gives me the spiritual balance Respect Works Here I never had or understood. ~ William Saleh Community Champion

As a member of Vernon’s Interfaith “One of the brothers called to prayer. It His life is peaceful and fulfilled. As an Bridging, Muhammad William Saleh is was just dusk, with the sun going down. apprentice aircraft maintenance a representative of the Vernon Muslim It was very beautiful and almost surreal. I engineer, his career is taking flight and Association, and works to fulfill remember it brought tears to my eyes,” as father to “light of my life” two-year - Interfaith’s mission of contributing to he says. “I didn’t understand it because old Aaminah and second daughter, world peace by promoting it was in , but it was so emotional Zaynab born in May, Muhammad knows understanding and acceptance of all for me. I looked at the people, everyone how to find the balance for his family faiths and beliefs in the community. so different and yet in the prayer, life thanks to the teachings of Islam. Hearing Muhammad William speak everyone is the same.” “It gives me the spiritual balance I never about Islam, you feel his passion. From “It gave me such a sense of unity and had or understood,” he says. “I never the depth of his knowledge, you have what I had been looking for in my life.” before had such a sense of belonging. I the sense that he has been steeped in longed for that group of people that, no Muslim traditions and culture for a That sense of rightness, of belonging matter what, would be there for me. lifetime. The reality is that Muhammad only increased as he joined one of the Certainly, I have found that with Islam. grew up not following any formal groups of travelling missionaries, and are so accepting, so inviting, so religion. became more enmeshed in the open and hospitable.” teachings of Islam. In his early twenties, he started to question the chaos that seemed ever “It all made sense to me,” says present in his life. As he sought answers Muhammad. “Islam is not really a and peace, he met a Muslim co-worker religion. It’s a way of life. It encompasses whose perspective opened his eyes to everything. There is guidance for me, to what Islam was really about. As he live my day to day life, to bring peace discovered and learned more, he into it, to be successful, and happy. realized that the perceptions he had When I saw that, it answered all my learned through the media in the post questions.” 9/11 world, were in stark contrast to It was during his travels as a missionary reality. that Muhammad’s beliefs really took Muhammad was invited by his co- root, and he felt he made the spiritual worker’s father to attend a meeting with conversion. He came home and missionaries, who travel to share the completed the circle where he had teachings of Islam and strengthen the started his journey: with the co-worker faith of Muslims. At the meeting’s who had encouraged him to seek evening prayer, he was so moved by the answers in Islam, and who would now power of the moment that crystallised become his wife Sana. for him -- he was on the right path.