God had plans for me. I was born in a small town in Algeria and into a family of six Children. France occupied my native country. My Parents were unschooled and Muslims. So, I was a Muslim by birth. I was told that as an infant, I was so sick the doctor gave me two days to live but God had other plans for me. No, I did not die. At a very young age, my parents enrolled me in a religious school where I learned to memorize The Koran. As a fami…

From Beirut to Boston! Born and raised in Beirut Lebanon until the age of 15, I was raised in a very strict Catholic family and attended both Catholic elementary and high schools. As a result, I had a deep religious conviction based on my self-righteousness (pleasing God by my works). I was heavily involved in worshipping the saints and Mary and yes I served as an altar boy. During the civil war that raged Lebanon from the years 1975 to 1978, m…

A Doctor Meets the Great Physician My head ached and felt heavy on my shoulders as I struggled to wake up and to focus. I wondered how I had ever gotten home alive from the drunken revelry of the night before. During the day, I worked on my residency at Universite Saint Joseph, one of the finest medical colleges in Beirut, Lebanon. Each night I drank and caroused with women. Born in the Republic of Lebanon, I attended church-affiliated schoo…

The Story of M A Gabriel The former professor of Islamic history at Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt Disillusioned at Al-Azhar Fifteen years ago I was the imam of a mosque in the city of Giza, Egypt, which is where the famous Egyptian pyramids are located. (Imam of a mosque is a position similar to pastor of a Christian church.) I preached the message of the week on Fridays from 12 to 1 in the afternoon, as well as performed other duties. On…