Lifestyle

Madrid: Social media influencer Maryna Noor has opened up about her journey to Islam, describing it as a path guided by curiosity, reflection, and what she calls "pure hidaya" (divine guidance). In a personal account shared online, Maryna explained that her interest in Islam began unexpectedly during a holiday trip to France with her former boyfriend. According to Maryna, the turning point came after a night out in Cannes that left her questioning her lifestyle and searching for answers about faith. "I converted to Islam by pure hidaya," she said. "I was one day in France, having holiday time with my ex boyfriend. We were in Cannes and it was my last night there, I went with him to party, and we got very drunk during the night." Maryna explained. She said the evening included several moments she later documented through videos on her phone. "I even remember how I had a blackout after some point and I don’t remember a thing. But before that, I was recording everything in my phone: how we were kissing in public, dancing, going bare feet in a random fountain just to get some fresh water, playing music with some instruments that he got out of the bin on the streets," she recalled. "We were behaving like kids but being drunk at the same time plus I was recording everything." Maryna said the incident caused her to miss her flight back to Spain and left her feeling deeply uncomfortable about her actions. "That night I lost the flight to Spain because I had a blackout. I was feeling so guilty, so ashamed…" she said. After travelling to Nice and staying at her former boyfriend's parents' house, she said she spent the night reflecting on her life and asking questions about Islam. "I started to wondering why is alcohol forbidden for Muslims," she said. Maryna, who says she has more than one million followers on her Spanish Instagram account, began asking her audience questions about Islam and received responses from Muslims around the world. "And at the same time asking all of this questions online. And I have more than 1M followers in my Spanish Instagram account. So I started to ask people this kind of questions. I was getting a lot of explanations from born Muslims and I loved it," she explained. Her curiosity later expanded to learning about the language spoken by Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) and where it is still spoken today. "One thing got me to another and I started to ask what about the language that Jesus spoke, which one was and where on earth they do still speak it?" she said. According to Maryna, many people told her that the language was still spoken in parts of Syria, which sparked her interest in visiting the country. "People were answering that Siria. Then I said I really want to go to Siria." However, she said her public comments triggered criticism and media attention in Spain. "And the next day the Spanish press media shared news about me: Maryna wants to go to Siria and she’s becoming a terrorist." She added, "I couldn’t believe what I was reading. I couldn’t believe all the bad things they’ve said about me for just asking publicly questions about Islam." Reflecting on the experience, Maryna said the controversy ultimately marked the beginning of her spiritual journey. "And that is how my journey through getting to know Islam began." Her story has since gained attention among Muslims and social media users, with many describing it as an example of how personal reflection and the search for answers can lead people toward faith.