19-years ago, 48-year old Debbie Jaunich, an American business woman living in America made a decision to convert to Islam. It was a personal choice that created unique challenges among family and friends, but Jaunich says she knows it was an important step on her spiritual journey and she has no regrets.
Jaunich was raised as a Catholic in Chicago. She attended Catholic elementary and secondary schools and spent her first post-secondary year of study at a Christian college. She later transferred to a larger, secular university to study economic and business. Today she is a stay-at-home Mom and volunteers at the Islam Information Centre in Dubai.
Jaunich says that her attachment to God as a youth played prominently in her decision to become Muslim. She says that while her birth family continues to practise Catholicism, she is comfortable with her choice.
She says reading the Quran helped open her eyes ad compelled her to embrace Islam.
“I was surprised by its content, full of stories about prophets, my prophets and advice. So I began to research from a historical perspective about the Quran. When I realized there was no author, that this was a book that had been “revealed” to the Prophet Mohammed, that is was an oral tradition virtually unchanged for 1400 years, I began to wonder and ask more questions.”
She admits that the first six months following her conversion were not easy.
“My friends and non-Muslim co-workers were gradually seeing some changes in me and did not know what to think. I had spoken to my Mom first about my decision to embrace Islam, and while she was surprised, over time she accepted that it was MY journey. I spoke with her about Islam often until she was comfortable that it was the right path for my life.”
She says that initially her brothers and sisters were also critical of her decision. Her father, on the other hand, was more accepting. Nonetheless, on a practical level, her decision altered family dynamics.
“At times my family found it difficult to accept my serious effort to live Islam. My mom is Italian and there is a lot of cooking that includes pork. She really was offended in the beginning when a told her I could not eat her spaghetti and meatballs as it had pork sausage in it, or wear the same bridesmaids dress in my brother’s wedding, or not partake in Christian holidays. These situations were stressful at times, and caused conflict in my family.”
However, despite the challenges, she has maintained strong familial relationships and says that over the years they came to understand her decision and respect that she is not prepared to compromise on some issues.
Jaunich says her lifestyle has changed gradually over the years since her conversion.
“I left behind some of the things prohibited in Islam allowed in other faiths. I embraced Islamic modesty, and I began to spend my time seeking Allah’s bounty through, prayer, volunteering and teaching. In the States I was active in the local mosque, lecturing about Islam to non-Muslims.”
She married about a year after becoming Muslim. Over the years her family grew and she and her husband now have five children. In addition, she has two from a previous marriage. This too has created challenges.
“While my eldest son embraced Islam wholeheartedly, my daughter is “undecided”, and I keep her in my Dua that Allah may guide her,” says Jaunich.
Nonetheless, she is certain she is on the right path. “Islam has given me contentment in my life and an ability to handle anything with patience and understanding.”
She admits that learning Arabic posed challenges and it took several months for her to get the prayers right, She was relieved to learn that Allah accepts the prayers of followers, according to their ability, knowledge and effort, She says it was comforting to know that as a new Muslim one needn’t worry about grammatical accuracy, what is important is the intent and the effort one makes to understand the principles and act on them.
One of the her biggest challenges was getting used to a new approach to worship and reconciling differences between Islam and her former spiritual beliefs. Eventually she defined her own approach to modest dress and learned how to respond positively to people who reacted negatively to Muslims. The challenges she has endured have strengthened her resolve.
“My life was spiritually enriched and enhanced after embracing Islam. It is hard to put into words, but I feel that I understand my purpose in life, and have a means to attain perfection in that purpose through Islam,” she says.