Hold your heads high and be proud of being Muslims, is the message Musa Cerantonio has for Muslim youths. Cerantonio, a revert, is here to cover Haj for the Iqra channel. Born in Melbourne, Australia, to Italian parents, he was raised in a neighborhood infested with drugs and crime. People from Asia, Africa, China and Italy formed the core of the community. Here are excerpts of the interview: What school did you go to? Hailing from a Catholic family, I was sent to a Catholic primary school. Then I attended a communist high school. I somehow always believed in God, a direction these schools failed to instill. Tell us about your journey to Islam? I used to read the Bible and found that pork is forbidden, but Christians eat it. I started wondering why Christians were not following the Bible. I found my stance closer to that of Muslims, so I started to read about Islam and that's when I realized that Muslims also believed in Jesus (peace be upon him). So I said to myself ‘Islam is nice, but let me read more about it.' I was 17 at the time and still had questions about the religion. In Ramadan of 2002, although I was not a Muslim then, I decided to fast. During Ramadan, I was visiting a friend from Ethiopia and found this book “A Brief Understanding about Islam”. It talked about the miracles of the Holy Qur'an. After reading it, I decided to embrace Islam. How did your family react? They did not like it. They kept asking me why I had become an ‘Arab'. What did you do after that? I stayed in Australia and read history and communications at a university. I also worked with three Da'wah organizations, while studying Arabic on my own. When did you first perform Haj? It was in 2006. I didn't have enough money at the time, but Allah provided me with help through my father-in-law. How was the experience? I do not have words to describe it. On the whole, it was a beautiful experience. It was nothing like I expected. I learned about the unity of the Ummah. Haj also teaches you to be patient. I went back a different man and my family and friends also noticed the change. What program are you presenting for Iqra Channel? It is called “Haj day to day”, where we talk about things that help people at home understand Haj. We don't go into details but try to focus on the spiritual aspect of it. In fact we try to prepare people for Haj. A word for the Muslim youth? You see how the West is coming to Islam; rappers embracing Islam; rich and famous people becoming Muslims. The Muslim youth should ask themselves why these people who were very successful are coming to Islam. It's the true religion and they want Jannah — Paradise. Hold your heads high and be proud of being Muslims. __
