With her toddler and husband, Chan Jia Ying Jayina looks just like part of any other Singaporean family.

But unlike most Singaporean Chinese, her life today has very much been shaped by her conversion to the Islamic faith, as Chan shared with Singaporean media company The Good Guyde in a recent video interview.

However, she says, the journey wasn't easy, as she had to deal with her own doubts and her mother's objections.

But she is happy with how far she has come.

"After learning about it [Islam], I didn't think that I could go back to who I was before gaining all of that knowledge."

Meeting on the job

Chan's personal experience with the religion started when she got to know her husband (then-boyfriend) Aiman.

The couple met on the job when they were cabin crew with an airline.

She recalls with a laugh that they did not talk to each other throughout the whole flight, and that it was only afterwards that they decided to get to know each other better.

Aiman was also quick to chime in that it was Chan who made the first move by asking for his number.

Parental objection

However, as Chan started to learn more about Islam, things were not so smooth-sailing with her mother.

She said she would drop hints by not eating pork, eating only halal-certified meat, and dressing more modestly.

Her mother would also notice her reading the Quran before bed.

Chan recalls that her mother said something along the lines of, "You don't think that I don't know you're seeing a Malay boy."

In the end, Chan said her mother was so unhappy with her that she did not attend her wedding; only her father did.

[related_story]

Doubts about Islam

Additionally, Chan had her own initial doubts about the religion.

"... if Islam was such a restrictive religion, why do people still stay in Islam, why do people still join Islam?"

She then decided that the best way to learn about it was through the Quran (the central religious text of Islam) and to go for classes.

But when she was at the second chapter of the book (which was also the longest one), Chan said she was hesitant to continue, as there were some quotes she did not agree with.

But on her friend's advice, she managed to finish reading it and found the answers she needed.

"Only after learning and gaining knowledge, I realised that Islam is a very beautiful religion. It encompasses peace, love, and so many other things that I had misconceptions about."

On the mend

It was only after she got pregnant with Anya that Chan's relationship with her own mother improved.

Worried about Chan's health, the latter would call daily to make sure Chan was eating right.

At this, Chan says she took the chance to show she had become a better daughter, as well as how Islam had made her a better person.

That was when Chan's mother realised that Aiman was an exemplary husband and father, after meeting him.

You can the watch the full interview here:

Top image from video