At a ceremony held at the Taşova District Mufti's Office, which she visited together with her husband Bilal Ceylan, Kohlhas recited the Shahada (the Islamic declaration of faith) and changed her name to Ela.

Expressing his happiness at his wife's decision to embrace Islam, Bilal Ceylan said:

"We have been together for 12 years and have two children. Her becoming a Muslim has made me very proud and deeply moved. It was entirely her own choice. I never pressured her or told her that she should do so. She made the decision herself. My wife said, 'I want to become a Muslim,' and that is how she made this decision."