Her head wrapped in the hijab, Fatima Asanidze lives a life that looks like a sequel of contradictions - on the walls of her house in Bolnisi, in southeast Georgia, are holy verses from the Quran, in the cellar sits wine barrels. An ethnic Lak from Dagestan, Fatima was born Orthodox Christian and converted to Islam later in life - she feels she struggles to remain Muslim on a daily basis.

“My family is Christian and through my childhood I lived as a Christian,” recalls the 63-year-old who has lived most of her life in Bolnisi where her family moved when she was a toddler. “I have always been interested in religion and when I was 18 I started to read religious books, searching for answers. The first was the Bible, but questions [about life] did not leave me alone. Something was not clear. Then I read the Jewish Torah and the Quran was the last. After reading the Quran I felt a deep happiness I cannot express in words. I felt everything was clear to me.”

At 34 Fatima finally embraced Islam - and it was not easy. Her whole family, including her husband and children, challenged and opposed her decision.

Wearing the hijab came as a natural consequence as per the Nur surah, a chapter in the Quran, which states that a woman should cover her body to prevent a man’s physical desire.

“My husband is constantly trying to turn me away from the path I chose, he makes wine at home, and keeps it in our cellar or pushes me to eat pork. I struggle everyday to avoid what is haram [forbidden by Islam]. I try to explain, but my family does not listen to me, they don’t understand. And my husband has tried many times take off my hijab.”

Outside the family circle she faces the same pressure - in all-Christian Bolnisi, people accuse her of betraying her Christian roots.

“People react to the headscarf, they ask why I cover my hair if I am modern. But I am determined not to take it off till the end of my life."

Fatima has two wishes - to come to fully understand the Quran and to convince her husband to convert. The latter does not seem to be happening anytime soon, and in the meantime she dutifully travels every Friday to Tbilisi to attend the prayers in the mosque.

"I do not interfere with the choice of my relatives,” she maintains as she keeps up with her own personal choices.