Dubai-based social media influencer, Fiona James, who boasts a sizeable following of almost 800,000 on TikTok, has made a significant announcement during the holy month of Ramadan. Fiona, who now prefers to be addressed as Zainab, has officially converted to Islam with some help from her Pakistani friend and fellow Tiktoker.
Originally from the capital city of Manila in the Philipines, Zainab has been residing in the UAE for more than eight years. Her newfound faith was sparked by her fascination with the Adhan (call to prayer) from the mosques, which she often heard while living in Dubai.
In a ceremony held at the Islamic Information Centre in Satwa, Zainab embraced Islam during the first week of Ramadan. Her conversion has since sparked a buzz on traditional and social media alike.
“When I heard the azan, I felt calm and even memorized some parts of it. This made me curious about the religion," Zainab said in an interview with Khaleej Times.
The Tiktok influence is said to currently be taking online classes from the Islamic Information Centre to learn more about Islam and hopes to complete the course in one month. Additionally, Zainab is studying and memorizing smaller chapters of the Holy Quran.
Zainab said that her family is happy and supportive of her decision. “I feel very nice and very calm inside me. I embraced Islam on my own. No one forced me to accept this religion,” she added.
Zainab's Pakistani friend Salman, who is also a TikToker with two million followers, helped her learn about Islam. The two friends have created several videos together for the social media platform.
“We are friends for five years. In Islam, one cannot be forced to embrace religion. Instead, it’s all about getting the right information and meeting the right people. Sometimes we used to discuss it also as she used to ask me questions time and again. I believe this encouraged her to come into the fold of Islam,” said Salman.
Zainab's followers were thrilled and supportive of her decision. "They were very happy and very supportive of my decision," she said.
A certificate of her new faith has also been issued to Zainab from the Islamic Information Centre in Satwa, which provides information about Islam and offers classes to those interested in learning more about the religion.
