I am a white North American male.  I was born and raised as a Catholic but refused my religious upbringing.  I have recently found Islam and have found a potential wife.  I have become well known in my Mosque for being a good man. The woman in which I wish to marry fears her father's reaction to my cultural and religious background, as they are Turkish and very old fashioned.

There are several gentlemen at my mosque who have offered to sponsor me in this endeavor. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

With reference to your letter, we are not exactly clear as to what exactly are the "reaction"(s) of this girl's "old-fashioned" Turkish parents. Are they hesitating or refusing to consider or approve of this proposal for their daughter on the grounds of your a) cultural background and/or b) your new conversion to Islam? We are also unable to understand what you mean by "sponsor" in this context. Therefore, we are not sure if we can be any help to you, except to clearly state that both a) cultural background and b) new conversion to Islam are not bars, legally speaking, to marrying a Muslim lady. However, according to the Hanafi and some other schools of law, there is a need for taking into account the respective social status of the couple. This is known as kufv which means that it is desirable as a legal consideration for the bride and groom to have equal social status. I hope this will help clarify the Islamic legal position in this regard for you.