Live Chat on Twitter bersama Kristiane Backer
The Author of A Thousand Miles of Faith by Nourabooks
21 September 2013 pkl 16.00 WIB
‘From MTV to Mecca’ or A Thousand Miles of Faith (the Indonesian edition title for From MTV to Mecca) in Indonesian by Nourabooks Publishing publishing is the truly inspiring story of Kristiane Backer, who, at the height of her career as one of Europe’s leading pop culture icons, converted to Islam.
In the early 1990s, Backer became one of the very first presenters on MTV Europe. For years she lived and breathed the int’l music scene, quickly gaining a cult following amongst viewers and becoming a darling of the European press. Rubbing shoulders with the likes of Mick Jagger, Bono, Bob Geldof, Jim Kerr, Take That and Cat Stevens, Kristiane was catapulted to the forefront of popular culture.
Through a fateful meeting with the famous cricketer Imran Khan, Kristiane travelled to Pakistan, where she encountered a completely different world to the one she knew: the religion and culture of Islam. She was drawn to this way of life which was dominated by a love of God and began to read the Quran and to study books about the Faith.
The more she immersed herself in the world of Islam, the more she found herself dissatisfied with her own life. With the support of friends she met through Imran Khan, Kristiane began to learn the true values of the religion and, in 1995, decided to become a Muslim.
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KRISTIANE Backer lahir di sebuah keluarga Protestan dan dibesarkan di Hamburg, Jerman. Pada usia 21, ia bergabung dengan Radio Hamburg sebagai jurnalis radio. Dua tahun kemudian, ia terpilih di antara ribuan pelamar sebagai presenter baru MTV Eropa. Konsekuensinya, ia harus pindah ke London.
Selama tujuh tahun, Backer adalah presenter MTV di berbagai acaranya. Tetapi meskipun hidup glamor di dunia showbiz, ia memiliki kerinduan spiritual.
Pada tahun 1992, entah “kebetulan atau takdir”, ia bertemu dengan Imran Khan, kapten tim kriket Pakistan. Itu adalah pertama kalinya ia bertemu dengan seorang Muslim. Backer dan Khan, berdiskusi tentang Islam. Khan memberinya beberapa buku tentang Islam dan dia mulai mempelajari Islam.
Akses VIP ke konser, after party, dan kelab malam di seluruh Eropa dan Amerika. Mendapat kesempatan pertama mewawancarai selebritis papan atas bahkan nongkrong bareng mereka. Itulah hidup yang dijalani Kristiane Backer sebagai salah satu VJ MTV Eropa pertama. Gemerlap, glamor, dan penuh gosip. Hingga ia bertemu sosok selebriti yang sangat berbeda, Imran Khan.
Perkenalan itu pun berlanjut pada perjalanan ke Pakistan. “Di tanah airku, kamu pasti akan jatuh cinta kepadaku,” kata Imran. Kebersahajaan Imran memang sangat menarik hati Kristiane. Namun, satu yang pasti, Kristiane jatuh cinta pada Islam.
Maka, dimulailah hari-hari VJ asal Jerman ini sebagai seorang Muslimah. Berhenti dari MTV, tidak lagi jadi sorotan media, pindah dari Hamburg ke London, dan terpaksa menyembunyikan keislamannya saat peristiwa 9/11 terjadi. Perjuangan Kristiane akan menyentuh dan menginspirasi kita.
- NouraBooks: Assalamu’alaikum…Thanks for joining us on Nourabooks LiveChat. How're you? How are the Inter- faith dialogues going on?
- Kristiane Backer: Great thank you, lots of engagements- very interesting+ fulfilling
- NouraBooks: What was the first thing that made you want to find out more about Islam? kindly to tell us a bit… :)
- Kristiane Backer: It was my meeting with Imran Khan PTI. He spoke so much about#Islam to me which was very #inspiring
- NouraBooks: Were there any difficulties that you came across on ur journey to becoming a Muslim or after your conversion?
- Kristina Backer: Lots! Due to #Islamophobia I lost my TV career in showbiz- read my #book+ finding a good husband proved to be another challenge
- NouraBooks: How difficult was it for u to cope with the cultural change, considering transformation from a VJ to a Muslim preacher?
- Kristiane Backer: Another challenge: #converts r minority within minority often feel aliented from old social circle but not fully welcome in new
- NouraBooks: How did your family respond to your new way of life?
- Kristiane Backer: Family at first was hesitant but now see it's doing me well+ family benefits as they became more important :)
- NouraBooks: When did you first decide to tell your story into a book? and why was it important to you that you did?
- Kristiane Backer: I wanted to make a contribution against Islamophobia+ help to build bridges. Seems to inspire Muslims as well
- NouraBooks: If you could give a message to the world about Islam what would it be? :)
- Kristiane Backer: Read! We have far more in common between great world religions than what divides us. Work2gether for the Good! Peace Love+ Light
- NouraBooks: Well… last, wanna say something to our readers in Indonesia? :)
- Kristiane Backer: Keep the faith! Stay on the Straight path of the Middle Way+ Act with love.. Salama+ rahma
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