Catholic priest converts to Islam after watching Seb-i Arus ceremony

KONYA, TURKEY - RECENT, SEPTEMBER 2021: A Catholic priest from the US, who was influenced by 13th-century Islamic scholar, poet, and Sufi mystic Mevlana Jalaluddin al-Rumi, converted to Islam and changed his name to Ismail. Born in 1955 in the US state of North Carolina and raised in Los Angeles, Craig Victor Fenter went to a Catholic school at the request of his family and became a pastor. Before converting to Islam, Fenter taught religion classes at US universities for a decade. But in time, he began to have a feeling of spiritual void. In 2004, he crossed paths with Esin Celebi Bayru, Rumi's 22nd generation granddaughter, during a program in the US. After learning about Rumi and Islam, he visited Konya in 2005 at Bayru's invitation, watched Seb-i Arus -- the “wedding night” when Rumi reaches God -- ceremonies. Fenter, very impressed by stories, the Sufi dance known as the Sema ceremony, and the spiritual atmosphere during ceremonies, converted to Islam in 2006. (Footage by Serhat Cetinkaya/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)