A Jewish lawyer, Siebert-Llera who converted to Islam after the 9/11 attacks says he has found 'a house where he can place all his morals'.

"I felt like I finally found a house where I can place all my morals, my ideals," says Siebert-Llera, who was a wallflower at nightclubs and shunned alcohol, which is prohibited by Islam, even when working the front door at a blues club while in college at San Francisco State University.

After Sept. 11, Siebert-Llera, who knew enough to differentiate between the Islamic extremists who hijacked the planes and the majority of practicing Muslims, decided to know more about Islam.

He bought a copy of Quran and just skimmed through the pages. He did not find the passages that some said advocated terrorism.

Two years later in Chicago, he met a young Mexican-American woman at Loyola, where he had been pursuing his graduate studies.
One day, she walked into class with a hijab. She had converted to Islam.

"I definitely saw a change in her as far as comfort and general level of happiness. She was at ease with her life," says Siebert-Llera, of Orland Park.

A few weeks later, Siebert-Llera accompanied his friend to the Mosque Foundation in Bridgeview where he asked questions about Islam and was impressed with what he learned about it.

He realized that Islam isn't just about going to services. It's an all-encompassing primer on the kind of disciplined life, Siebert-Llera craved.
He called his parents and older sister, Andrea, on Oct. 6, 2004. He converted the next day.

He grew a beard, based on the Sunnah or actions of the Prophet Muhammad. He started fasting during Ramadan and praying the five daily prayers. A year after converting, he met Huda, a fellow law student, Syrian-American and devout Muslim woman, and they married in 2005.

DT/DT