New to Islam Ladies Support Circle

Sia was born and raised in Sydney. She comes from a traditional Greek family who really struggled in accepting her conversion. After many years and a lot of  patience and prayer Sia’s family have now accepted her as a Muslim and have even been making sure there are halal alternatives at family gatherings! 

After converting to Islam at 19, Sia was introduced to the New Muslim Program at ISRA, and it was there that she found her first Muslim friend, which now she considers to be family.

Since converting, Sia has has been drawn to studying Islam and hopes to travel abroad one day in the future to expand her knowledge.

Sia enjoys travelling, reading and loves spending her time at the beach!

Lisa was born and raised in Newcastle to Aussie parents. After finishing school Lisa did a lot of overseas travelling and whilst living and working in Los Angeles she met her Tunisian husband, who introduced her to Islam.

In 2013 Lisa and her family moved from Newcastle to Sydney. This is where Lisa first felt the beauty of sisterhood in Islam after meeting lovely Muslim women at various groups and classes, as well as other reverts who understood the dynamics and challenges of being a revert.

Lisa loves travelling and learning about other cultures, socialising with friends and spending time outdoors with her family.

Lisa has been part of the team for 2 years and her fun loving, caring nature and contagious laugh is always a warm welcome.

Teresa was born and raised in Newcastle, with parents being from Abruzzo, Italy. From a very young age Teresa found herself drawn to faith, and began walking to church alone and attending regularly.

Returning to her faith a little later as a single mother raising her 3 children Teresa completed bible college, spoke at ladies events, managed a church cafe, played in the band and was part of a street outreach team.

Teresa later met her husband in France who introduced her to Islam.  It was moving from Newcastle to Sydney and attending ISRA courses where she discovered a much deeper and meaningful knowledge of Islam, as well as beautiful friendships.

Teresa is now a mother of 4 and a grandmother of 3. Teresa’s passion is serving the community, volunteering and helping others. Teresa loves to spend time with her family, enjoys cooking, gardening and good coffee!

Heather was born and raised in Sydney to Aussie and Canadian parents. She has been Muslim since 2008 and faced great challenges with some of her family members after converting. Thanks to God the challenges finally eased and she and her mum even featured in an article on their changed relationship: article

After converting Heather struggled with some aspects of her new life as a Muslim. She taught herself to pray from the internet and felt like she was caught between two worlds. She also felt more comfortable around other converts who really understood her family struggles.

Realising the need for New Muslim support, she established this program in 2012, which has assisted well over 100 people thanks to God.

Heather’s easy-going and open nature makes people instantly feel welcome and comfortable. Her favourite pastime is body surfing and she loves sport and meditation…and chocolate!

Diana was born and raised in Bosnia and Herzegovina. From 1993 she travelled between Sarajevo and Sydney, finally settling down in Sydney with her family in 2006.

Diana has always been Muslim, but didn’t practice the religion until she was in her forties. In 2012 Diana found ISRA and it became her “second” home. There she gained true knowledge about Islam, and discovered what “sisterhood in Islam” really means.

Diana is a wife, mother of two sons, mother in-law, and grandmother of two. She likes to study, especially about Islam and also likes volunteering. She was a teacher in a Bosnian Ethnic  School, Islamic Scripture teacher at Stanmore Public School, and now volunteers at ISRA. In her spare time Diana’s role is to be “the best grandmother” in the world.