A Japanese Female Teacher’s Journey to Conversion

Saki Takao, 26, is taking one of the most important steps in her life, about to make a life-changing choice, as she chooses a kimono of her choice, with her mother by her side.

When asked why she chose to wear a traditional kimono when she converted to Islam, she said that although she chose to call herself a Muslim, she would not forget her Japanese identity. She decided to wear the kimono to recite the halal words that represent her conversion to the Islamic faith.

On November 25th of last year, after a long period of reflection and study, Ms. Shoko decided to convert to Islam on her 26th birthday. Ms. Xiangzi, a high school teacher, was accompanied by 15 friends and family members at her home and recited the halal words in Arabic to the effect of “I testify that there is no God but Allah, and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.” In this way, Ms. Xiangzi completed the whole ceremony and officially became a Muslim.

Ms. Xiangzi’s journey to conversion was a thorny one, and she encountered many challenges, but in the end she succeeded in waiting for this day.

According to experts, the number of Japanese people converting to Islam is increasing year by year, mostly due to marriage, but also due to the desire for Islamic faith.

Takao Shoko, a native Japanese, studied at Osaka Women’s College University. During her junior year, she traveled to Taiwan for six months as part of the school’s exchange program.

During this time, she became friends with a male student from Turkmenistan at an international student gathering. Despite the vast cultural differences between them, Takao found him easy to talk to. They talked in English and soon became very close, sometimes going out together.

About a month after they met, Takao suggested taking his friends out for sukiyaki, but the friend from Turkmenistan said he couldn’t eat the dish because the soup contained alcohol.

It was only then that Takao realized that her friend was a Muslim, as Muslims are forbidden to drink alcohol in Islam. Takao then felt that her friend was “scary” because the words “Islam” and “Muslim” immediately reminded her of the extremist organization Islamic State and terrorism.

Takao was so scared that she wanted to run away, and she never contacted or spoke to him again.

After returning to Japan from her exchange program, she began to feel ashamed of her childish behavior.

Takao studied international affairs and English at university, with a focus on intercultural communication, and thought she was highly tolerant of different cultures.

Overcoming Negative Stereotypes

After returning to Japan, Takao Shoko would always think of her Muslim friend from Turkmenistan. She began to reflect on how she had deliberately distanced herself from him because of his Muslim identity, and even began to feel shame, a shame that tormented her and ultimately fueled her desire to try to understand Islam.

Islam is one of the world’s three major religions, and Muslims make up a quarter of the world’s population. Shoko Takao remembers, “I worked hard to learn English, and it would have been a huge waste if I hadn’t made good use of it to communicate deeply or build friendships with different people around the world.”

Two years later, in the summer of 2019, she embarked on a solo “Muslim tour” to Turkey, Indonesia, and other countries with the world’s largest Muslim populations.

Along the way, Takao met many kind people, including a young man who shared bread with her on a bus, and a Muslim woman who let her stay in her home for a few days for free.

All of these interactions with Muphoslim gradually weakened Takao’s resistance and hostility to Muslims and Islam, and ultimately gave her the idea of learning more about Muslims and their beliefs.

After returning to Japan, Takao soon made friends with a Muslim student at the university, and they talked about life and faith. After graduation, Takao began working as an English teacher at a high school in Osaka.

The Beginning of Faith

Takao attempted to explore Islam with her students in her English classes, and quickly realized that her students’ perceptions of Islam and Muslims were much the same as her own, associating the religion with “terrorism.

As it turned out, the negative image of a small group of extremists seemed to overshadow everything else,” says Takao. “I saw in my students who I once was, who had nothing but hostility and prejudice against Islam.”

In her spare time, Takao Shoko began to visit a nearby mosque regularly, hoping to learn more about the Islamic faith. She visited the mosque almost every week and began to try halal meals that conformed to the requirements of the Islamic faith, avoiding alcohol and pork. She even began to experience Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting between dawn and sunset in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and was surprised at how relaxing it made her feel.

Before studying Islam, one of her biggest misconceptions about the country was the rumored inequality between men and women in Islam. However, after she became a full-time teacher in the field of education, she began to feel a deep sense of unease about this “top-down imposition of gender equality”. In the workplace, the spirit of equality between men and women is carried through to the fullest extent. Under this concept, men and women are given the same amount of work, regardless of their physical strength or working ability; she is treated equally, but she is physically and mentally exhausted, and she always feels overwhelmed.

According to the standards of the Islamic faith, there is a clear distinction between men and women. First of all, the physical differences between men and women are undeniable, which makes her think that the Islamic faith has achieved equal treatment and respect for men and women in a unique way, and this different concept of equality resonates with her and causes her to think about it.

As she learned more and more about the Islamic faith, Takao even developed a desire to convert to Islam.

So, Takao Shoko revealed her thoughts to her family. Like families all over Japan, her family practiced Buddhism and celebrated Christmas; in short, she lived in a typical Japanese family.

Her mother wept when she heard of her daughter’s wish to convert to Islam and said she regretted that they would not be able to enjoy pork dishes and wine together, but she was not opposed to her daughter’s idea.

Shoko’s father, on the other hand, warns his daughter that a new convert will only see the good in her religion, and he warns her to be prepared for the “negative aspects” of her conversion to Islam that she will not be able to understand. He told his daughter, “If you are prepared for that to happen, all you have to do is to keep learning and thinking about your faith after you accept the Islamic faith”.

His father’s heartfelt words were a great encouragement to Takao Shoko.

In April 2022, Takao decided to convert to Islam. Takao said that he had never felt more relaxed when he made this decision.

However, as the date of his formal conversion approached, Takao’s inner tension grew. The night before her conversion, Takao had trouble sleeping. Although she went to bed early, she had nightmares and woke up in the middle of the night. The next day, she found out that she was infected with the New Crown Pneumonia Virus.

Thinking that the time was not yet ripe, Takao canceled her conversion program that day.

Shortly afterward, a friend introduced her to a Muslim man from Malaysia. They communicated in Japanese and English, and Takao was soon attracted to his kind, generous and cheerful personality.

Although Takao was confused by the rule that Muslims are not allowed to date before marriage, she knew instinctively that this man was the one. The Islamic faith requires that a Muslim man and woman must not enter into an intimate relationship until after they are married. She had been discouraged from converting to Islam because she had witnessed the coldness, discrimination and prejudice suffered by too many Muslims, but after meeting this Malay man, her anxiety and uncertainty about the possibility of conversion gradually dissipated.

It was a life-changing decision that meant a lot to me,” said Takao. I had been thinking about converting to Islam for a long time, but had been hesitant to do so, and I realized that even though I might regret it in the future, I should be brave enough to take this step.”

Finally, on her 26th birthday, Takao recited halal in front of her boyfriend, family and friends. To overcome her nervousness, she practiced the chant over and over again.

After reciting the Chant, Takao was relieved when her boyfriend smiled and asked her, “Will you marry me?” Takao looked into his eyes and nodded with a smile.

Takao Shoko said that from now on, she would have to think seriously about things from an objective point of view. Interestingly, as a new Muslim, Takao says she is not satisfied with all the Islamic teachings, the main one being that Muslim women are not allowed to perform daily prayers during menstruation. I know it’s strange to wonder, but it’s only strange because I’m new to the Islamic faith,” she said. From now on, I hope to keep this feeling fresh in mind for the rest of my faith journey.”