JEDDAH – A jail term in Saudi has turned to be the best thing that has happened in the life of a Hindu man who was imprisoned for giving bribery, for it helped him discover Islam, embrace it, and perform hajj.

“I thought Muslims persecute any non-Muslim but I was wrong. I have been treated kindly and with respect in the prison despite the fact that I was a Hindu,” the prisoner, who requested anonymity, told Saudi Gazette on Friday, September 16.

“Nobody disrespected Hinduism. I started attending the classes given by Muslim scholars and found myself getting drawn to Islam.

“I enjoyed listening to the Holy Qur’an, which talks to the mind and soul and calls for good morals and ethics. Islam is the natural religion of human beings and I truly believe that,” he added.

Taking the decision to revert to Islam, he was offered a small party by prisoners and officers in which he was showered with Islamic books and gifts, Director of Makkah Prison, Maj. Gen. Abdullah Al-Maqati, said.

Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, adviser to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, emir of Makkah region and chairman of the Central Hajj Committee, issued orders to allow the Indian prisoner to perform Hajj this year.

“We have a program for non-Muslims in which a number of scholars give religious lessons explaining the true meaning of Islam and the Holy Qur’an and leaving the option of embracing Islam to the prisoner himself. Nobody is forced to become a Muslim,” Al-Maqati stressed.