Fake "Ex-Muslim" Stories?

Pinar's Testimony (Does Pinar Exist? Is it a Missionary Forgery/Hoax?)

I came across this testimony of an ex-muslim converting Christianity on a missionary website; the chief architect of this website is well known to me and characterized by dishonesty and sensationalism

As I was reading through this testimony I could not help asking myself whether it was genuine, a hoax or simply a product of the website owners mind.
The “testimony” begins with the lady’s background and is written in the first person. The lady is named “Pinar”

My Muslim Background

She goes on to describe a secular background, a background which has very little mention of Islam or Islamic practices yet she is presented as an ex-Muslim; this is a little curious.

I was born in a big city in Turkey, to a modern family, who lived their Muslim faith in a secular way. They advised me not to worry too much about God and religion but just know that God loves me and that I love him and He will protect me and everything will be great.

Now she is questioned as to the existence of God. Does she answer utilizing the Quran or mention prayer? No, why not? It seems a little odd.

I had a lot of atheist and agnostic friends, and when they asked me how I know God exists, I told them I could feel His presence. My life was a bundle of love and blessings…

She reaches 18 and decides to read the Quran, this is odd. Why had she not read the Quran prior to this? After all she was born into a Muslim family. Curious.

Up until I decided to really check what it means to be a Muslim and what does the Kur’an say. I was 18 years old

When I decided to read the Kur’an and see what my wonderful God, full of love, has to say in the Holy Book. As you can imagine I was disappointed.

Why was she disappointed? God is al Wadood (the Most Loving) S85:14. How can you be disappointed at that? Perhaps she did not read all the Quran?

However, it now becomes apparent why her “testimony” is on an anti-Muslim site (the chief architect of the site is well renowned for hatred), she has a sensational pop:

The book was the worst horror book I have ever read. Every night my heart was racing and I was filled with terror. I said to myself, if that is what God is, I am an atheist. And I rejected the Lord of the universe just like my atheist friends.

Wow this lady wants us to believe she stopped believing in God all because of the Quran which she thought to be a “horror book”. She is even more sensationalistic as she claimed she was “filled with terror” and “every night” her “heart was racing”

Now do you really expect us to believe that?

The Quranic descriptions of Hell are balanced with descriptions of Paradise.
Furthermore, the passages concerning disbelievers have a context; did she not read the Quran with some sort of Tafsir?

Did she read the Quran at all or is she simply making things up for effect? The Quran is full of glorious teachings of mercy, kindness and wisdom. Did she not read the FIRST chapter of the Quran (Surah Al-Fatiha), the English translation (S1:1) describes Allah as:

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most MERCIFUL

Note: This lady accepts the Bible despite the violent passages within the Bible. This is perplexing and suspicious to say the least!

Fishy

In my view this story sounds a little fishy. It gets fishier and I begin to think it is a hoax or the product of the mind of one of the anti-Muslim brigade from the website in question.

However, this story does mention something interesting, as she stopped “believing” in Islam this happened:

Then my life changed, I lost my peace, joy, and love, my relationships started to shatter; even though I managed to look successful on the outside, I was a huge mess

Just to get another dig in she writes:

But I did not want anything to do with the God of the Kur’an. I could not lie to people and claim, I am a Muslim when I did not believe in more than half of the Holy Book.

What half would that be? You believed in half of the Book but disbelieved in the other half. That is odd. Care to explain?

Was it simply a case of this lady being unwilling to believe in Hell and the separation of believers and disbelievers?

Getting Interesting

It gets even more interesting as the lady is willing to believe in Christianity which also has teachings of Hell as well as a separation of believers and unbelievers. The Quran and the Bible have similar themes. Somebody needs to tell Pinar this, or at least give her copies of both Books so she can realise it herself.

Getting MORE Unbelievable

OK, now it gets even more unbelievable. A friend takes her to church, she likes it and continues going BUT does not convert to Christianity:

After that day, I kept on going to churches. I have gone to house churches, catholic, protestant, etc, you name it I went. But I was not a Christian, I just liked the experience since every time when I was feeling heavily burdened, I went to church and each time God touched my heart.

Does she bother to read the Bible? NO!

At least 30 friends witnessed to me in Turkey alone but none of them could convince me of following Jesus

Despite enjoying church and all these people trying to convert her she does not convert or read the Bible. Perhaps the Old Testament would have filled her with terror?

A vision of Jesus (why do all these "conversion" stories contain "visions"?)

She then claims to have seen a vision of Jesus in a dream. After this she converted to Christianity. She did not EVEN read the Bible but converted based on feelings. Even her dream of Jesus does not instruct her to follow Christianity:

I slept and immediately Jesus was there. I was praying in a circle of believers and Jesus was amidst of us. He was covered with a prayer shawl but we were in Him

OK, Jesus had a prayer shawl over him; perhaps this indicates he prays to God and therefore has a God. Muslims believe Jesus prayed to God. This is even confirmed in the Bible!

One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. (Luke 6:12) NIV

I (a Muslim) have SEEN Jesus (pbuh) in a dream too!!!

I have seen Jesus in a dream too. I did not convert to Christianity. In my dream Jesus was PRAYING (supplicating) to God. Thus Jesus has a God so cannot possibly be God.

In a different dream I was wandering the streets of Damascus and looking for Jesus whilst calling “Isa Ibn Maryam”. “Isa Ibn Maryam” is translated as “Jesus son of Mary”, thus through this dream, too, I realise Jesus is not the son of God. The significance of Damascus is that Jesus will descend upon the White minaret of Damascus in his second coming (Muslim belief).

Therefore, my dreams were in accordance with the Muslim beliefs of Jesus (pbuh).

Dissection + personal commentary was by Yahya Snow

Is “Pinar’s” story genuine?

Her story sounds far-fetched. Perhaps it was made up by somebody from the anti-Muslim website. Here are a few more fake “convert” stories; Mohammad Khan’s YouTube channel explores what are perceived to be fake “converts” (famously this channel helped bring the Christian evangelist Ergun Caner to account for his deception :
http://www.youtube.com/user/mokhan247

(Ironically Ergun Caner looks uncannily like the owner of the website (Sam Shamoun) which featured “Pinar’s conversion story” )

Here is a real convert (ex Christian Deacon Jerald Dirks):
Part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOZSrPF5GNo

Part 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQFXuZRLMTY

Those who want to convert to Islam or learn more about Islam may visit:
http://www.bilalphilips.com/bilal_pages.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=243

Useful site:
http://www.islamqa.com/en

Appendix

Jesus (pbuh) praying to God in the Bible:

So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing. (Mt 26:44) NIV

Jesus praying to his God in the gospel of Luke:

One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. (Luke 6:12)

Another one:

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." (Matthew 26:39)