Islam4You to host hike to help Muslim reverts integrate into the Muslim community – Photo Islam4You
Muslim reverts seeking a sense of community have been invited to participate in a series of group activities scheduled over the course of 2022 and hosted by the Islam4You organisation, starting with a hike this weekend.
Following the successful “Retreat 2021” event, hosted in December 2021, Islam4You has responded to calls for meetups and spiritually uplifting programmes by forming “Revert Support by Islam4You”, which will prepare meetup and social activities for Muslim reverts.
Ahmed Bhyat, a member of Islam4You, said the organisation will host such activities with the objective of “bridging the gap” and providing reverts an opportunity to meet like-minded individuals.
“Sometimes, what we find is the men attend the masjid, the masjid is full; and because everyone else is blended into the system they [reverts] don’t know who to really meet up with. Here, they’re meeting people who are on the same journey [and] experiencing the same challenges and it’s meant to create brotherhood,” he said.
According to the organisation’s website, the idea is for “Muslims who are new on the journey of Islam to meet, share some light moments and take inspiration from the advice and company of our male and female Islamic Scholars”.
Bhyat stressed the importance of supporting and encouraging reverts on their journey. “Everybody requires support; everybody requires a system to assist a person in any particular journey and when it comes to reverts, many are going through tremendous challenges. We need to be there to support them. We all need constant encouragement, that’s what we need, constant encouragement, constant love from the community. Most of the time, more than any advice or any teaching, a person needs support and love,” he said.
The next event will take place on Sunday, 13 February (males) and Sunday, 20 February (females) at the Klipriviersburg Nature Reserve near Johannesburg. Attendees will be given the option to embark on either a 3km or 6km hike and may register on the website.
Maryam Mkwanda spoke to Ahmed Bhyat from Islam4You. Listen to the full discussion here:
