This is my story on how I became a Shia Muslim. I became a Shia Muslim recently with help from friends and from ShiaChat. To begin with, I grew up in a heavily Anti-Shia society, where loads of allegations were stirred up against Shias. Some of these allegations were like Shias mixing blood with food and spitting in water etc. At first I began to believe this until I was in 7th grade, where I met a Shia person for the first ever time in my life. I had a long conversation with him about Shia Islam and he cleared many doubts, which Inclined me to be more kind to Shias. However, Some of my Sunni Friends told me that Shias are like Hindus and they whip themselves and etc, and because of this I became Anti-Shia for a while and I avoided Shias in my School. Eventually, I made many Shia friends and Sunni friends in 8th grade, yet we rarely talked about Sects in Islam, until 10th Muharram of this year. My Shia friends debated with some Sunnis over Ali (AS)' Imamate and how he should have became the first Khalifa. And I was surprised to see that My Sunni friends were Cursing Ali ((عليه السلام)) and praising Khwarij groups. They started to label people as Kafir and Munafiq and they eventually broke ties with my Shia friends. I was shocked that they insulted a Member of the Ahlul Bayt and I remained in confusion for quite some time, until my Shia friends told me to read Kitab Al Kaafi and other Shia books so I could understand them even better than what I heard from Sunnis. As I started to read Kitab al Kaafi, I became so interested in it, that I preferred some of its Ahadith over Al Bukhari. I eventually told my Shia Friends that I wanted to become a Shia. I took their advice and they told me to search online. I returned to them and I told them that I became a Shia and I believe in the Wilayat of Imam Ali ((عليه السلام)) and in Usul Ad Din. (Thanks to Shia Chat.) They told me to stay in a State of Taqiyyah and to not tell my family until a few years later when I move out. Ever since I have became Shia, I have adapted the Shia Method of Praying and I have talked a lot about Shia Islam with them. May Allah bless them for helping me see the Truth and may Allah Bestow his mercy on us all. Ameen.