🌿 Misloun Kaj: From Venezuela to Islam

“My father was happy. He had always wished to have a daughter who wore the hijab.”

🔹 My transformation did not happen overnight; it was a gradual process. It began with developing a deeper understanding of Islam and a stronger sense of belonging to it.

🇻🇪 Misloun Kaj was born in Caracas, Venezuela, into a Lebanese-descended family. As a child, she attended a Catholic school and knew very little about religion. Her family was not particularly religious, and she struggled with many questions about Islam.

❓ Why do women have to wear hijab while men don't?
❓ Why do women stand behind men during prayer?
❓ Why can my brothers do things that I cannot?

These questions remained with her for years.

📚 Her journey toward Islam was gradual.
At university, she became increasingly interested in Islam and began researching the experiences of converts. She visited both Shia and Sunni mosques and encountered a Latin American cleric whose approach to Islam deeply impressed her.

“He didn't simply say, ‘You must pray five times a day or you will go to hell.’ Instead, he spoke about spirituality, the meaning of religion in our lives, and what religion adds to our lives.”

🌍 Her interest in Lebanon also grew, particularly during the 2006 Lebanon War. Seeing the media coverage and the response of Lebanese and Venezuelan communities led her to become politically and socially active.

❤️ She later traveled to Lebanon and spent six months there, wanting to understand the country, its people, and the roots of their dignity, resilience, and attachment to the Prophet's family.

She was particularly touched by:

✨ The strength of family relationships
✨ Love for the Ahl al-Bayt
✨ Devotion to Lady Fatima (sa) and Lady Zaynab (sa)
✨ The spirit of resistance and solidarity

🧕 Her religious transformation also changed her relationship with her family.

Her mother was unhappy with the changes and questioned why she prayed so much and had become so serious about religious practices.

But her father was different:

“My father was happy. He had always wished to have a daughter who wore the hijab. He was only somewhat unhappy that I had learned about Islam through the Shia community.”

💭 In the end, Misloun also came to rethink the relationship between religion and politics:

“I used to think that in Venezuela, religion should not become involved in politics. But later I realized that being religious does not necessarily mean that non-Muslims cannot participate, and that a political project does not have to be defined as something exclusively for Muslims.”

🌱 Her story is not one of a single moment of conversion, but of questions, research, experience, and a gradual journey toward faith.

📖 Read the full interview:
http://rahyafteha.ir/33388/

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🆔 @rahyafte_en