{"title":"Justin L. Peyton","author":{"id":2251,"name":"Justin L. Peyton","slug":"justin_l_peyton","image":"\/uploads\/users\/non-profile.jpg","role":"Author","about":"","promote":0,"status":1,"created_at":"2014-08-25T08:00:00.000000Z","updated_at":"2014-08-25T08:00:00.000000Z","language_id":1,"parent_id":null,"i18ns":[],"image_asset":"http:\/\/www.islamland.com\/uploads\/users\/non-profile.jpg","get_name":"Justin L. Peyton"},"books":{"current_page":1,"data":[],"first_page_url":"http:\/\/www.islamland.com\/mac\/api\/authors\/2251?books_page=1","from":null,"last_page":1,"last_page_url":"http:\/\/www.islamland.com\/mac\/api\/authors\/2251?books_page=1","links":[{"url":null,"label":"« Previous","page":null,"active":false},{"url":"http:\/\/www.islamland.com\/mac\/api\/authors\/2251?books_page=1","label":"1","page":1,"active":true},{"url":null,"label":"Next »","page":null,"active":false}],"next_page_url":null,"path":"http:\/\/www.islamland.com\/mac\/api\/authors\/2251","per_page":25,"prev_page_url":null,"to":null,"total":0},"videos":{"current_page":1,"data":[],"first_page_url":"http:\/\/www.islamland.com\/mac\/api\/authors\/2251?videos_page=1","from":null,"last_page":1,"last_page_url":"http:\/\/www.islamland.com\/mac\/api\/authors\/2251?videos_page=1","links":[{"url":null,"label":"« Previous","page":null,"active":false},{"url":"http:\/\/www.islamland.com\/mac\/api\/authors\/2251?videos_page=1","label":"1","page":1,"active":true},{"url":null,"label":"Next »","page":null,"active":false}],"next_page_url":null,"path":"http:\/\/www.islamland.com\/mac\/api\/authors\/2251","per_page":25,"prev_page_url":null,"to":null,"total":0},"audios":{"current_page":1,"data":[],"first_page_url":"http:\/\/www.islamland.com\/mac\/api\/authors\/2251?audios_page=1","from":null,"last_page":1,"last_page_url":"http:\/\/www.islamland.com\/mac\/api\/authors\/2251?audios_page=1","links":[{"url":null,"label":"« Previous","page":null,"active":false},{"url":"http:\/\/www.islamland.com\/mac\/api\/authors\/2251?audios_page=1","label":"1","page":1,"active":true},{"url":null,"label":"Next »","page":null,"active":false}],"next_page_url":null,"path":"http:\/\/www.islamland.com\/mac\/api\/authors\/2251","per_page":25,"prev_page_url":null,"to":null,"total":0},"articles":{"current_page":1,"data":[{"id":1540,"title":"Justin L. Peyton, Ex-Christian, USA","slug":"justin-l-peyton-ex-christian-usa","word":"\/uploads\/articles\/en-Justin L. Peyton, Ex-Christian, USA.docx","pdf":"\/uploads\/articles\/en-Justin L. Peyton, Ex-Christian, USA.pdf","mime_type":null,"type":"node","path":"\/nodes\/view\/type:article\/slug:justin-l-peyton-ex-christian-usa","hint":"","body":"

Justin L. Peyton, Ex-Christian, USA<\/span><\/h1>\r\n

 \"\"<\/p>\r\n

My name is Justin Peyton and I am a 29-year-old African American from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  I grew up in a loving, two-parent, middle-class household with three siblings. <\/span><\/p>\r\n

Growing up, my family and I identified ourselves as Christians, but we were never members of a church, nor did we attend Sunday services or other activities.  The extent of religious expression in our home was celebrating Christmas.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Nevertheless, both of my parents set definitive boundaries for good conduct and character to which I was expected to adhere.  Given the state of marriage and family in American society today, I am grateful to God for this blessing.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

In addition, my parents' interest in the histories and cultures of other regions of the world created an environment of general tolerance, respect, and admiration for people whose customs and beliefs were different from my own.  Both of these factors would greatly contribute to my future acceptance of Islam.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

If I had to identify one single event as the starting point for my journey to Islam, it would have to be the tragic events of 9\/11.  After months of seeing very unflattering media coverage about Islam and Muslims, it occurred to me that the negative portrait being painted did not coincide with the experiences I had with Muslim classmates, neighbors and others, growing up in Philadelphia. <\/span><\/p>\r\n

It also occurred to me that despite knowing Muslims, I had never actually bothered to take the time to learn about their faith.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

So, with the open-mindedness instilled in me by my parents, I decided to research some facts about Islam in order to reconcile the apparent disparity between my personal experiences and media coverage.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Being a college student at the time, the first place I went for information is the Internet, and I eventually settled on one particular website that was geared primarily toward non-Muslims.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Over the course of several months, I progressed from reading introductory articles on the basic belief and practices of Muslims, to more in-depth topical pieces on belief in God, His prophets, His books, Judgment Day, and so on, as well as reading about practices like prayer, fasting, hajj, and so on.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The site also had articles on the place of family, marriage in Islam, as well as conversion stories like this one.   <\/span><\/p>\r\n

Spurred to learn more, I went to a local bookstore,  purchased a copy of the Quran, and began to read.  I could spend pages listing which information struck me most and why, but suffice it to say that everything that I read made intrinsic sense to me.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

After a few more months I decided that reading and learning about Islam on my own was not enough, so I searched to find any nearby mosques.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

I contacted the closest mosque, which was about 45 miles away, spoke to their president, and arranged a time to visit and discuss Islam with local Muslims.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

On the appointed day, I showed up and spent a great deal of time talking to a very helpful brother.  Unbeknownst to me, the information he shared permeated my heart.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

During my second visit, in late summer of 2002, it dawned on me that I believed that Islam was the truth, so right then and there, I took my Testimony of Faith and spent the whole weekend at the mosque learning what was necessary for me to perform the ritual prayers on my own when I returned to school.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

That community was wonderful, and had I stayed in the vicinity, I am sure that I would have received a lot of support adjusting to my life as a new Muslim.  But that was not to be.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Prior to the events of 9\/11, I had developed an interest in the military, and continued discussions with local armed forces recruiters, concurrent with the exploration of Islam that would lead to my conversion.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Within two month of accepting Islam I also signed papers to join the Marine Corps, and that winter, after graduation, I was off to boot camp.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Looking back on that part of my life, I am grateful for the skills I gained and experiences I had during the course of my service.  But in retrospect, the timing between these two events was less than ideal.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

I found that as a new Muslim, the nature of military life was not conducive to helping me find my bearings in this religion.  For instance, the pace and schedule of entry-level training made it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for me to fulfill basic tenants like praying the prayers in their allotted time or fasting Ramadan.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Even after leaving training, I was located in an area of the U.S.  with no Muslim community, which prevented me from developing my faith.  It wasn't until some three years into my service that I met another practicing Muslim service member who would be able to teach me both about Islam and how to navigate military life as a Muslim.  May God reward him for his efforts.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

After completing my military service in the summer of 2007, I moved back to Philadelphia, became an active member of a local mosque, and was blessed with the ability to obtain a job at the local chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), a non-profit civil rights and advocacy organization for Muslims.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The two years I spent as a part of the Philadelphia Muslim community and an employee of CAIR-PA was a tremendous learning experience that really spurred my development and whetted my appetite for more.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

And that leads me to where I am now, an Islamic chaplaincy student at Hartford Seminary in Connecticut, pursuing its combined Masters of Arts in Islamic studies, Christian-Muslim relations and Graduate Certificate in Islamic chaplaincy.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n

 <\/p>","excerpt":"","terms":null,"visibility_roles":"","comment_status":1,"comment_count":0,"read_counter":9618,"lft":2859,"rght":2862,"promote":1,"sticky":0,"status":1,"publish_start":null,"publish_end":null,"created_at":"2014-08-25T19:10:00.000000Z","updated_at":"2026-05-07T09:15:32.000000Z","language_id":1,"user_id":7,"author_id":2251,"publisher_id":0,"category_id":10,"parent_id":null,"author_name":"Justin L. Peyton","category_name":"Why I became a Muslim!","category_slug":"Why-I-became-a-Muslim!","get_date":"2014-08-25","pdf_asset":"http:\/\/www.islamland.com\/uploads\/articles\/en-Justin L. Peyton, Ex-Christian, USA.pdf","word_asset":"http:\/\/www.islamland.com\/uploads\/articles\/en-Justin L. Peyton, Ex-Christian, USA.docx"},{"id":1541,"title":"Justin L. Peyton, excristiano, Estados Unidos","slug":"justin-l-peyton-excristiano-estados-unidos","word":"\/uploads\/articles\/sp-Justin L. Peyton, Ex-Christian, USA.docx","pdf":"\/uploads\/articles\/sp-Justin L. Peyton, Ex-Christian, USA.pdf","mime_type":null,"type":"node","path":"\/nodes\/view\/type:article\/slug:justin-l-peyton-excristiano-estados-unidos","hint":"","body":"

Justin L. Peyton, excristiano, Estados Unidos<\/span><\/h1>\r\n

 \"\"<\/span><\/p>\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n

Mi nombre es Justin Peyton y tengo 29 años de edad, soy un afroamericano de Filadelfia, Pennsylvania. Crecí en un amoroso hogar de clase media con mis dos padres y tres hermanos.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Al crecer, mi familia y yo nos identificamos como cristianos, pero nunca fuimos miembros de una iglesia ni asistíamos a los servicios dominicales ni otras actividades. El alcance de la expresión religiosa en nuestra casa era celebrar la Navidad.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Sin embargo, mis padres establecieron límites definitivos para la buena conducta y el buen carácter a los que yo debía apegarme. Dado el estado del matrimonio y la familia en la sociedad estadounidense actual, le agradezco a Dios por esta bendición.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Además, el interés de mis padres en las historias y culturas de otras regiones del mundo, creó un ambiente de tolerancia general, respeto y admiración por personas cuyas costumbres y creencias eran diferentes de las nuestras. Estos factores contribuirían en gran medida a mi futura aceptación del Islam.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Si tuviera que identificar un evento específico como el punto de inicio de mi viaje hacia el Islam, tendrían que ser los eventos trágicos del 9\/11. Después de meses de ver la poca halagüeña cobertura mediática respecto al Islam y a los musulmanes, se me ocurrió que el retrato negativo que estaban pintando no coincidía con las experiencias que había vivido con musulmanes que había tenido por compañeros, vecinos y otros, mientras crecía en Filadelfia.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

También se me ocurrió que, a pesar de conocer musulmanes, en realidad nunca me había molestado en tomarme el tiempo de aprender acerca de su fe.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Entonces, con la mente abierta que me inculcaron mis padres, decidí investigar algunos hechos sobre el Islam a fin de reconciliar la aparente disparidad entre mis experiencias personales y la cobertura mediática.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Siendo en aquella época un estudiante de colegio, el primer lugar donde fui a buscar información fue la Internet, y eventualmente encontré un sitio web que estaba dirigido principalmente a los no musulmanes.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

En el transcurso de varios meses, progresé de leer artículos introductorios sobre las creencias y prácticas básicas de los musulmanes, a otros sobre temas más profundos respecto a la creencia en Dios, Sus profetas, Sus libros, el Día final, etcétera, a la vez que leía sobre prácticas como la oración, el ayuno, el Hayy<\/em>, y demás.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

El sitio también tenía artículos sobre el lugar de la familia y el matrimonio en el Islam, así como historias de conversos como esta.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Estimulado a aprender más, fui a una librería local, compré una copia del Corán y comencé a leerlo. Podría escribir muchas páginas enumerando cuál fue la información que más me impactó y por qué, pero es suficiente decir que todo lo que leí tenía sentido intrínseco para mí.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Después de unos cuantos meses, decidí que leer y aprender sobre el Islam por cuenta propia no era suficiente, así que busqué alguna mezquita cercana.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Me puse en contacto con la mezquita más cercana, que estaba a unos 72 kilómetros de distancia, hablé con su presidente y conseguí una cita para visitarlos y discutir sobre Islam con musulmanes locales.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

El día señalado, me presenté y pasé mucho tiempo hablando con un hermano muy útil. Sin saberlo, la información que me compartía impregnaba mi corazón.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Durante mi segunda visita, a finales del verano de 2002, me di cuenta de que el Islam es la verdad, así que en ese mismo momento y lugar, di mi testimonio de fe y pasé el resto del fin de semana en la mezquita aprendiendo lo necesario para realizar las oraciones rituales por mi propia cuenta cuando volviera al colegio.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Esa comunidad fue maravillosa, y si me hubiera quedado en la vecindad, estoy seguro que habría recibido mucho apoyo para adaptarme a mi vida como nuevo musulmán. Pero no fue así.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Antes de los eventos del 9\/11, había desarrollado un interés en el ejército y mantuve conversaciones con reclutadores de fuerzas armadas locales, al mismo tiempo que mi exploración del Islam que me llevó a la conversión.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Dentro de los dos primeros meses después de aceptar el Islam, también firmé los papeles para unirme a la Infantería de Marina, y ese invierno, después de mi graduación, salí al campo de entrenamiento.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Mirando atrás hacia esa parte de mi vida, estoy agradecido por las habilidades que obtuve y las experiencias durante el transcurso de mi servicio. Pero en retrospectiva, el tiempo entre estos dos eventos estuvo lejos de ser ideal.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Me di cuenta de que como nuevo musulmán, la naturaleza de la vida militar no era propicia para ayudarme a encontrar mi rumbo en esta religión. Por ejemplo, el ritmo y el calendario del entrenamiento básico me hacían muy difícil, si no imposible, cumplir con principios básicos como rezar las oraciones en su tiempo establecido o ayunar en Ramadán.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Incluso después de terminar el entrenamiento, fui asignado a un área de los Estados Unidos sin comunidad musulmana, lo que me impidió desarrollar mi fe. No fue hasta cuando llevaba unos tres años de servicio que conocí a otro musulmán practicante miembro del servicio, quien fue capaz de enseñarme acerca del Islam y de cómo llevar la vida militar como musulmán. Que Dios lo recompense por sus esfuerzos.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Después de completar mi servicio militar en el verano de 2007, regresé a Filadelfia y me hice miembro activo de una mezquita local, y fui bendecido con un trabajo que obtuve en el capítulo del Consejo de Relaciones Americano-Islámicas (CAIR), una organización de derechos civiles sin ánimo de lucro y para la defensa de los musulmanes.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Los dos años que pasé como parte de la comunidad musulmana de Filadelfia y como empleado de CAIR-PA, fueron una experiencia de aprendizaje tremenda que realmente estimuló mi desarrollo y abrió mi apetito por más.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Y eso me lleva a donde estoy ahora, un estudiante de difusión del Islam en el Seminario Hartford en Connecticut, con intenciones de seguir estudios de maestría en Artes en estudios islámicos, relaciones entre cristianos y musulmanes, y un curso para ser líder de comunidades musulmanas.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n

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