Revert Story of a French Singer
I Walked 1000 Km To Find God! – Revert Story of a French Singer
Foreign Meditation in a Mosque? I tried many types of spirituality, like a Nike shamanese, and I thought Islam was not a religion for me.
About Julien Drolon?
I was born in Catholic Family all my life and I wanted to become priest when I was young. Then slowly I started to discover about Islam.
How was your life in regards to faith?
I was a Christian because my family baptized me when I was two years old, but then I tried many types of spirituality, including Buddhism, and then I started to question my beliefs.
What was the thing that made you question your beliefs?
After a couple of years in the Philippines, I was walking 1000 kilometers from the border of Spain towards the west coast of Spain to try to reflect about God. I met a lot of Christians along the way, and I believe that walking was part of the process.
At the end of your journey, how did you feel? Could you find God, really?
After walking 1000 kilometer I thought I was becoming more holy, but a Brazilian guy insulted me and I felt bad because I just walked 1000 kilometer.
When did you first hear about Islam?
The first time I heard about Islam was from a taxi driver in Abu Dhabi who started to play the radio and started to preach to me about Islam. I told him hold on a minute you know nobody’s going to Hellfire.
What was the thing that affected you the most before you became Muslim?
The thing that affected me the most before I became Muslim was living in the soft part of the world, because 90 of the Muslim world is in the South. The Azan was going on in most of the countries that I visited and it always made an impact on me.
How were you convinced that Islam is 100% true?
There are two reasons why I believe that Islam is 100 true: One is because the Quran is the word of God and I realized that a lot of things that have been said in the Quran has been discovered only now or a few decades ago.
So how did you feel when you took your shahada?
When you take your shadow, you feel like a billion dollar. Your family and friends react to your conversion.
How did your family and the people around you react to your conversion?
I knew becoming a Muslim wasn’t going to be good news for my family, but my mother changed her mind after realizing I became a better person.
After becoming a muslim, did you have difficulties in praying five times a day and fasting other practices of Islam?
After becoming Muslim, it took me a month to pray five times a day. I never really gave up this practice and I always try to pray five times a day.
What are the differences between meditation and prayer, and how did you feel?
The main difference between meditation and prayer is that in Muslim meditation you try to reflect on life on Allah and fill up your mind with goodness and good thoughts towards Allah and try to connect whereas in Buddhist Meditation you try to empty your mind.
Did someone become Muslim after your shahada?
A few people became Muslim after I took my Shahada, the best story is my Japanese friend cocky who became Muslim after I told him he was going to lose more money if he didn’t accept Islam.
Do you think you would be able to find Islam if you didn’t travel that much?
Because of my life I traveled to 50 countries, spoke four languages and realized the legacy of Islam. I want to be part of this legacy.
What kind of projects are you doing right now?
Right now we are focusing with Alice Media on a documentary film about Prophet Muhammad. We are inviting converts from 40 countries to give us some interview to talk about how the Prophet Muhammad impacted each convert in a different way.
And finally, what would you like to add as your final comments?
We are about to go through difficult times, but we should never lose hope because we have the best Prophet of the entire world, the Most Beloved of Allah.