Why Islam is my choice — Page 100
100 Mo ḥ sin Ma ḥ m ū d How I Accepted Isl ā m My name is Mo ḥ sin Ma ḥ m ū d. I am 73 years old and I live in Queens, New York. I am the seventh of eight children. My parents were from the Barbados. But due to family problems and economics, I was orphaned at age 3. From the age of 3 to 18, I lived in foster homes. I stayed the longest with Ms. Gladden, one of my foster parents. I stayed with her from 3 to 4 years. She had a son about my age and a grand-daughter who lived in Richmond, Virginia. My parents were Protestants and I guess Ms. Gladden was too. I cannot say exactly what denomination my foster parents were and at the age I was during this time, it really did not matter a lot. As a foster child you just did what you were told, and tried to stay out of trouble, especially if you had a good foster home. I joined the U. S. Army in 1944 during World War II where I served as a cook in New Orleans. During this time, I visited New Guinea and the Philippines. After I left the service, I stayed with my brother and mother on 112th Street in Harlem. I became employed in the hospital as a porter, and later having passed a civil service test, worked with the Department of Sanitation for about 34 years. During this time, I had married and had two children. I lived in Harlem, New York during the period of Renaissance when the Nation of Isl ā m had started to become