My name is Ian Charles Calderwood.  I was born in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, on the 11th of January 1946, but was raised in Melbourne.

I reverted to Islam as a Sunni Muslim who follows the Hanafi Mazhab (School) in Melbourne in 1983.

In my youth I hadn’t believed in the Trinity and it was that rejection of the Trinity that caused me to eventually reject Christianity and try to find my way through the seemingly endless choices I faced about religion.

I want to stress that it was only by Allah’s Grace (Subhanahu wa ta’ala - Glory be to Him, the Most High); (Tabāraka wa-taʿālā - Blessed and Exalted [is He]); (‘Azza wa-jall - Prestigious and Majestic (is He)] and by His Grace alone that I had questioned the Trinity for years - I make no claim to righteousness.

Obviously, Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala - Glory be to Him, the Most High) knew my dilemma about religion, a dilemma that was exacerbated by the fact that I faced some serious crises in my life, and in His Grace, he opened my heart and my mind to the truth, that Islam was the true religion.

In verse 72 of Surah Al-Ma’idah (Surah No. 5) Allah says: 
“Surely, they have disbelieved who say: ‘Allah is the Messiah ['Isa (ED: Jesus)], son of Maryam.’ But the Messiah said: ‘O Children of Israel! Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord.’ Verily, whosoever sets up partners (in worship) with Allah, then Allah has forbidden Paradise for him, and the Fire will be his abode. And for the wrongdoers there are no helpers.”

In verses 73 and 74 Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala - Glory be to Him, the Most High) continues:

“Surely, they have disbelieved who say: ‘Allah is the third of three’. And there is no god but One God (Allah). And if they cease not from what they say, verily, a painful torment will befall the disbelievers among them.

“Will they not repent to Allah and ask His Forgiveness? For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

In verse 75 Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala - Glory be to Him, the Most High) emphasizes that ‘Isa (Jesus) (alayhi as-salam – may the peace of Allah be upon him) was a man: He says:

“The Messiah ['Isa], son of Maryam, was no more than a Messenger; many were the Messengers that passed away before him. His mother [Maryam] was a Siddiqah. They both used to eat food. Look how We make the Ayat clear to them; yet look how they are deluded away (from the truth).” (Ibn Kathir, 2003, p. 234) [1]

Commenting on the above verses Ibn Kathir wrote under the heading:

"The Disbelief of the Christians; 'Isa Only called to Tawhid

“Allah states that the Christians, such sects as Monarchite, Jacobite and Nestorite, are disbelievers, those among them who say that ‘Isa is Allah.

“Allah is far holier than what they attribute to Him. They made this claim in spite of the fact that ‘Isa made it known that he was the servant of Allah and His Messenger.

“The first words that ‘Isa uttered when he was still a baby in the cradle were, ‘I am Abdullah (the servant of Allah)’. He did not say, ‘I am Allah’ or ‘I am the son of Allah’. Rather he said,

‘Verily, I am a servant of Allah, He has given me the Scripture and made me a Prophet.’

“Until he said,

 ‘And verily Allah is my Lord and your Lord. So worship Him (Alone). That is the straight path.’ ” (Ibn Kathir, 2003, pp. 234-235) [2]

The above verses quoted by Ibn Kathir, namely:

‘Verily, I am a servant of Allah, He has given me the Scripture and made me a Prophet’

‘And verily Allah is my Lord and your Lord. So worship Him (Alone). That is the straight path’

are from Surah Maryam (Surah No. 19), verses 30 and 36 respectively.

After I reverted, I changed my name on the 28th of October 1984 by Deed Poll (registered number M110855) in Melbourne from Ian Charles Calderwood to Yahya Abdullah.  I lived in Pakistan under that name, working as a journalist for most of the time, from April 1985 until I returned to Melbourne in September 1990.

A copy of the Deed Poll can be seen at DEED POLL 28 OCTOBER 1984.

After my return, for personal reasons, I reverted to my former name of Ian Charles Calderwood in Melbourne on the 12th of March 1992. I did so by Change of Name Registration.

A copy of my Change of Name Registration form (registered number 80355/1946) can be seen at CHANGE OF NAME REGISTRATION 12 MAR 1992.

The Victorian Government had abolished Deed Polls in October 1986 and introduced the Change of Name Registration form.

Details about the abolition of Deed Polls and the change of name registration system can be found on the Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria website. The link is Homepage | Births Deaths and Marriages Victoria (bdm.vic.gov.au).

The details can also be found on the website for the Fitzroy Legal Service.

The link is Fitzroy Legal Service – Fitzroy Legal Service (fls.org.au).

If you go to the website and click on the link for the Law Handbook then do a search for 'change of name' or 'deed poll' you will find the details.

The Fitzroy Legal Service has provided invaluable support to the disadvantaged in Victoria over the years. The link to the service is Fitzroy Legal Service – Fitzroy Legal Service (fls.org.au).

WEBCOPY 29 OCT 25 DELETED. ASKED WEBCENTRAL TO CANCEL WEBSITES. SERIOUSLY ILL.

WEBCOPY 03 NOV 25 RESTORED. ASKED WEBCENTRAL TO ALLOW WEBSITES. TO REMAIN ACTIVE ON 30 0CT 25. AMENDED TEXT.