The driver of the car, reportedly a minor, has been apprehended
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This year, Filipina national Sumaiya Cabuhat celebrated ten years of being a Muslim, which means she has been fasting during the holy month for ten years. The Sharjah resident and employee of the Malaysian Consulate in Dubai, Sumaiya breaks into tears of gratefulness while speaking about the overwhelming acceptance she has received from the Muslim community after her conversion in 2008.
Speaking about her first Ramadan, Sumaiya said: "My first Ramadan was the best. I fasted religiously, and I understood the true essence of the holy month. Every minute I spent fasting, praying, and reading the Quran was a wonderful experience."
She is now married to Sri Lankan national Mohamed Azar, and the couple live in Sharjah with his daughter and aged mother. She said: "Allah gave me everything I have today. If I had remained in my past religion, I wouldn't be blessed with such a loving family, friends, and support."
Sumaiya, whose former name was Elma, has been living in the UAE for 20 years and was a Christian before she converted to Islam. "I moved here after my graduation, and I was working in a restaurant in Sharjah. I began learning more about Islam in a bid to defend my previous religion," she explained.
As she learnt more about Islam, she realised it was the best religion in the world. "It is not something you can learn overnight or something you practice once a week. It is life-long devotion, and it talks about every aspect of life," she said. Over the several months she spent studying Islam, she realised that deep down in her heart, she was always a Muslim.
"When I moved here, I lived with my parents. I told my mother that I'd decided to convert. She was very supportive of my decision, and one fine day, I went home after I'd transformed," she added. "My mother said I'd become a better person since I'd embraced Islam," she said.
Initially, her father and sister were sceptical and upset at her decision, according to Sumaiya. "They thought it was a fad and I would get over it. But in three years, I didn't falter in my prayers even once. However, by the time my father retired, he was very proud of me and had embraced me for who I am," she said.
"Filipinos are known to be free-spirited and open people. When other members of our society would see us together as a family, they would ask, 'Oh, your daughter is a Muslim', and my father would proudly answer 'yes', and stand right next to me," she added.
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