Excerpt:
For most of her life, Aneelah Afzali was a Ramadan Muslim, observing her faith more out of tradition than conviction. Four years ago, she read the Quran cover to cover.
"It shook me to the core," she said. "It really moved my heart and inspired me to make transformative change in my life."
Afzali, a Harvard-trained attorney and the first person in her family to attend college, gave up a successful corporate career and turned to living out her faith. That spiritual transformation translated into a personal mission for Afzali to change misperceptions about Muslims in America.
On Thursday, Afzali and the Rev. Terry Kyllo, a Lutheran pastor from Arlington, brought their "Faith Over Fear Roadshow" to First Lutheran Church, where about 50 people listened to their message and asked questions about what it's like to be Muslim in America.