Meeting between mothers and daughters in an international school in Turkey

On December 13 we arrived in Istanbul to surprise our daughters who study there in one of the best international schools in Turkey, thanks to the Diyanet Foundation and the Seville Mosque Foundation.

Sevinj, Amal and I were very excited for two and a half months since we saw our girls. The teachers awaited our arrival, keeping the secret until the end.

After the long-awaited reunion, they took us to our room, where all our daughters’ companions soon arrived one after another to welcome us.

In our previous meeting the teachers showed great interest in the story of how we had converted to Islam, but since there was no time, we agreed to tell them on the next visit. So this time they organized an event in the conference hall.

They gave us time to go sightseeing and go shopping with our daughters. On the last day, Sunday 15, we gave the conference for 150 girls from 70 countries and 5 of the teachers who were able to attend.

Amal and I told them our experiences of how and why we converted to Islam, while Sevinj translated us into Turkish. It was very emotional. At the end we were all crying and hugging, girls, teachers and mothers. Then we had time to share some tea and talk with the students who came to ask about our talk and with their teachers.

   It has been an enriching journey in many ways, since we could see the great human quality of all the people surrounding our daughters, with whom they are fully integrated.

  I can only thank the kindness and affection received. Thank also, the care and respect given to our daughters.

Thank you very much Sumeya, Meltem, Marwanoor, Nassybeh, Naviyeh and the entire teaching team.

May Allah bless you.

Account of the visit of Yauhara, Sevinj and Amal de Sevilla, written by Yauhara Vigo.