Mucahit Oktay NEW YORK A 60-year-old American woman has become Muslim after being influenced by Resurrection: Ertugrul, a popular Turkish TV series. The Wisconsin resident chose the name of “Khadija” after her conversion to Islam and told Anadolu Agency that she came across Resurrection: Ertugrul while browsing Netflix. “I looked into it, the details about it. So I started watching,” said Khadija, adding she was really interested in Islam after watching a few episodes. “It was a history that I knew nothing about,” she said of the series. Stressing that the dialogues of Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi gave a new meaning to her life, she said his words made her think a lot and sometimes cry. She watched all episodes four times and started watching for the fifth time. The series had a great impact on her orientation to Islam, she said. “I like learning new history. It was an eye-opener to what I did know … about religion and tried to look for more into,” she added. She said her curiosity in history connected her to the series and after watching the series she met Islam. Although she was a Baptist Catholic, all the question marks in her head were cleared and she eventually became more interested in Islam, she said. Noting that she read the Muslim holy book of Quran in English to learn more about Islam, she explained the process after she decided to become a Muslim. After making a search for a mosque close to her area, she found one and went into it, where she said worshipers “were shocked to see” her. “I became Muslim right that day,” she said. Stressing that she encountered unexpected reactions from her friends when she said she became Muslim, Khadija said they believed that she was brainwashed. “I no longer discuss this issue with people. I do not interfere with their beliefs. They shouldn’t have any reason to interfere with me either,” she added. Khadija, a mother of six children, said that as time goes by, her kids see Khadija watching Turkish shows when they stop over and her youngest son was the one who figured out she became a Muslim. “But the others haven’t asked. They suspect but haven’t asked and I figured they will,” said Khadija. Often described as a Turkish Game of Thrones, Resurrection: Ertugrul tells the story before the establishment of the Ottoman Empire in 13th century Anatolia. It illustrates the struggle of Ertugrul Gazi, the father of the empire’s first leader. *Writing by Gozde Bayar
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