“I converted to Islam and I Am Happy” – Former French Rap Artist Diam’s

by Our Team, moroccoworldnews.com
October 1st 2012

 By Adnane Bennis

Morocco World News

Four years after she converted to Islam, French Rapper Diam’s explains why she decided to take this amazing step that changed her life. In an interview with the French channel TF1, she explains that Islam has brought a lot of meaning to her life. “I became a normal woman. When I wake up every morning, I know that I have to improve myself,” she said. “When you carry God’s love in your heart, you are fulfilled,” she added.

She went on to say that she was not built for stardom, clarifying that the life of stars made her miserable. “I tried very hard to have fun in the parties, but, I was not built for that. I believed in the dream of becoming a star, but it was just an illusion,” she said.

The turning point of her life was when she was with her Muslim friend Sousou. When Soussou went to do her prayer, Diam’s asked her if she could pray with her. “When I prayed with her and I prostrated, I felt being connected with God,” she explains.

She said that she went on a trip to Mauritius, and she took the Koran with her in order to read it.“It was a revelation, I was intimately convinced that God exists,” she explained.

“The More I was reading, the more convinced I became,” she said.

Concerning her decision to wear the veil, she explained how it all came step by step.  She said that she was not ready to wear at the beginning, but when she learnt more about Islam, she grew convinced that she needed to wear the Hijab.

She further explained that when the press and her entourage discovered that she converted to Islam as she was filmed coming out from a Mosque, the press lashed out at her. Some went as far as accusing her of becoming a danger for all her young fans. She deplored the confusion that the media created about the story of her conversion to Islam.

“I lost my team, because nobody trusted me. When a young girl converts, people say that either she is indoctrinated or her husband forced her to do it, as if I did not have my intellectual independence as if people knew that I was a woman with a weak personality or no character,” she added.

Her veil stirred controversy, especially that she had never explained what led her to change her path. She highlighted the intolerance of the French society and how it is far from being benevolent towards her when she decided to convert to Islam and how she went through tough moments after her decision.

Answering the question if it was complicated to live in France while being a veiled woman, she explained that although France remains a country that promotes freedom, people are not that kind towards her. :France remains the country of freedom since I can still wear my veil, but people’s prejudice and nastiness, make one tired,” she said.

She deplored the fact the French press and the public opinion accused her of becoming a “danger for the youth. “Is this danger, to advocate peace and be a nice person, and have a family life?”, she wondered.

“I wonder if I people would have said the same to me had I ended up like Amy Winehouse,” she added.

She criticized the people who defame Islam without having any knowledge about it and the amalgam between Islam and extremism. “There are some people who are ignorant and they should refrain from talking. When we talk about something, we have to know what we are talking about,” she said.

Regarding the accusation of extremism leveled at Islam in Western countries, she emphasized that Islam is a religion of peace.

“That is not what I discovered. I discovered a religion of wisdom of nonviolence, of peace, of sharing, of kindness. It is the religion of Jesus, Moses, Abraham, Salomon and of all the prophets. Why do people make it look like that? Under no circumstances can we find it normal that innocent people are killed in terrorist attacks”, she stressed.

“I am very happy to the point that I have happiness in my heart that nobody can take away, neither through taking pictures nor attacking me, I have faith,” she concluded.

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Original Page: http://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2012/09/58886/i-converted-to-islam-and-i-am-happy-former-french-rap-artist-diams-3/