Filipino inmate converts to Islam after good treatment in prison

Abu Dhabi - The man to embrace Islam because the police and other Muslims treated him so well during their jail term.

A prison inmate in Abu Dhabi has converted to Islam thanks to the good treatment he received from prison staff.
The 30-year-old Filipino man, who is on trial for having an illegal affair with a Filipina woman, declared his conversion to the Islamic religion when he appeared at the Abu Dhabi Criminal Court of First Instance.
The man, formerly a Christian, told the judge that he decided to embrace Islam because the police and the Muslim prison guards treated him and other prisoners so well during their jail term.
The man said he has also got a chance to read a few books on the faith, learning about its values of tolerance that also encourages respect for humanity and good morals.
"I have willingly decided to embrace Islam with full conviction because of the good manners I have seen among Muslims," he noted.
"I have spent a few weeks in jail, but the prison guards have really treated me and my colleagues well and with kindness, something that made me happy. I have also learned about the teachings of Islam," he said.
Prosecutors charged the man with having an illegal affair after investigations revealed that he had sex with his girlfriend. In court, when asked if was pleading guilty to the charge or not, the man admitted to it, stressing that he wasn't aware that it was an offence as he was new to the country then.
"I was with my girlfriend. But I didn't know it is a crime in this country," said the Filpina. "I am asking for forgiveness. I won't repeat the offence."
 

• Abu Dhabi