ISTANBUL
A Ghanaian student who converted to Islam and studies in Turkey is now introducing his religion to the pagan-dominated areas of his country during his summer break.
Faruk Arango came to Turkey on a scholarship given by Turkiye Diyanet Foundation (TDV) in coordination with the Imam Hatip High Schools. In an interview with Anadolu Agency, described his journey to embracing Islam.
said he grew up in Ghana's rural area along with his six siblings and his father, who used to be a leading figure in the pagan faith of the area.
After his father passed away, his mother and siblings converted to Christianity, and later they moved to his elder sister's place in the Ghanian capital Accra to pursue their education in schools.
has been to a religious seminary in his country where he studied the Quran and basic principles of Islam. After finishing his junior high school exams, a friend told him about the TDV scholarship and he applied. After an interview at the Turkish embassy in Accra, he won a scholarship and came to Turkey in 2014.
He said he converted to Islam under the influence of his friends at his school.
"The things that affected me the most were the Azan [Muslim call of prayer] and the Quran; they felt like beautiful songs.
“I used to tell my Muslim friends that their songs were amazing. But they told me it's the Quran, not a song but I never understood and kept saying it is a beautiful song.
“The other thing that impressed me was the [Muslim] fasting season; they used to do good things for me when during the month of Ramadan.
“I used to ask them: 'I am not a Muslim, why are you guys doing me such a favor?' The parents of my friends would share their meals with me too during Iftar [the time when Muslims break their fasts at the end of the day].
“By then my young mind told me ‘I want to be a Muslim too'."
Going to church
said even though he had never been a Christian, his elder sister used to take him to the church.
"After I became a Muslim, I continued to go to the church with my sister and when we came back from the church I offered the noon prayer [Zuhoor] in the house.
“Sometimes my Muslim friends would ask: 'Why are you going to the church? You are not a Christian.'
“Yes, I was not a Christian but she is my sister, she may not be able to find the way to the church easily, she is my family and I can't leave her alone, was my reply," he said.
About the difficulties he faced during the first period of his stay in Turkey, he said: "There are many local languages in Ghana and our education system is in English. I did not know Turkish at all, hello [merhaba] was the only word I knew.
“There was nobody who knew my languages around me, I faced difficulties in terms of communication. The good thing is our teachers were very kind and good towards us. I learned Turkish even if it was difficult. Living here was challenging but with time it became easier and easier."
When he returned to Ghana during his summer break, he met a journalist named Jemal Abdulnasir.
Abdulnasir, he said, was on a preaching mission and wanted to spread the message of Islam in rural areas; said he was impressed with the mission and joined Abdulnasir in his efforts.
He said he visited the northern parts of Ghana and introduced people to Islam there.
"When we go to the villages, we first contact the tribal leaders and tell them we are there with an intention of introducing Islam.
“The villages we went were dominantly pagans. We sometimes told them 'we don't need money, food or anything from you'.
Child years to be Muslim
“Many people told us: 'We have inherited this religion from our forefathers, we won't leave their way.' Others said: 'We cannot accept your Islam or follow your way, but if you want, our children can be Muslims.'
“Some of them send their children. Some come with their spouses. Sometimes nobody comes. Some do not come and also prevent their families from joining us.
"There was a 10-year-old child, his father was the leader of the pagan practice, and he never allowed him to come to us.
“But the boy was very interested in becoming a Muslim, he always ran to our prayer area whenever he heard the Azan. He even used to come to join us during the dawn prayer; he sometimes came before we read the Azan, and we know it's prayer time when we see him.
“His father used to come and take him back forcefully. We then went to the father and said ‘OK, you do not want to be a Muslim but let the child have what he wants.'
“The father agreed on the condition that the child can't stay in his house while being a Muslim, we said OK and took the child with us to the city, where he is staying at Abdulnasir's place.”
said the TDV scholarship helped him create a new world for himself and changed his life for good.
"In fact, the TDV has expanded my horizons. I learned what the real Islam means in Turkey. My academic life was about to end, the TDV scholarship saved me."
Speaking of the education at Imam Hatip High School, said: "Here students from different countries of the world are studying together in the International Imam Hatip High School.
“Studying here gives us a chance to meet different people of different backgrounds and gain the international Muslim community’s consciousness.
“We learn that we need to be beneficial not only for ourselves but also for the whole Islamic world. Personally, the Quran, the Hadith [sayings of Prophet Muhammad] and lessons we get here are helping me greatly with the [preaching] activities we have conducted in Ghana."
