“Don’t tell us about Islam. It’s a bad religion. It kills people in the Middle East.” That was the harsh wall of hostility that iERA Uganda’s outreach specialists ran into when they encountered Ivan, 18, and Amos, 19. The two youths were vocal, skeptical, and armed with the heavy misconceptions they had been taught about Muslims and terrorism.
Instead of getting defensive or meeting anger with anger, the Duats did what Islam truly teaches: they responded with gentleness, patience, and profound compassion.
The outreach specialists calmly sat down with the two teenagers. They gently explained that the atrocities committed by individuals in the Middle East or anywhere else in the world are a reflection of human flaw, not Islamic law.
“Islam teaches peace and good character,” the Duats argued. “It does not condone rudeness, nor does it support terrorism. A person’s individual actions do not represent the entire religion.”
Stepping away from the media headlines, the Duats pivoted to the core message of Islam: Tawheed (the absolute Oneness of God) and the logical truthfulness of the faith.
As the explanations unfolded, a shift happened. The defensive expressions on Ivan and Amos’s faces softened into realization. The truth resonated with them in a way they never expected.
“Islam isn’t what we knew,” they admitted. “It isn’t what we were taught.”
Having finally heard the true message stripped of propaganda, the two youths didn’t just change their minds—they chose to change their lives. Overwhelmed by the beauty of what they had just learned, both Ivan and Amos freely accepted Islam right then and there.
Today, they walk a new path under new names. Ivan has become Adam, and Amos is now Sharif.
This incredible encounter proved once again that when falsehood is confronted with gentle truth and beautiful character, hearts will always yield to the light.
