class, Jabriel’s journey to Islam is a powerful testament to how sincere seeking always leads to truth. Raised memorizing nationalistic poetry against Muslim Turks, he never imagined that one day he would be putting his own head on the ground in prostration to the same God those “enemies” worshiped.
From Romanian Nationalism to Spiritual Awakening
Christianity in Romania was not just a religion — it was deeply woven into national identity. From grade one, Jabriel attended in-depth Bible classes and was so devoted he would go to church on his own and even bring neighborhood kids along. But beneath the devotion, fundamental questions about God lingered — questions that his culture never encouraged him to ask.
“We were always taught that the Muslim Turks were disbelievers who believed in a different God called Allah. We memorized poetry praising the Christian armies who defeated them. It was very nationalistic — and it was part of the culture.”
Meeting Real Muslims Changed Everything
- When he moved to Canada in 1998, he met Muslims for the first time — Bosnians, Arabs, people from diverse backgrounds all united in faith
- The misconceptions crumbled: Muslims were not pagans or bad people but were kind, prayerful, and devoted to God
- Seeing Muslims pray in prostration moved him deeply — he felt it was closer to God than any prayer he had known
- He discovered that Jesus (peace be upon him) prayed the same way according to the Gospels — face down before God
- While still Christian, he began making sujud (prostration) on his own because it felt like the truest form of prayer
Overcoming Cultural Barriers to Find Truth
“There was a fight between what my desire wanted and what the truth was. That is what Islam really is — once you reach the truth, you submit to it. You might not want to wake up at 5 AM to pray, but you go against the desire of the body because you submit your will to the will of the Creator.”
Jabriel’s advice to anyone held back by cultural or family barriers is simple: be sincere, push the baggage aside, and ask the Creator directly for guidance. Get down on your knees, put your head on the ground — as Jesus and Abraham did — and pray: “O my Lord, Creator of the heavens and the earth, show me the truth.” He promises, without any doubt, that Allah will guide anyone who makes that prayer with a sincere heart. Islam is not an Arab religion, a Turkish religion, or any one people’s religion. It is God’s way for all of humanity.
