Although Tyrel Basdeo was born a Christian and grew up going to church with his mother and brother, he was never one for religion until he learned about Islam.

To Basdeo, 33, Islam is not a just religion but a way of life.

The chartered accountant told Sunday Newsday he was introduced to Islam about ten years ago while studying accounting at the School of Business and Computer Science.

There he met a Muslim brother and they had positive interactions. They spoke about Islam and he brought Basdeo a book on the religion.

“I was really interested in it because it made a lot of sense and there were things on morals, values and principles that I actually agreed with. But at that time in my life, my early 20s, I really wasn’t interested in religion. I was more into partying and liming, drinking, smoking and gambling, and generally living the life.”

Later, while working part time and continuing his accountancy studies at Student Accountancy Centre in Montrose, Chaguanas, he reconnected with a friend who was a Muslim. He asked the friend to attend jummah with him and Basdeo experienced it for the first time.

[caption id="attachment_952385" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Tyrel Basdeo was raised a Christian but became a Muslim. - ROGER JACOB[/caption]

He recalled the surprise of having to take off his shoes, to perform wudu or ablution to cleanse himself to enter the mosque, and that his clothes had to be clean.

“When I actually witnessed jummah – the environment, how the brothers were on one side and women on another, I listened to the sermon, the khutbah, from the imam, all the brothers sitting next to me of all colours and races – I felt a unity. I felt that I was missing something and I found it in Islam.

“From my reading and understanding, it teaches you to be respectful, to have integrity, to be responsible, to be accountable for one’s actions, to be humble, patient, and certain qualities that really stuck with me.”

One year he went to the imam, Hamza Mohammed, and told him he was interested in being a Muslim. Mohammed asked if he was sure and even wanted to meet his mother to determine if she was okay with his choice. The imam also warned that he would lose a lot of friends if he became a Muslim but he was too young to believe it at the time.

Mohammed’s consideration and respect just endeared him to Islam more.

He was asked if he believed in one God, Allah, and if he believed the prophet Muḥammad (pbuh) was God’s last messenger and he took the shahada (profession of faith) and became a Muslim.

At that time Basdeo knew of the principles of Islam but not the everyday aspects of being a Muslim.

He said Ramadan started the very next day and, for the first time, he learned about the five pillars of Islam – the shahada, daily prayers or salat, alms-giving or zakat, fasting during Ramadan or saum, and the pilgrimage to Mecca or hajj – Muslim garments, and began to understand Islam is about helping those in need.

[caption id="attachment_952386" align="alignnone" width="644"] Becoming a Muslim w