Aryel Lanes, a 30-year-old born into a Catholic family in Brazil, experienced a life-changing moment through someone he met online.
Despite growing up in a predominantly Protestant environment, and with his father being a Catholic church official, Lanes began questioning his faith during adolescence, finding no satisfactory answers.
Lanes connected with a person from Saudi Arabia online, whose descriptions of Islam sparked his interest. Driven by curiosity, Lanes started researching Islam. He first tried fasting and learned how to perform prayers through online videos. After six years of research, Lanes decided to convert to Islam.
While his mother reacted negatively, his father acknowledged Lanes' freedom to choose his own path. Lacking a Muslim community in his area, Lanes traveled to Egypt to experience prayers and fasting with local Muslims.
Lanes then moved to Türkiye, changing his name to Abdülmecid. He now dedicates his free time to explaining Islam to tourists in mosques, aiming to dispel Western misconceptions about the religion. Abdülmecid continues to inspire others by sharing his story of how the internet transformed his life and led him to Islam.
