Who is not amazed by the figure of the African-American Muslim man in fighting for the rights of black citizens. He is also known as an anti-racism figure who inspired many people.

Despite his death some 47 years ago, his books and biopics retain the vision of anti-racism and islamic humanist values that he exclaimed during his lifetime. Sara, an Australian woman of Jewish descent, was one of the ones who got Malcolm's spirit.

At the time, Sara was only 22 years old. With his college friends, he watched the 1992 film Malcolm-X. During the film, there was nothing Sara felt except a sense of awe. He even knelt for hours in a hallway after watching a movie, sculpting and unable to move let alone say a word. "At that moment I was really so touched that I knelt down in the hallway. I don't know why I did that. 

In the film, he claimed to be very impressed with the scene that tells the story of Malcolm's journey to the Holy Land. During the hajj, Malcolm, who had previously considered whites to be demons, realized that before God Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, the entire nation, both white and black, was the same. They gave themselves up, worshiping him. Malcolm realized that fighting for black rights was not about hating white people.

"The hajj journey has opened up my thinking horizons. I saw something I hadn't seen in my 39 years in the United States. I looked at all the races and colors of the brothers and worshiped one God without fulfilling them. The truth of Islam has shown me that blind hatred of all white people is as wrong as it would be if the same attitudes were made by white people towards black people," Malcolm said in the film.

I was also impressed by the fact that he (Malcolm) when he went to Makkah stated, 'Wow, this is a place where there is racial equality.' That really inspired me," said Sara.

Even though she is of Jewish blood, Sara admits, her family is not a devout Jew. His grandfather was an apostate Jew who converted to Mormonism. His mother was also a Mormon missionary. However, both of them and even their entire family do not really believe in any religion, but also do not admit to being atheists.

“So I was brought up without any religion properly, except for what I thought became Australian culture, like going to Sunday school and all,” recalls Sara. As an adult, Sara moved to Sydney to study and work. It was there that he watched Malcolm-X, ​​a film that began his long journey to learn about Islam.

An invitation

Several years after watching the film, Sara has not really discovered the true nature of Islam. However, he became a big fan of the figure of Malcolm-X who incidentally is a Muslim. He continued to wonder and wonder about the religion of Islam. However, his marriage and the busyness of family forget for a moment Sara's curiosity.

Until one day, he received an invitation to attend the "Da'wah Day" event organized by a Muslim community. The event aims to bridge the gap between Muslims and non-Muslims, especially following the outbreak of misconceptions about Islam after the September 11 event. Finding an invitation from a mailing list, Sara also recalled her interest in Islam. "I also participated in that activity."

Arriving at the location of the event, Sara found all the women wearing hijabs. In fact, the first woman to greet him at the door wore a burqa until her entire body was covered. However, Sara was not bothered. "It is precisely every time I see a woman who wears a burqa or niqab , I judge her to be a very religious person," the mother-of-two said.

Sara attended the event. From start to finish. He was swept away by the knowledge Is lam had gained there. A knowledge that he thought could not be obtained in education. A very valuable knowledge, like a treasure he had never seen. It really was an amazing day.

Sara's amazement also peaked when she recited verses of the Qur'an. At that time, he felt sorry that he had never read the Holy Book of Muslims, even though there had been many religious books that he had read. "I feel like crying. It was so beautiful and I thought it was the holiest thing I've ever heard."

After the activity, Sara secretly read the Quran. For several months, he was swept away by the amazing contents of the Qur'an. Although she has not yet been martyred, Sara feels like doing what she reads. He also began to wear covered clothes even though he was not veiled. He gathered by meeting the Muslim community.

Sara's changes began to feel strange to her husband. Sara also started trying to talk about Islam with her husband, but to no avail. The husband always considers talk about Islam as nonsense and a thing of the past.

Praying with Husband

surprised. That's how Sara felt when one day her husband, who had been reluctant to talk about Islam, suddenly wanted to take the shahada with her. It started when Sara's father-in-law died. Moments after the news of her death came, her husband received a message from a friend of Sara's Koran during the “Dawah Day” activity. The husband and wife then paid pilgrimage to Melbourne, where the body was buried.

In the midst of grief, Sara was amazed by the very simple handling of Muslim corpses. Although Sara's husband is not a Muslim, he is of Turkic Muslim descent. “I was so impressed, it was so simple, beautiful. People put dad in the grave with their hands. It really touched me. I thought it was really beautiful. So, that's all part that also comes from Islam," said Sara.

After the funeral, Sara talked to her husband in the car. Sara stated that she had established her heart to be martyred and would truly embrace Islam. "I want to recite the shahada today," Sara told her husband.

It was surprising because Sara did not find rejection or denial from her husband. More surprisingly, her husband also expressed a desire to become a Muslim. "I was surprised and happy. All this time, I was worried what would happen if I became a Muslim while my husband didn't want to."

That night, Sara and her husband entered the mosque. With a number of relatives and friends, they sat in front of a priest. Both of them pronounced the shahada, believed in one god, Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, and began the journey of life as a Muslim and a Muslim woman.