- It does. - [Interviewer] It does involve your age. - Right, how old am I,
okay, must do it quick. My name is Mansurah Mears, I'm 66, and I've been Muslim 43 years. English born in, near Manchester. My religious background,
if you can call it, was not very great. I was born with parents who
weren't particularly religious. My father actually was dead
against anything religious. My grandmother was quite religious. I was given some sort of
belief system by Swiss au pair girls who came and
lived with us, one each year, and they were like big sisters to me. I only had brothers. And they gave me a way to pray to god. But I, so I always used to
pray to god and make sincere prayers when I knew there was trouble on, 'cause my father went
through some difficult times. And so I used to go behind
his armchair when he was out, and make lots of prayers
oh god please help him. But at 14 I became a Methodist,
because my school was, you had to do something when you were 14. Most people came into
the Church of England. And there were two sort of classes, you could either go to the bishop, who taught you about Church of England. Or you could go to the Methodist preacher. And the bishop was not
somebody you really admired. But the Methodist guy was fantastic, full of heart and sincerity, and I thought okay I wanna be like him. So, I wrote to my parents,
it was a boarding school, saying I want to become a Methodist. So they said fine, okay
whatever you want to do. But I did make my mother
come with me to find Methodist churches, but
they were very modern, and weren't as nice as
the old Church of England, the one that was near us. Anyway, as I got into teenage years, that went out of the window. God was put on hold, if you like. Then I reached a point
where I actually didn't know what anything was about. How to be in the world,
what choices to make, it was the 60s, the 70s,
everything was wide open. But what's right what's wrong,
this was all an enigma to me, and it was quite disturbing actually. So I did get quite depressed
thinking okay what is the way, what is the point of life? Until I met the Muslims,
and then it rang a bell. Okay, there is a point, there
is a plan, there is a god, and you can actually communicate with him, and you can have a way to live
your life that's balanced. So, the way in which I
actually became a Muslim, was partly through my husband,
who was then my boyfriend, who always felt there was
a way to live one's life, you just had to find it. So he used to go off
to all kinds of people, gurus, pseudo-Sufis, anyone
who might show him the way. And nothing made sense
until he was given a book, which was set in the future really, about how this particular
person had become Muslim. And he read the book, and
as he bought it and walked out of the shop he saw a poster for an open public meeting,
something to do with calligraphy, and something vaguely to do with Islam. So he thought, oh so he went to that. At the meeting he met
the author of the book. So this was a huge moment for him, and he went off with
that person for a meal, and everything clicked, he said this is what
I've been looking for. But actually, the person,
the Sheikh said hang on, let's see where's your
life, what are you doing? Who are you with? And he held him off for three
months from becoming a Muslim. So, then I had to make a decision. Okay, is this what I want? And I wasn't very sure,
because I was fed up with ways to live your life, and
I've been to quite a disciplined school where you're woken
every morning by a bell, at 10 to seven, I don't
want anyone waking me up at any hour of the night
or day to do anything. So it took me a while to think about this, but it did ring a bell okay,
in somewhere deep in my being, okay yes, there is a god, there is a way. So, in the end I made the
decision and jumped in. Well it, what concerned me was that this is quite a
difficult, regimented life. And also because my first
experience of it was immediately living with other Muslims. So there was no let up. You weren't just in your
home thinking about okay, I'll do this, I'll maybe go to the mosque. You were there 24 seven,
you were with the Muslims. So it was very full on, but Alhamdulillah
that's good in one way, because you were totally immersed in it. And I just gradually took on
everything that I needed to do. But, you know, life's learning
and you never stop learning. So, Islam gave me a way
to interpret my life. So, events and things that happen to you, you can see or I can see
a meaning in them, okay? So, whether it's difficulty
or joy, the good and the bad, all have a meaning for you. So you can turn things to Allah, god. And you're not just adrift on a sea, without any navigator. There's a navigator. Which you could say is
Muhammad, the prophet, peace and blessings be on him. And following his way all these things that first of all I found very difficult, okay why do we have to wear long dresses? Why do we have to wear a scarf? But the more you do it the more
you feel yeah this is right, it's a kind of protection. In fact, I remember when
I came back from Hajj, seeing all the population in London, I was getting a taxi through London, no one had anything on their heads. And I thought they're all going mad. 'Cause it's like a protection. And if you look at old
movies, most of the men, most of the women wore some
kind of thing on their head. Like my father always wore a hat, and he doffed it when he greeted people. But you know, so in one way
it's a seen and an unseen thing, you know your head's totally
exposed to the elements or whatever, it's also
exposed to all the energies that are coming at you. So, although sometimes I
think gosh I wish I could take this thing off and
I do when I'm by the sea, or no one around, et cetera. But, on the other hand
you feel the safety of it. It's a kind of protection. It was difficult with my
parents after I became Muslim, because my father had lived
in Egypt for three years, in the war, he'd studied Arabic, he could actually quote the Quran at me. Okay, ayat so-and-so
says this, this, mm yes. So, he was initially thinking okay, what are you doing, you're
an educated British Muslim, you know, I mean, British woman. Why are you taking this
religion of these foreigners who are a bit backward, et cetera? Although, we had good
friends in the Egyptian army. He probably still thought
it was a backward religion, in fact, one of these
Egyptian generals said to him, Islam very good religion,
but for the country people, not for the city. So that's 1914 Egypt. So, I think it took a
long time for my parents to see okay there's actually
something alright about this. She seems fairly okay, the
children seem very nice, they're alright so far, you know. So and towards the end of
their lives, god bless them, I was given the chance to help them a bit. And I think that did turn the tables with ah, okay, she's giving
something back, you know. And so I think there
was, by the end I think, I definitely felt my
father knew the truth, and same with my mother. So, with other people
though, with friends, I still got connections
with people who knew me when I became Muslim, and
I still think they might become Muslim, it's a long
time, but you never know. And lots of people I've met as well, through all sorts of things, you know, the head of a RE department
in a local school has always connected with me, especially when there's
different annoying things happening in the media. She always says Mansurah
what do you think about this? And that's not the true Islam is it? I go no, no, no. So, we have a whole
dialogue going between us. And obviously I've met so
many people since I've become a Muslim that, who are
my friends who I probably would never have connected
with outside the deen. You see extraordinary
qualities in people who, perhaps before I was a
Muslim I would've dismissed, or I wouldn't even seen the qualities, I would've thought well
she's hard to get on with, so I'll just go my own way. Now you start to think okay,
she's got amazing qualities. I can get something from this, and maybe I can give
something in exchange. It is a very clear, easy,
straightforward religion, though I wouldn't even
call it that - way of life. Try and avoid the media,
craziness that's going on, everything in the world
that's telling you it's mad. There is a meaning to
life, there is a way. If the intention is there,
you will find the way. And I'll just say all the best to anyone who's thinking of this.
