I have always wondered about life and death and what the purpose of our existence is. What would happen if all living things were wiped from existence, the afterworld? I had accepted God into my heart, and my life had been transformed. Finally, I felt a sense of guidance and direction. I am a Muslim, and my blood is Palestinian. I’ve always known Islam was correct. I recently decided to take a deeper dive into the true meaning of Islam. I started to strengthen my relationship with God, fasting during Ramadan, praying every night, and worshiping Him alone to better our relationship. I began to research the afterlife, heaven, hell, and the stories of the prophets.

I realized that the normal everyday things that I had done went against my religion, or haram. Cursing, hatred, insulting others, showing envy, and more are all sins. I sought forgiveness for my sins, both major and minor. The Quran talks about how Allah is the most merciful, but for you to be forgiven, you must change. Forgiveness is nothing without change. My goal had been to fit in, but society kept making me feel like I had to obtain the social standards, making me feel less than. I started letting these standards define who I was. I stopped doing things I loved. The people I hung around with all seemed the same and had the same interests. They all came from American Christian families. It seemed like I was the only “different” one. I was called “terrorist” by people who I thought were my friends.

Whenever religion came up, everyone talked about how excited they were for Christmas and Easter. I, being a Muslim, spoke about how I didn’t celebrate these holidays, and they all had disgusted looks on their faces. I didn’t realize that saying that would start a three-day talk about how unfortunate it was that I couldn't celebrate these holidays. As I kept learning more about Islam, I began to feel closer to the teachings of the Quran. The stories of the prophet have shown me how faith can guide people in different directions. These lessons have helped me to see how faith can shape every part of my life.

After all these struggles, I realized that it’s not about seeking acceptance from others, but using God to help me find peace and acceptance in myself. Through my strong connection with Allah, I discovered that my worth is not measured by societal standards, but by my faith, intentions, and actions. Going through the challenges that I faced made me realize that they had helped me to build a stronger connection to Allah. Through Allah’s guidance, I found the courage to not let the negativity get to me and to focus on becoming the best version of myself.

My identity as a Palestinian Muslim, something that used to make me feel left out, now makes me feel proud about myself, knowing that I was able to overcome all those challenges and didn’t let them get in my way. With Allah's guidance, I have found peace in being different and strength in knowing that my relationship with God is unbreakable.

© Farah. All rights reserved. If you are interested in quoting this story, contact the national team and we can put you in touch with the author’s teacher.