Islam, the fastest growing religion on earth, continues to attract people to its fold. Albino Bandana, a Filipino born in 1961 as a Catholic Christian, embraced Islam on Nov. 4 after years of seeking truth. He said the Shahadah at the World Assembly of Muslim Youth's (WAMY) office in front of Sheikh Ahmed Al- Sayeed Ahmed, the head of the Dawah department, and the center's staff. Albino has now changed his first name to Amir. Amir's story is not different from that of other seekers of truth, searching for the truth about the Creator. “I was looking for the truth. My heart was never satisfied with the concept of trinity,” said Amir Bandana, a civil engineer at a major construction company. “I came here in 1992 (and) met with many people, most of whom were Muslims,” Amir said explaining his path to Islam. “I always observed the behavior of my Muslim friends and people working with me, I even attended Islamic seminars and lectures conducted by the Dawah center.” “I was very impressed by the beauty of Islam and I decided to read more about it. I read books, brochures and flyers from the Dawah centers in Jeddah. I felt an inclination to the religion, which calls to Tawheed and Alhamdulillah at last with the help of the Dawah center I found the right path,” he said Amir is now planning for Haj. “I would like to go for Hajj this year, if my Lord gives me the strength and opportunity,” he said. Several Islamic centers where books, DVDs, pamphlets, brochures, and preachers are available to give more information on Islam to non-Muslims are available in Jeddah. The World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY), Islamic Education Foundation, which has several branches, Jeddah Dawah Center, Industrial City Dawah center and Forum for Social Studies are a few to mention. Darussalam bookstores also have informative books available at a nominal price. __
