A Saudi female doctor in France has inspired a French professor and scientist to embrace Islam. Dr. Nebal Al-Anbar, with doctorate in Psychology and now pursuing her second Ph.D in Neuroscience, has been working in Paris for the past 10 years. A religious and practicing Muslim woman herself, Nebal does what she can in spreading Islamic awareness among her colleagues. “Whenever I get the time I try to hand out copies of verses of the Qur'an to my non-Muslim colleagues, who very often ask me questions with curiosity about the Islamic practices that I observe,” Dr. Nebal told Saudi Gazette. One of her French colleagues, Dr. Dardennes Roland (48), embraced Islam at a Da'wah center in downtown Batha while on a visit to Riyadh. Dardennes, professor of Psychiatry at University Paris Descartes, was a speaker at a recent medical conference organized by Prince Salman Center for Disability Research. Explaining his journey to Islam, Dr. Dardennes – now Shareef – said he had been reading stereotyped media coverage in French newspapers that mostly reported on the violent activities committed by extremists, who may have some political agenda. Biased media reporting gave a wrong perception about Islam because what people in France see were the actions, obviously perpetrated by a small group of radicals, which he said existed in all societies of the world. However, he said all that reporting meant nothing after he saw Dr. Nebal's strong faith in Islam, her practice and her behavior in everyday life. Nebal's deep faith and religious adherence, like not missing prayers even while at work, became a source of inspiration for the professor. Nebal further helped him understand the true meaning of Islam. Shareef said Islam in the West was portrayed mostly as a political movement devoid of spirituality but that was proved wrong by people like Dr. Nebal. “The Islamic way of life – the daily five-time prayers, recitation of Qur'an and fasting in the holy month of Ramadan – not only impressed me but also led me to embrace Islam,” he said. However, it was witnessing the Islamic way of life in Saudi Arabia that finally led him to embracing Islam. He was amazed with the humbleness and politeness with which people go out for congregational prayers. “I didn't imagine Muslims practice religion in everyday life, which is filled with spirituality and yet linked with day-to-day affairs of their lives. In fact, Islam is integrated, as reflected by Muslims' behavior, whether it comes to kinship or any other aspects of life,” he said. He said he did not have words to explain the feelings he had on the night before March 26 when he declared the Islamic testimony. His biggest concern was a false notion that before conversion to Islam it was necessary for a person learn the recitation of Qur'an, which was quickly cleared up to him. Born and brought up in a Christian family, Shareef says he will now try to discuss Islam with his parents and his two daughters, 15 and 12 years in age, the vision of Islam. Shareef's father is French, while mother a Japanese. One of the reasons why he chose the name Shareef was because of the similarity with the Japanese name ‘Masao' meaning, noble and dignified. Shareef's father has studied different religions and he says it will be easier for him to clear his father's misconceptions about Islam that it is a religion filled with mysteries and devoid of spirituality. His trip to Makkah was unique. He said he had seen many documentary films on pilgrimage to Ka'ba, but visiting in real was a total different experience. “Wherever you look in the Grand Mosque, everybody is engaged in prayers. In total serenity, the worshippers are either offering prayers or circumambulating the Ka'ba,” he said. “While near the Ka'ba I had an intense feeling that I was a drop in the sea of humanity,” he added.
