Julien Drolon: From a Long Search to the Qur’an
Julien Drolon, who is of French origin, grew up in a Christian setting, explored Buddhism during his student years, and tried different spiritual practices. In a 2023 interview with Diyanet Journal, he recalled walking, by his account, a thousand kilometres in thirty days along the Camino de Santiago in Spain. He described a search that crossed traditions, including a period when he considered belief in God larger than adherence to any one religion. [1]
Asked about his first encounter with Islam, he returned to the memory of a taxi in Abu Dhabi. Qur’an recitation was playing on the radio, and he said it touched his heart. The driver noticed his response and invited him to Islam. He remembered that encounter as an opening to the religion; his decision to pronounce the testimony of faith came later in his journey. [1]
Drolon connected that decision with listening to an American convert explain differences between the Bible and the Qur’an. He said the presentation convinced him of the Qur’an’s divine origin, and that he pronounced the testimony after hearing it. He placed his entry into Islam in 2012, while in the Philippines—the same year given in his published director’s statement. [1] [2]
He did not describe the initial reactions as easy. In his 2023 account, family and friends had not received the decision well at first, but grew more understanding and accepting over time. He said he lost several friends while finding new friendships within the Muslim community. Relationships formed part of the consequences he recalled years afterward. [1]
Supporting people at the beginning of their own journeys then became part of his work. In the statement accompanying Freedom, he said he became general manager of New Muslim Care in 2015 and met converts from different countries through the programme. In January 2016, it held an educational and spiritual retreat for new Muslims in Kuala Lumpur. Listening to those journeys helped give rise to the idea for a larger film. [2]
Drolon co-directed Freedom with Zara Shafie, bringing together testimonies from several countries and languages. In May 2018, Ibn Haldun University hosted a screening and a discussion with him about challenging negative portrayals of Islam. During this period, telling his own story grew into making room for others to tell theirs in their own languages—a path recorded in his testimony and public work at the time. [2] [3]