Dr. John Andrew Marrow stated that his early study and exposure to various religions paved the way for him to find the true religion, while explaining that the issue of the fear of Islam is an artificial one.

“Since I was ten years old, I have been searching for the truth about the issue of religions, and I started studying almost all religions. I read the Bible, the Old and New Testaments, and I became acquainted with Christianity, Islam, as well as Buddhism comprehensively, and after this long journey I was convinced that it was best for me to be a Muslim,” Marrow said in an interview with the International Media Center.

The Canadian convert explained, "You may find that some people embrace a certain religion because they are influenced by a topic or an event, and their life changes accordingly, but the matter is different for me, as I believed in the existence of God and this is what helped me to convert to Islam after extensive familiarity with this religion."

In regards to the obstacles he faced, Marrow said, "As for the problem that I faced, it was the small number of Muslims in Canada during the eighties of the last century, as this matter was a major obstacle because I needed to communicate with people who embrace the religion to which I belong, so my conversion to Islam was not through people, but through searching and studying the books that I used to reach the truth.”

When asked about the campaigns carried out by some parties to distort the image of Islam, Marrow indicated that "There are many things that we must work on to consolidate the noble image of Islam and keep the specter of distortion away from its tolerant principles, and there are also obstacles in this way, for example the massive pilgrimage of Arbaeen, you find that the international media outlets have turned a blind eye to the largest peaceful Islamic gathering, representing many Arab and foreign communities, where 20 million people gather in a country that has been exhausted by wars and does not have the appropriate infrastructure to receive that huge number at one time, with hardly any accidents. On the other hand, during the Hajj season in Saudi Arabia, which is one of the richest countries in the world, there are no more than two or three million pilgrims and accidents have claimed dozens of lives. The reason is that the gathering in Karbala is based on self-organization, brotherhood, love, tolerance, solidarity and cooperation, and this is the great humanitarian message of the Islamic religion.”

The academic and author added, “The effective way to consolidate the principles of Islam is to speak to the world through our actions and not through theories. It is important for the world to see what we are doing for the sake of a free, decent and just life. It is also important to work on consolidating the foundations of peaceful coexistence between the religions of society, whether Muslim or Christian.”

The Canadian convert concluded by saying, “I think that the issue of the fear of Islam is an artificial one, and rules and foundations have been laid down for its success and huge sums of money have been spent on this matter. Indeed, there are large parties seeking to popularize this idea, in order to facilitate the exploitation of peoples and the seizure of their wealth under the pretext of ‘instability’. In general, the rational people know that Islam is a religion of tolerance and coexistence, and so is Christianity. Therefore, we must establish the correct principles to ensure the preservation of our principles and our humanity."

Dr. John Andrew Morrow is a religious scholar, academic, and activist. He is the author of a wide body of works in the field of Islamic studies, the most critically-acclaimed of which is ‘The Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of the World’.