Nobody forced me to accept Islam – Aisha
Uzoechina

25-year-old Charity Uzoechina, the daughter
of a Redeemed Christian Church of God
pastor, recently converted to Islam and this
development has sparked off serious
controversy.

Her father, Pastor Raymond Uzoechina,
accused the Estu Nupe Alhaji Yahaya
Abubukar, of hypnotizing his daughter, who
now bears A’isha, to embrace Islam.
However, in this interview with Daily Trust,
she bares her mind on why exactly she
switched religions.

Excerpts:

Weekly Trust: What is your name?
Aisha Uzoechina: I was formerly known as
Charity Uzoechina and now A’isha Uzoechina.
Why the change of name?
I changed my name because I have accepted
Islam.


What brought you to Bida?
I came to Bida in 2012 to read Public
Administration at the Federal Polytechnic,
Bida.


Are you still a student of Federal
Polytechnic Bida?
No, I am not. I have withdrawn from the
school.


Did you go back home?
No, I did not go home. At the beginning I was
planning to go back home, because I wanted
to tell my father that I have converted to
Islam. When I converted, I was afraid to tell
my parents, because of the way my father
would behave. I know he will not take it lightly
with me. So, for that I refused to go back
home.



Did anybody force or enticed you to join
Islam?
I joined Islam on my own. Nobody enticed me
with anything to join Islam.

What informed your decision to join
Islam?
I converted to Islam because I love the
character of Muslims, particularly the way they
behave. You know Muslims believe in God. I
have Muslim friends and I watch what they do,
that enticed me to join Islam. I used to read
Qur’an when I was a Christian. I always join
them to read Qur’an and through that I found
out that it is the same one God they worship.
So I embraced Islam.


How did your father come to know about
your change of faith?
When I ran to the palace, I told you, it was
very difficult before I could see the Emir.
When I saw him, the emir refused to accept
me, because my father did not know about it.
He, therefore, collected my father’s number
from me and called him. The following day my
father came and said he wanted to see me.
When we met we talked one on one.


What did you tell him?
Well the emir told him that I have converted to
Islam. When my father talked to me, he said
let’s go home, but I refused. I told him that I
will not change my faith, because I have
already accepted Islam and this is where I
want to stay. He, therefore, threatened me so
much so that I became scared of him.


What did he do to you amounting to a
threat?
In the first place you know, I put on Hijab
(veil), he said I should remove the Hijab. He
was angry and used some harsh words on me,
directing that I should remove the Hijab, but I
refused. He threatened to take me to a village
where nobody will set his eyes on me. So I
became scared of him, therefore I refused to
follow him. That is it.


Did the emir intervene?
The emir gave him one week to come back, but
he came back even before it reached one
week. He said he must take me home. He will
not take me to our house, but he’ll take me to
somewhere that nobody will set his eyes on
me. I quickly ran back to the emir and to the
Shari’a Court for protection. I don’t want to go
back to my father, because he is threatening
me.


How did you come to know about the
Shari’a Court?
I found out from people. I went to them on my
own to formally lodge my complaint.


Why Shari’a Court?
They have to protect me. You know when you
take a case to court over life threatening
issue, the court must protect you. That is it.


Did your father come back after you
refused to follow him?
He came back. He kept on coming back. The
other time he even threatened to bring some
people to kidnap me.


Is it true that at a time your father came
with the Christian Association of Nigeria
(CAN) officials to you?
Yes.


Is it true that you also went to the Jama’atul
Nasril Islam (JNI)?
Yes.


Why did you go to JNI?
I told you and I’ll still repeat it, though I don’t
want to repeat my words again. I want them
to intervene on my behalf, the threat is too
much. Now I can’t go anywhere, I cannot even
continue with my schooling. I cannot do
anything because of the way he has been
threatening me. He is still bringing people up
till now to keep watch on me.


How do you know that your father has
assigned people to keep watch on you?
There was a time that I wanted to go out,
information came to me that my father was
around and I had to stay back since I don’t
want him to take me away. I know that if I
gout anytime,I he’ll pick me up.


How did you come to know about JNI?
I have been reading about them. That is why I
went to them.


How did you present your case to JNI?
I wrote to them seeking for their intervention,
because I do not know how to go about
convincing my father. I also learnt that the
emir wanted to hand me over to my father,
because the burden of my case is becoming
too much for him to bear.


If your father should promise to allow you
to practice your new faith, will you go
with him?
I’ll not. In a family that you are the only
Muslim, how can you practice in that house?
You know when he (my father) came along
with my mother the other time, his actions and
the harsh words he used, even if I go back
home, my life will not be secured in his hand.
That is why I said I’ll not go.


Did you start learning anything about
Islam?
Yes, I started learning how to perform
ablution. I have learnt how to recite Surah Al-
Fatihah, I am now in my second surah.


Do you pray five times a day?
Yes I do. I am even fasting now. I have been
fasting since the beginning of the month of
Ramadan.


What is your massage to people wanting to
join Islam?
I have only one massage. Islam is good.
Muslims are truthful, everything they say, they
believe in God and they carry people along.
Once a person converted to Islam, he’ll be
carried along until he is strong to stand on his
own.


What is your appeal to your parent?
I am appealing to my parents not to be angry
with me. My conversion to Islam will not
separate us. I still love them, even though I
am here. They can come and visit me and I can
also visit them. They shouldn’t think my new
faith will take away the love I have for them.
It will not. I am very sorry.

http://dailypost.com.ng/2013/07/28/nobody-forced-me-to-accept-islam-charity-uzoechina/?utm_source=&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=nobody-forced-me-to-accept-islam-charity-uzoechina

Good for her though.

She did not withdraw voluntarily from the polytechnic rather she was expelled for poor grades(having a CGPA of less than 1)

so instead of her going to face the music at home, she chose to convert.

#SomethingIsFishy though.

Lies can we have aa live interview please

Maxwell86: Good for her though.

She did not withdraw voluntarily from the polytechnic rather she was expelled for poor grades(having a CGPA of less than 1)

so instead of her going to face the music at home, she chose to convert.

#SomethingIsFishy though.

Smh... u go mind am? i 1da wetin deh take cova ha eyes.... It sucks.

Lizzylobito:

Smh... u go mind am? i 1da wetin deh take cova ha eyes.... It sucks.

You mean her eyes got opened instead.

BetaThings: This matter is typical
If there is a natural disaster and it levels all structures save a church
Christians will proclaim a miracle
But if it is a mosque that is left standing, Christians will suddenly become structural engineers
"what is the material used to build the mosque compared to the other structures?
What is the point of impact of the, say, tornado?
Was the mosque shielded by another structure that was destroyed? etc"

A christian introduced another dimension this week
Let us say "The Guardian" or even some unknown online blog reports a negative act by a muslim
People start lambasting Islam and Muslims

But now when there is a report in "The Guardian" of a negative act by a Christian, we might be required to produce official documents for it to be believed!

Maxwell86: Good for her though.

She did not withdraw voluntarily from the polytechnic rather she was expelled for poor grades(having a CGPA of less than 1)

so instead of her going to face the music at home, she chose to convert.

#SomethingIsFishy though.

Lol Boko is really Haram. While a 16yr old is fighting muslim extremists for girls right to education in Islamic republic of Pakistan this one is playing to their tune in a free country. Yep something's fishy.

BetaThings:

A christian introduced another dimension this week
Let us say "The Guardian" or even some unknown online blog reports a negative act by a muslim
People start lambasting Islam and Muslims

But now when there is a report in "The Guardian" of a negative act by a Christian, we might be required to produce official documents for it to be believed!

My brother 2 trillions likes . . . What haven't we heard, i wonder what their religion teaches them about slander, the sort of insults and slander this lady has suffered for leaving paul's ministry is rather shameful, i keep wishing hard that nl christians r not a reflection of what nigerian christians really r and that nl christians - the bulk of them - r just being bad mannered.

vedaxcool:


My brother 2 trillions likes . . . What haven't we heard, i wonder what their religion teaches them about slander, the sort of insults and slander this lady has suffered for leaving paul's ministry is rather shameful, i keep wishing hard that nl christians r not a reflection of what nigerian christians really r and that nl christians - the bulk of them - r just being bad mannered.

I have come to the sad realisation that the attitude here is the same as what we have in real life

They are claiming
the girl was kidnapped
She has low GPA and decided to convert to Islam

Of course no one has ever willingly converted to Islam before - we always intimidate, kidnap etc
And virtually every muslim is poised to convert to that narrow Christian road but for fear of danger
Anyway the girl has low GPA! Are there dumb Christians? I guess not. Since muslims are not "sharp", they should happily dump her on us

BetaThings:

I have come to the sad realisation that the attitude here is the same as what we have in real life

They are claiming
the girl was kidnapped
She has low GPA and decided to convert to Islam

Of course no one has ever willingly converted to Islam before - we always intimidate, kidnap etc
And virtually every muslim is poised to convert to that narrow Christian road but for fear of danger
Anyway the girl has low GPA! Are there dumb Christians? I guess not. Since muslims are not "sharp", they should happily dump her on us

Then it is sad, the sort of logic prevailing is quite appalling indeed.

This should be a lesson for Christian parents. It is not enough to teach ones's children about Christianity alone but other religion around. Children should made to know the difference.

The reason it is so difficult to get many muslims converted to Christianity is because right from childhood they were sent to islamic lesson where they not only learn about islam, but are poisoned against Christianity.

In my own house, I have taught my chilren the difference. Infact one of my daughters gave me a testimony about what happened in their school when she had a discussion with a muslim boy. In the evening after the discussion, it was the boy who rank the bell for prayer.

From what the girl said, she did not know the difference. To her, what does it matter since we worship the same God. But is it truly the same God? Capital no. She should have been made to understand before then.

It could even be possible she has a rich muslim boyfriend who influenced her with money. This she would not tell.

poor you.

truthman2012: This should be a lesson for Christian parents. It is not enough to teach ones's children about Christianity alone but other religion around. Children should made to know the difference.

The reason it is so difficult to get many muslims converted to Christianity is because right from childhood they were sent to islamic lesson where they not only learn about islam, but are poisoned against Christianity.

In my own house, I have taught my chilren the difference. Infact one of my daughters gave me a testimony about what happened in their school when she had a discussion with a muslim boy. In the evening after the discussion, it was the boy who rank the bell for prayer.

From what the girl said, she did not know the difference. To her, what does it matter since we worship the same God. But is it truly the same God? Capital no. She should have been made to understand before then.

It could even be possible she has a rich muslim boyfriend who influenced her with money. This she would not tell.

Even if you feed her with more poison about Islam, that your daughter must change to a muslimah insha'Allah, ameen.
By the way, what makes you think that the Etsu convert's dad didn't do worse to her when she was young?
The Qur'an says 'There is no compulsion in religion, truth (Islam) is clear from error (other religions).' If and when your daughter sees the truth, I pray you have the heart to bear it.

truthman2012:

From what the girl said, she did not know the difference. To her, what does it matter since we worship the same God. But is it truly the same God? Capital no. She should have been made to understand before then.

Of course not
We have a book that is complete, not in need in revision without variants and from a single source
Yours is a book of readings, reviewed and compiled in stages by some editorial panel, with at least two key variants and frequently updated (or upgraded?)

Who said she doesn't wanna go to school?

From the op report she said

I told you and I’ll still repeat it, though I don’t want to repeat my words again. I want them to intervene on my behalf, the threat is too much. Now I can’t go anywhere, I cannot even continue with my schooling. I cannot do anything because of the way he has been threatening me. He is still bringing people up till now to keep watch on me.

Now ya'll christian ranting ''lies'' about her having low GPA and got expelled should shut the crap mouth up and explain why a pastor her father for that matter threatening her 25yr old daughter?? Even CAN join hand with the father threaten act.

Is it about low GPA or a threat?

tintingz: Who said she doesn't wanna go to school?

From the op report she said

Now ya'll christian ranting ''lies'' about her having low GPA and got expelled should shut the crap mouth up and explain why a pastor her father for that matter threatening her 25yr old daughter?? Even CAN join hand with the father threaten act.

Is it about low GPA or a threat?

25?
So the age of marriage is now 27 and she requires permission?
Were a Muslim girl trying to convert to Christianity treated like this, curses would have filled this thread from our loving Christians friends and they would have found a way of getting CNN involved

tintingz: Who said she doesn't wanna go to school?

From the op report she said

Now ya'll christian ranting ''lies'' about her having low GPA and got expelled should shut the crap mouth up and explain why a pastor her father for that matter threatening her 25yr old daughter?? Even CAN join hand with the father threaten act.

Is it about low GPA or a threat?

@25, she's still under her father's tutelage- if he's paying her school fees and feeding her, then he does have the right to be monitoring what she does if she's under his roof. Granted, she's rather old for this but its the situation on ground.

Now, she's transferred that responsibility to the emir, so we'll see how it goes.

Hopefully it will work out well for her?

tpia@:



@25, she's still under her father's tutelage- if he's paying her school fees and feeding her, then he does have the right to be monitoring what she does if she's under his roof. Granted, she's rather old for this but its the situation on ground.

If a Muslim man said his wife aged 23 was under his tutelage, what do you think the response would be?
I can imagine stuff like
"The man is oppressing her! At 23? Is she a baby? etc"

You can ask that question of those who said it, if any.

So far, we havent seen any muslim man besides the emir, dragging the lady with her father.

If her stance is because she wants to be with a muslim man, then the man involved should surface unless he already has, in the person of the emir.

BetaThings:
If a Muslim man said his wife aged 23 was under his tutelage, what do you think the response would be?
I can imagine stuff like
"The man is oppressing her! At 23? Is she a baby? etc"

The analogy you meant to bring was if a muslim man said his DAUGHTER aged 25 was under his tutelage, would you argue the matter with him?

tpia@:


The analogy you meant to bring was if a muslim man said his DAUGHTER aged 25 was under his tutelage, would you argue the matter with him?

I know what I mean. I really do
So as long as one is a student and the fees being paid, the person is under tutelage?
And if we take your analogy, you would see talk about control freak
A teenage Christian will tell me that a mulim woman in her thirties lecturing in the university is oppressed because she wears hijab

truthman2012:
Where do you see upgraded bible? There are versions just as there are in quran. Pickthall is different from Shakir and many others. Isn't it.

And have you ever seen someone memorising Picktall while another is memorising Shakir?
You ever seen anyone reciting Picktall during prayer
When people say they are reciting the quran, you imagine they are talking about Picktall

truthman2012:
I said we don't serve the same God because allah has no children but the true God have. Allah has only one prophet and that is Muhammad (there is no god save Allah and Muhammad is his prophet). Whereas the true God have many prophets as contained in the Torah.

Only human beings who are subject to sickness and weakness require children
People try to preserve their lineage by having children
Succession is a critical issue in any Kingdom when one king passes on and another takes over
For Allah who is Eternal, what will be the purpose of having a son?

If you truly believe that Mohammed (SAW) is the only Prophet of Allah, rather than the last, you really have no business posting here

truthman2012:
Allah is worshiped like they worshiped idols before islam, making it (islam) a continuation of idol worship. The true God is worshiped facing anywhere, sitting, standing, kneeling or even lying down.

Can you give me a biblical verse for these types of flexibility in worship
So what do you guys do in Jerusalem?
At Redeemed camp
Even Jesus prostrated. He did not do that on the street or in his house. He went to a special place

Who remember Allah while standing or sitting or [lying] on their sides and give thought to the creation of the heavens and the earth, [saying], "Our Lord, You did not create this aimlessly; exalted are You [above such a thing]; then protect us from the punishment of the Fire.
Quran - 3:191

truthman2012:
He is everywhere (Omnipotent), whose throne is in heaven, not Kaaba, which was built by idolaters. But unfortunately satan lied that it was Abraham and Ishmael who built Kaaba when in truth the duo never lived in Mecca.

Most muslims will never perform hajj or visit the kaaba. Only 3m do in a year and that is 300m in 100 years
You go to church, we go to the mosque
You go to Jerusalem, we go to Makkah

You are more interested in polemics and dragging down the standard of this discussion
Has it occurred to you that I have access to literature that denigrates Christianity and deliberately refuse to bring them into discussions with Christians? I take only from the Bible.

Allah - there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of [all] existence. Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them, and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills. His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth, and their preservation tires Him not. And He is the Most High, the Most Great
Quran - 2:255

The Most Merciful [who is] above the Throne established.
To Him belongs what is in the heavens and what is on the earth and what is between them and what is under the soil
And if you speak aloud - then indeed, He knows the secret and what is [even] more hidden.
Allah - there is no deity except Him. To Him belong the best names.
Quran - 20: 5 - 8

BetaThings:
I know what I mean. I really do
So as long as one is a student and the fees being paid, the person is under tutelage?
And if we take your analogy, you would see talk about control freak
A teenage Christian will tell me that a mulim woman in her thirties lecturing in the university is oppressed because she wears hijab

i cant control what other people say, but a 25 year old whose school fees are being paid by her father, is under his tutelage as long as she remains under his roof.

if she decides she doesnt want to remain under his authority, then she can choose the option she's choosing now and bear with the consequences as they come.

a muslim woman is free to wear whatever she likes @ 30 when she supports herself, people can give their opinion [same way she gives her opinions on other peoples' issues], but their talking will not necessitate her running to an emir's palace.

and neither does it mean she has to be on the warpath all the time because everybody isnt wearing a hijab.

BetaThings:
Of course not
We have a book that is complete, not in need in revision without variants and from a single source
Yours is a book of readings, reviewed and compiled in stages by some editorial panel, with at least two key variants and frequently updated (or upgraded?)

very good of u,dis post v been noted!
Anyways,dis r just YOUR OWN WORDS,dey hold no water!
You cnt proof anything!

betathings

you project a lot [ie imagining what others will or wont say, based on your subjective viewpoint].

why are you so fearful and defensive?

dont want to say aggressive, like always seeking for others to offend you.

that is not good.

BetaThings:

A christian introduced another dimension this week
Let us say "The Guardian" or even some unknown online blog reports a negative act by a muslim
People start lambasting Islam and Muslims

But now when there is a report in "The Guardian" of a negative act by a Christian, we might be required to produce official documents for it to be believed!

LoL! Why the need to twist my words BetaThings? Because I asked you to prove that Plateau State is officially a Christian State I have now required every act to produce official documents? C'mon man you do not need to twist it to suit your needs.

Mintayo:

very good of u,dis post v been noted!

Hahahaah
Go ahead and quote

Mintayo:
Anyways,dis r just YOUR OWN WORDS,dey hold no water!
You cnt proof anything!

And yours draw plenty of water?
and you can prove?

tpia@:
betathings

you project a lot [ie imagining what others will or wont say, based on your subjective viewpoint].

why are you so fearful and defensive?

dont want to say aggressive, like always seeking for others to offend you.

that is not good.

Feel free to use the words that you like
as long as they are appropriate
But here, I am sorry, I disagree with your judgement

I could accuse you of a lot too and bring quotes to back them up. But that would hardly hold so much value because everyone is subjective where interests differ

As for fear, That is just wide off the mark, For instance, of what?

Lord_Reed:

LoL! Why the need to twist my words BetaThings? Because I asked you to prove that Plateau State is officially a Christian State I have now required every act to produce official documents? C'mon man you do not need to twist it to suit your needs.

Ok I agree that request was specific. But I had never seen it before on NL.
I have seen people discredit a source (eg some will say Sahara reporters is not credible) but to demand that I bypass a major newspaper and bring supporting evidence is novel really

tpia@:

if she decides she doesnt want to remain under his authority, then she can choose the option she's choosing now and bear with the consequences as they come.

My problem is the drama that has attended this matter. She claims she converted to Islam. But I don't know the facts
Was she kidnapped as the CAN president alleges? Has a police report being made? Kidnap is a serious issue
Or did she convert and her father, given the potential embarrassment/loss of face, is threatening her
I can hazard a guess that an overbearing dad might whisk such a daughter to a village and put her through a lot of mental torture. That and more are still possible in Nigeria

tpia@:

a muslim woman is free to wear whatever she likes @ 30 when she supports herself, people can give their opinion [same way she gives her opinions on other peoples' issues], but their talking will not necessitate her running to an emir's palace.

Running to an emir palace is perhaps to avoid being forced to go back home and recant
Some parents demand ABSOLUTE obedience!

tpia@:

and neither does it mean she has to be on the warpath all the time because everybody isnt wearing a hijab.

I have seen threads where muslim sisters discuss the hijab and how to live with it.
Some don't use because of dress code at the office, pressure from parents not to
It is a big decision for them and I always see those using encouraging those who don't
But I hardly see the people using it on warpath with those who are trying to take that decision
that "all the time" is mot likely an exaggeration

For non-muslims, it would not make sense for a "hijabite" to war with them because they don't use hijab
But I know that people who don't use it can make comments/assumption/insinuations about hijab users that those at the receiving end would rightly consider provocative

BetaThings:
Ok I agree that request was specific. But I had never seen it before on NL.
I have seen people discredit a source (eg some will say Sahara reporters is not credible) but to demand that I bypass a major newspaper and bring supporting evidence is novel really

It may be novel but quite necessary as I can find no other supporting evidence for the declaration of a christian state in Plateau. I didn't even contest the accuracy of the report all I want is corroborating evidence.