THEN THEY WERE SILENCED

Before:
She knew that they were talking about her behind her back. The cowards! They were not bold enough to face her with their complaints and dissatisfactions. Yak-yak-yak behind her back, making faces, because she was more popular and more knowledgeable. After all, she worked harder than anyone else, making small sacrifices of her time to find books at the library and being willing to go an extra mile to help her lecturers in their work. She didn't bother about their gossips but the signs were obvious.
They talked. Perhaps it's ok to talk because she was not a Muslim, unlike them. Perhaps the fact that she was a kafir, made it ok for them to point fingers at her mistakes. After all, it's one thing to talk bad about a fellow Muslim brother or sister, but the religion didn't mention that it's wrong to talk bad about a kafir.. or is it?

Then..
She reverted to Islam.
And they were shocked into silence.
They were once again silenced when she began to appear in public in a hijab, and covering her aurat.
They began to feel uncomfortable beside her, as she appeared to be more of a Muslimah than they were.

And..
She began to wonder, why the long silence whereas there had been gossips about her before?
Is the fact that she had become a Muslimah changed their stance?
Were they silenced because she is no longer a kafir but a fellow sister in Islam, and that fact had disallow 'ghibah' in their part?

Oh sisters and brothers in Islam, beware of thy tongues!
Remember that you are the khalifah of Allah in this temporary world, and each of you are responsible for your actions. That includes the task of spreading the words of Islam to everyone, Muslims and nonMuslims. Do you think that by talking bad about a nonMuslim, backstabbing and gossipping about them, will make them attracted to Islam?
What would your answer be to Allah All Knowing, when the same person complained before Allah,"The reason why I never wanted to know/convert to Islam is because I'm disheartened by [your name] actions towards me!"
The fact that you have backstabbed another sister or brother, an action which you may think is all right as they're not 'one of you', not Muslims, is answerable in akhirat, especially if you have failed to seek their forgiveness.
Allah swt has forgiven their past sins upon their reversion to Islam but your own sins may have yet to be forgiven.
Beware!
A nonMuslim or kafir today might be a Muslim brother or sister tomorrow.
Please don't be proud of the fact that you are a Muslim today and they're not.
It doesn't give you the liberty to say bad things about them, giving excuses that it's ok since they're nonMuslims.
That fact may change, according to Allah's will.
You might stand tall today but you might be humbled tomorrow, if that's what Allah wants.
Wallahu'alam.