I converted to Islam in the summer of 2002 after many years of searching for a true spiritual path, masha'Allah. I am a white South African and being white in South Africa is something not everyone is proud to be.

I was born Samantha Steer in the small village of Melkbosstrand, near Cape Town in the Western Cape of South Africa. I was baptised and raised a Catholic along with my sister Natalie. My mother is a former nun turned teacher and my father is a former priest, having left the priesthood when he married my mother. I love South Africa, I would never want to live anywhere else.

When I was growing up it was strongly emphasised in our house that Jesus (as) is the Son of God and the saviour of mankind and also that Mary (as) is the Divine Interceder. I never really had the opportunity to form my own opinions and it really frustrated me. Then I met my BFF (best friend forever) a white convert friend of my parents.

She became a Muslim in the spring of 1990, four years before apartheid ended in SA. At the time she was living in Kenya, having fled to escape the apartheid as things were becoming pretty bad. She was married at the time to her first husband, who was a staunch member of the Dutch Reform Church which heavily supported the apartheid regime in South Africa. She has a son by him who is approaching his 15th birthday. This first husband was a very violent man, having to my knowledge killed at least 2 black people during apartheid and getting away with it. She left him in the summer of 1993 and moved back to Cape Town with her son. She started attending prayers at the local mosque in the Bo-Kapp region of Cape Town and met the Imam, Muhammad Abdullah Harsbrouck (he was an African convert with Dutch blood) who was not married at the time. Alhamdulillah she married him and her son accepted Islam as well, and chose his own name of Abdullah. I was amazed by her story and that spurred me on to research Islam more and wanting to seek more knowledge.

We left the Cape in 1996 for the UK where I completed my secondary education and moved back recently. I was still unsure about Islam, but knowing there was someone like my best friend willing to support me I knew what I had to do; I approached Imam Harsbrouck and I took my Shahaddah. Masha'Allah I have never felt so spiritually uplifted, I really am grateful to Allah (SWT) for blessing me with Al-Islam! Masha'Allah, subhana'Allah.

Recently I have converted my grandparents, my aunt and uncle and two of my cousins and masha'Allah my young 4 year old cousin is taking an interest too.

That is my story

Allah Hafiz

Khadijah