"To be fair in my search, I read two or three books about Islam. But they had been written by Orientalists. I used to think that Islam was a terrorist religion and that it was believed by crazy people. But even as I was searching for the truth, Islam was the thing that was closest to it."
"When I was 17 or 18 years old, I went to Australia as an exchange student. While I was there, I met an Egyptian woman. She was my classmate. She was the first Muslim woman I had ever met."
"The brother of this Egyptian woman was very interested in my knowledge, and he wanted to convince me with scientific miracles, but what I was seeking was something spiritual. As you know, Japanese people are readers. They read everywhere. That was a failed attempt to convince me, but her father, may Allah reward him, gave me a copy of the Holy Qur'an translated into English. He told me to read this book by myself and to think for myself. That motivated me to respect him as a young man. I was only 18 years old. That's what inspired me."
"In 1993, the Malcolm X film was shown to the public. The film about him, about his life. I found a T-shirt with an image of his face on it. I saw it for the first time. I took it without knowing what he had done or what his character was. After returning to Japan, I bought the video and watched this film. I was very impressed by him."
"When Malcolm X was in prison, his older brother told him: 'If you take one step toward Allah, He will take two steps toward you.' It was at that moment I was impressed in my heart by these words. This word, as you know, is a sacred hadith: '...and if he comes to Me walking, I will come to him running.' Because I was in that situation, because I wanted to draw near to Allah with all my heart."
"When I saw the Hajj scene, when Malcolm X performed the Hajj, I was shocked because he was sitting with a man, a white man who hated the Qur'an very much and who knew the reality of Islam. I asked myself: Is there a place in our world, other than this place, where so many people gather? For what purpose? What is the goal? What is the goal? And they do one thing for the love of Allah. They come from all distant places to say the name of Allah. There are many places where so many people gather, for what purpose? To have fun! I was very impressed by this. This was the final element that encouraged me to take the final step, to become Muslim."
"After seeing this great scene of the Hajj, I was convinced. I was afraid of the future. First, belonging to a religion is a weakness in Japan. Yes, the conclusion I reached was that converting to Islam is not a bad thing but a beautiful thing. Because I thought that if I converted to Islam, I might have to tell people: Excuse me! I am Muslim."
"Belonging to Islam is not belonging to a group. It is belonging to the Lord of the universe, the Lord of the worlds. Alhamdulillah, that night I prayed, not in the right way but in the way I had seen in Malcolm X. I made my first prostration. Alhamdulillah, I felt as if light ran from beneath my feet to the top of my head. After that, I left my house to make an international call. I called this sister and her family, her father, her brother. I said the words of the Shahada. I asked them to choose a name for me. They chose one, and Alhamdulillah, I chose Ahmad."
