[Music]
the dean show greetings of Peace welcome
to the dean show the show where you get
the facts not fiction about the fastest
growing way of life in the world yet
most misunderstood and we have another
one of those people that seen through
all the hype the false propaganda he's
accepted this way of life Dexter is with
me on the dean show to tell us his story
when we come back don't go anywhere this
is the Doom the
do this is the
the
the this is
the this is the
the is
the this is
the this is the this is the
D this is
the this is the
D peace be with
youum Mustafa Dexter how you doing I'm
good alhamdulillah brother alhamdulillah
so what is it was Dexter prior to being
Mustafa that's correct yes why did you
change your name well according to Islam
I wanted a good name so the name I chose
was one of the best names is one of the
names of our beloved Prophet Muhammad
sallallahu alaihi wasallam he was called
many names ammed uh but also Mustafa so
in Islam Mustafa means the chosen one so
I believe that Allah chose me to become
a Muslim yes so I named myself after
that but you were formerly a former
Baptist yes tell us a little bit about
this well uh former Baptist uh you know
growing up uh African-American Community
born here in America and um through the
years my my my parents just brought me
up in the church so it wasn't my choice
it was more of a a the family upbringing
mhm but you know even in my early years
I have questions you know who do you
pray to this time because in
Christianity is you have three you have
the Holy Ghost you have uh Issa uh Jesus
and you have God but uh you know the
question always in my mind who do you
pray to so alhamdulillah over the years
you know with the growing age and the
growing mind you come to think for
yourself and ask the questions so uh
years ago that the seed Allah planted
that seed in my head to start
questioning my belief as a Christian mhm
so um as the years progressed I I I I I
I started to read uh had an opportunity
to work with Muslims early in my age and
then alhamdulillah you know the the the
the seed became be became to grow in my
heart tell us a little bit about the
seed the first initial seed the first
encounter that you had with someone
because most people you know they they
did a a poll ABC did a poll and now it's
gotten it went from in 2001 I believe it
was like something about 49 or 50% most
people didn't know anything about Islam
and now and had a actually a bad image
most of them because now they haven't
had exposure like you did to Muslims I
think it's even dropped to 27% now so at
that time you know we can see uh you
didn't obviously have any exposure what
was it like now that you had this
exposure with first time with a Muslim
and what was your perception of Islam
before then my my perception of Islam uh
growing up again in the African American
Community uh it was always uh you know
you get Beats and bits and pieces of
Islam is it's it's a sect it's a
religion is not valid uh they they don't
believe in God so you know even in the
secular education uh the Islam wasn't
talked about in school very much so uh
alhamdulillah you know my my first
experience was a Muslim I was believe
was 18 19 years old
uh I started managing early in my in my
in my age and I remember it was one one
brother Name Was Elijah and this brother
was one of the most mannerable people
I've met my life quiet calm
well-tempered well respected and I I I
couldn't but ask him you know brother
why do you dress this way and Elijah why
do you speak this way he said I'm Muslim
so he he started to tell me a little bit
about you know what what a Muslim is and
what is Islam is uh so as the years uh
uh passed I lost connection with this
brother but then alhamdulillah maybe 10
years later I I came across more Muslims
who worked for me over the years and uh
I learned about the fasting and you know
who Allah was it was the same God that
we all worship and uh you know um took
it from there was this complete opposite
I mean did you this was back in what
year was this this was maybe 1994
[Music]
so this is before 911 oh yes so not 911
happens were you at mus so you're Muslim
at that time I was not a Muslim after
911 you oh so you accepted Islam after
911 yes after 911 yes okay what were
your thoughts after you you're
researching you're learning Islam and
then you have something like this link
people are trying to link this to Islam
well I think life is always fact-based
and and and and given a point that you
know first when when when when when you
see the media of course you you you
start to believe what the media puts on
at first most people do uh but as the
facts uh
unfolded and you you start to learn what
may have happened what what may not
happen uh you you're free to make your
own opinion but when it comes to
embracing Islam once I EMB brece Islam I
I I knew without a doubt that Islam
preaches peace even though there are
some misguided people in Islam who who
who do the opposite of it I knew in my
heart that Islam is a religion of peace
what what do you think when you have you
know many uh people out there they'll
say yeah these Muslims say that Islam
teaches uh that it's about promotes
peace but they got the peace messed up
it means pieces well I say a peace over
here a peace over there it it it it's
it's the human nature unfortunately and
I I believe may may Allah guide these
brothers and sisters to the to the
straight truth and the right path I mean
but you know without a doubt if you look
at the history of Islam Islam was
preached by the by by the character of
the Muslim
it wasn't spread by the sword that's a
fact that's a fact and people are coming
to get facts here not fiction so that's
something that people can verify people
can verify their own pick up a book read
about it don't take my word um you can
find this out for yourself yeah
definitely definitely so tell us more
now about your journey so you end up um
meeting a Muslim and what was the
deciding factor that had you actually
accept Islam the the deciding factor is
when I when when when I started asking
my questions that I always had for
myself you know how come God if God was
one how come we have to you know believe
in three and who has the final say so
because in anything there has to be one
Creator who has to final say so so I
started to read the books I ask you know
where can I find out more about Islam
what it preaches what it is so I a uh a
brother guided me to Islamic bookstore
Norths side of Chicago so I started to
read I remember spending countless hours
on weekends on my days off uh
researching Islam and what it is and uh
alhamdulillah I was convinced there only
has to be one God uh the one who created
the heavens and earth without any help
without any rest so that that fact was
supp planted in my heart and
alhamdulillah I decided to accept Islam
as my faith we're going to be right back
to get more of your story on the dean
show with Mustafa formerly known as
Dexter here on the dean show don't go
anywhere Jihad often mistranslated as
holy war the word Jihad means to
struggle Islam does not preach violence
it does not preach vicious holy war it
certainly does not condone Terror and
suicide bombing Islam preaches
compassion tolerance and Justice find
the truth about Islam call toll-free 877
why Islam back here on the dean show
with my brother Dexter formerly known as
Dexter Mustafa former Baptist and now
you're actually a commun peace activist
yes alhamd tell us about this
alhamdulillah Allah provided me with the
opportunity to uh tell others about you
know my faith and and what it is and
what it is not so I I I regularly meet
meet uh non-muslims every Friday at here
in Chicago at the Muslim Community
Center and we bring we bring in students
and we bring in anyone who wants to know
the ins and out about Islam so I really
tell them what Islam is and what it's
not uh there's a lot of controversi
controversies and and and misconceptions
about Islam so now I have the
opportunity to tell people exactly what
Islam is tell us some of the major
misconceptions when because you have a
lot of experience now in this out doing
this Outreach to the not yet Muslims out
there and they come in and they ask
sometimes really tough questions some
people might be bitter about some things
they heard on Fox news now they come in
and you're speaking to them what are few
of the really controversial things that
people bring up the the the the biggest
controversy is is are are the killings
uh how come you know there are many so
so quote unquote senseless killing by
Muslims so I I I I tell the people this
is a proof this is a fact you can
research it in our faith that a killing
is is is a is a great sin killing a a
innocent person is a great sin in our
religion we say Allah says subhana wa
taala says that if you kill an innocent
person it's like killing all of mankind
so as a Muslim if you accept that you
know that there's something you're not
supposed to do but again people they
take passages from the Quran and they
misinterpret and they're they they're
they're LED astray in the wrong path
yeah uh tell us now for these groups
that come in have you actually had some
people you know come back accept Islam
you know because we know Islam is simple
it's rational it makes sense and it's
the fastest growing religion in the
world today you know it's it's Islam is
a is a I always say a thinking person
religion also because everything is
fact-based uh we have authentic chains
of communication uh where people can
actually
look up for themselves to to to to to
see the authenticity of things so a lot
of the college students are are thinkers
and a lot of them ask questions they
actually asked for a translated copy of
the Quran and alhamdulillah some people
actually came back and accepted the
faith what now let's go back to when you
accepted Islam what did you have to do
to become a Muslim well there there well
there there's a open testimony it's
called in Islam it's called the Shah so
you first you have to have belief in
your heart and the shahada is when you
uh uh announce that belief outwardly in
front of people so I I I remember coming
to the Masjid and uh span I uh I was
nervous uh so I remember that night I
came after mgre and uh it was a brother
who walked outside as I was coming in
and he used to be one of my
employees and he's like Dexter what are
you doing here uh come to take my
shahada alhamdulillah come on went in so
he brought me into everybody everybody
was happy to meet me so I took my
shahada in front of
everybody so at that point
I open testimony in front of everybody
uh so at that point I had to enter Islam
mhm beautiful that I like to compare
that make a contrast that if you were
living during the time of Jesus you
would say Muhammad
there's no deity worthy of worship
except the Creator and Jesus is the
messenger if you living during the time
of Jesus if you living during the time
of Moses or Abraham you pronounced that
I'm not going to worship anything but
the Creator and I'm going to follow that
messenger of that time the last
messenger today you said
Muhammad Muhammad is the last and final
messenger preaching the same message as
Jesus and all the other Messengers and
now how do you feel uh it's been how
many years now it's been seven years how
is your community your family how have
they taking this news alhamdulillah my
my family has you know they they they've
been some
supportive uh but alhamdulillah you know
we we we grow up and and and we we keep
peaceful relations with our family uh
because as in Islam we can't break the
relation so we have to keep the peaceful
uh uh family relations uh so
alhamdulillah I've been married my wife
is Muslim so alhamdulillah think things
are are good and happy at home how do
you feel when you see your this way of
life maligned when you maybe you turn on
Fox News and there's this hysteria
created around
Islam you know I I I I don't buy into a
lot of the media again growing in
growing up in America uh not to say
media is bad but some media is
misleading so you know I I I believe
that a person should research and you
make your own opinion about things so
quite naturally in every religion
there's people who who who are misguided
they follow their own uh uh desires and
hearts and and feelings but Islam uh
Allah
he sent down the Quran clearly and
verbatim whatever Allah commands that
you what you should do it's not about
how I feel about something it's what you
should do so I understand people follow
their own thoughts and desires but
that's not the way it's supposed to go
in Islam before we go to break what
would you do and say to let's say a
politician or somebody you know you had
something recently where a politician
was saying basically making Islam to be
out the enemy so what would you say now
if you had an opportunity to talk to one
of these politicians what would you tell
them uh about now their statements
because they came in would you invite
them to come to damasque and what would
you say to someone like that who try to
make your religion out to be a religion
of Terror violence span Allah I I I
would invite whoever has any questions
about Islam let's sit let's sit down
let's have a dialogue let's talk about
it at the same time the Quran and Sunnah
is there read for yourself a Quran since
the time it was revealed uh from Allah
to uh Gabriel Alam to our Prophet
Muhammad sallallahu alhi wasallam it
hasn't been changed so I would tell that
politician to read for yourself and
compare it to what you see from people
to what the religion says it's quite
clear we're going to take a break and
we'll be right back to wrap up Dexter
Mustafa story here on the dean show
don't go
anywhere do you worship Jesus no you
don't worship Jesus you worship the god
of Jesus you are you worship the god of
Jesus the one who Jesus fell on his face
and prayed to yes that that's who we
worship yes now do we only believe in
Muhammad no we believe in all the
prophets starting from the first man
created from Adam to Abraham look son
Jacob and the tribe Moses and Jesus the
the last prophet was only Muhammad
please be upon the so we believe in all
those Messengers you mentioned who' you
mention we believe and there's many more
so we believe in all of them all of them
yes the ones that are mentioned in the
Quran and all of them they all of them
that you know you you don't worship them
but you you worship Allah who's the
creator of them but it's part of the
belief to believe in these messages you
name like Jesus you believe in them but
you don't worship them don't worship
them
yes back here on the dean show and we're
getting Dexter story change his name to
Mustafa uh really uh wonderful name uh
tell us now we know that it's very easy
to comprehend Islam yes you read the
evidence is there it's not calling you
to Blind Faith everything is there laid
out it's a blueprint how to live your
life the meaning of life the purpose of
life based on proof and evidence but now
it takes some struggle you got
commitment you got to start praying five
times a day fasting establishing the
Five Pillars being kind being charitable
all these things that maybe people
weren't doing before now you got to live
by this how's that been well Islam is I
take Islam day by day um we we we we
have to pray five times a day we have to
give our rights to everybody
um to have true tongue which mean
doesn't lie uh give charity so you you
you really have to work at this it's not
you you accept Islam and everything is
easy for you I believe Allah says in the
Quran just be say just because you say
you believe doesn't mean you won't be
tested what this means is that Islam is
a struggle and we have to we have to put
forth effort uh to stay upon the right
path on our faith so Islam for me is day
by day Pray by prayer and we try to do
the best we can as Muslim Dexter tell us
now in contrast to Christianity the
former religion you were part of when
you make a mistake now you got to go
through Jesus for instance this Mighty
messenger that no muslim is a Muslim
obviously if we don't love and rever
Jesus but we don't take him as God Son
of God he's a messenger God is God how
did you repent before and how do you if
you make a mistake now what do you do
for your sins well you you in
Christianity you you you repent you
repented in the name name of Jesus to
God and being a former Christian that
was always my struggle why would you
have to go through somebody to talk to
God but Islam makes it clear you go
right to Allah to God and so the connect
between the Creator and the creation is
is is is uninterrupted so you repent
directly to God directly to God now we
use these interchangeably you say Allah
God this is God God Allah is the same
God Allah who was from Adam Alam Adam
Adam and Eve as people say or Moses or
Ibrahim Abraham to Isa Jesus now we have
Muhammad s wasam same God did this fit
does this make sense that now did this
take you out of a Land of Confusion to a
land it made everything it made
everything clear when you understand
that the The God Who created Adam and
Eve and and Abraham and Jesus and
Muhammad sallahu alhi wasallam is the
same God it makes everything
unquestionably clear beautiful now uh
before we leave you're also you've
actually taken it to another level you
we talked about you being a peace
activist calling people people peace
calling people to peace you know uh
helping in the Outreach of the to the
community to not Muslims uh what do you
have to say to all those that are
viewing and they're kind of stuck in the
same similar position that they're
confused about this Trinity about God
but they hear a lot of negative things
being associated with Islam what would
you say to them I tell people to to to
rush to hurry up to search out your
truth because the reality about life is
only temporary so while we have time we
should make our own mind up with facts
and Islam is a fact-based religion it
dates back to the first messenger the
first creation which is Adam and the
last um the last uh uh um Direct Connect
uh book from Allah from God to mankind
was the Quran so we we we we we should
see as a human what what what's the last
thing that God had to say to us directly
so I would rush I encourage everybody to
rush to find the truth for themselves
definitely that's what the intelligent
mind should do right that's what the
intelligent mind should do and when you
pray pray right to God no middleman no
concession just right from you to your
creator beautiful advice thank you so
much for being with us we started with
peace and we end with peace peace be
with you asalam Alam and thank you for
tuning in like I said in the beginning
this show is about facts not fiction
people who have shared their life
stories with us who've come from other
religions and why would they come to
this religion and why would it be the
fastest growing religion in the world
with the whole world up against it if it
was a religion a way of life of Terror a
barbaric religion Islam is definitely a
way of life that brings peace and
contentment to your soul to your heart
and connects you with the one who
created the heart and I can sit here and
talk until I'm BW in the face but you if
you're sincere and you want to know the
truth you're going to be the one who's
going to have to search it out who's
going to have to sincerely ask the one
who created creation the one Creator to
guide you to it and continue to come
back here every week to the dean show
and I'm sure if you're sincere and you
wanted to know the truth this made sense
to you but if you're somebody who just
has this Prejudice this racism in the
heart who just angry with life anyway I
don't know how much is this going to
help but you know what there's hope for
you too so continue to tune in follow us
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YouTube page and continue to support the
program we'll see you next time until
then peace be unto you