WILAYAH NEWS VOICE OF THE GLOBAL AWAKENING
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**In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful**
**Dedication**
To the sacred personalities and the pure souls of all the prophets and messengers—from Adam (peace be upon him) to the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family)—and to their chosen successors and devoted saints; upon them be the best of prayers and peace.
To their rightful successors: the righteous scholars who act upon their knowledge and who are entrusted with safeguarding the religion.
To all the martyrs who sacrificed their lives so that the word of truth might prevail, and who watered the tree of religion and faith with their pure blood throughout the ages.
To every person who possesses a living conscience, rejects blind imitation, and allows reason alone to judge in the search for truth and reality.
Ali al‑Sheikh
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**Introduction – A Brief Account of My Life and My Guidance**
I was born and raised in the city of Baghdad, in a committed Christian family that deeply believed in and followed the teachings of the Church. Therefore, it was natural for me to follow the path of my fathers and forefathers.
In the early days of my life, I underwent the baptism ceremony (1) in the church like other children. At the age of seven, my father sent me to receive Communion (2). That period was one of the beautiful times in my life.
(1) **Baptism**: a ritual washing with water symbolizing purity. Christians believe that Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) adopted this rite and made it an obligation in the Christian Church. Baptism with water in the name of the Holy Trinity is regarded as a sign of purification from sin and impurity and as an official entry into the Church of Christ (peace be upon him).
(2) **Communion**: In our Eastern Church—especially in Baghdad—it is customary that when a child reaches the age of seven, and in order to instill Christian teachings firmly in the child’s mind, he is sent to the church during the summer holiday for a period ranging from three weeks to a month to learn prayers, certain rituals, and religious hymns.
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During that time I learned many things. The spiritual atmosphere of the church, along with the encouragement and support of the family—and, in addition, a child’s natural love of learning and recognition—all helped in shaping the Christian character of the child. I do not exaggerate when I say that the memories of that period are still vivid in my mind. Even now I still remember some of the rituals and religious hymns that I learned during that time.
As I grew older and stronger, these beliefs and teachings became firmly rooted within me. I practiced religious rituals such as prayer and fasting and regularly attended church, especially the **Grand Mass** on Sunday afternoons. I also learned how to declare repentance and seek forgiveness from the Lord by confessing before the priest in the church.
The priest would sit inside a small wooden room no larger than one square meter. It had a single door covered with a curtain containing two small openings in the middle—one for men and the other for women. We would sit before the priest and confess our sins to him. He would instruct us not to return to those sins and would require us to recite certain prayers and hymns for the forgiveness of those sins.
My love for Christianity grew even stronger when my father sent my younger brother to the **monastery** (1) to pursue religious studies so that he might become a **priest**.
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My brother would come home only once a year and stay for a short period. Because of this, my father would sometimes send me to visit him at the monastery. There I witnessed the spiritual atmosphere that prevailed in that place, leaving a deep spiritual impression on me.
I would ask my brother about his studies and the subjects they were learning. He would speak to me about many matters that I could not understand at the time. I must admit that deep down I envied him for the life he lived—withdrawn from people and worldly distractions.
When I passed the age of twenty, these beliefs became even more deeply rooted in me—but unfortunately not through awareness or investigation. Rather, it was through blind imitation and the acceptance of all church teachings as unquestionably correct, assuming them to be the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ (peace be upon him).
It never once occurred to me to research or investigate these beliefs. Perhaps I cannot be blamed for this, because I saw most people around me in the same state. Being preoccupied and immersed in material and worldly life had confined thought and reason to a single direction: thinking only about securing the means for a comfortable life in this world.
As for the Hereafter, religion, worship, and beliefs, they were nothing more than inherited customs and traditions from our fathers and forefathers, which we practiced merely out of imitation. Even attending church was not for the purpose of properly learning Christian doctrines, but simply to perform the rituals prescribed by the church, to declare repentance, and to seek forgiveness—or, at best, to listen to some moral advice and guidance.
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One of the most important beliefs I strongly held was that **Christianity alone was the true religion**, and that all other religions were myths and falsehoods. Judaism was considered false because the Jews did not follow the Savior, Jesus Christ (peace be upon him), and therefore deserved God’s anger. Muslims were viewed in the same way.
Accordingly, anyone who was not a Christian would not enter Paradise no matter what they did. Meanwhile, a Christian who believed in Jesus Christ (peace be upon him), loved him, and followed him would inevitably enter Paradise regardless of his deeds, because his sins and transgressions had been forgiven through Christ (peace be upon him).
The image my father held about Islam and Muslims was extremely negative. Whenever the subject of Islam or Muslims came up, he would describe them in a very bad way. He would recount stories and tales that portrayed the character of the Noble Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) in a negative manner.
He would tell us that Muslims insult Jesus Christ (peace be upon him)—whom he considered the Son of God—and his mother, that they deny them and mock them. I remember that whenever the Qur’an was recited on television, my father would order us… (10)
