The Journey of a Japanese Teacher to Islam
Translator: Bi’ Dünya Haber
In everyone’s life, there are certain turning points. In those moments, making a decision is so difficult that we seek refuge in our Lord and ask for His help to guide our search in the most beautiful and righteous way. In this article, we will talk about the conversion story of a Japanese teacher, which is one of the most beautiful examples of seeking and finding refuge.
Japanese teacher Saki Takao embraced Islam on her 26th birthday in the presence of her family and friends. The process of deciding to become a Muslim, which was crowned with a simple celebration, was quite challenging for Takao. But seeking the ease that comes after difficulty is indeed the true virtue.
Born and raised in Japan, Takao went to Taiwan while she was in her third year at Osaka Jogakuin University. There, she met a Muslim from Turkmenistan. While they communicated very well in English, Takao decided to cut off contact when she learned that he was a Muslim. When she returned to Japan to study international relations and English, she felt deeply ashamed of her behavior towards her friend just because he was a Muslim. Two years later, in the summer of 2019, she embarked on a solo journey to Turkey and Indonesia to meet Muslims and learn more about Islam. During this trip, she met many wonderful people who inspired her to further explore Islam. She started visiting a local mosque more frequently to learn more about Islam. She ate halal food and even attempted to observe fasting during Ramadan. After all this research and practice, she decided to embrace Islam. After graduating, Takao started working as an English teacher in a high school, and in one of her classes, she noticed that her students associated Islam with terrorism.
A limited number of negative impressions overshadow the truth. My students were like my old self.
Adding that it is not easy to be a Muslim in Japan, we embrace Saki Takao as our sister in Turkey and pray that her heart remains firm in faith so that she can reach many people there. May peace be upon you…
