peace

"Death scared me and I still think about that." ~ Nicole

"Since you’ve become Muslim, what do you enjoy most about Islam?"

“I enjoy being around family and the community. And when you see any Muslim, you can say ‘salam’, which means ‘peace’ and you can strike a conversation with people you don’t even know. I love that."

"What has been the most difficult time in your life as a Muslim?"

“Losing my father was one of the saddest things I’ve experienced. He wasn’t Muslim, but he had a need to know what happens after death and I didn’t have the opportunity to talk to him about it from my perspective. He was looking for someone to talk about it, but I was too afraid to talk and whenever it came up, I kept changing the subject. Death scared me and I still think about that."

~ Nicole

"It's the peace and security." Um Imad, Um Naeem

[translated from Arabic]

"Quite honestly, it's the peace and security.  Knowing that our kids and our families are living in a safe place is what we can be thankful for.  We lived through all the devastating wars.  It's peace we are happy with."

~ Um Naeem and Um Imad, community elders