Why ARE so many modern British career women converting to Islam?

irishconvert

Interesting article from the Daily Mail in the UK about the number of British women converting to Islam.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1324039/Like-Lauren-Booth-ARE-modern-British-career-women-converting-Islam.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Mark Hamill

irishconvert wrote: »

Interesting article from the Daily Mail in the UK about the number of British women converting to Islam.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1324039/Like-Lauren-Booth-ARE-modern-British-career-women-converting-Islam.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Seems more like an article from the DM about a handful of semi-celebrities who converted to Islam (more because of the sense of tradition or community they get or the religiously based control they think they need in their life than the merits of the religions big claims). Nothing about overall numbers and if conversions to Islam are significantly more than any other religion.

Freiheit

Ì doubt if there's any real trend of conversion to Islam, I doubt if it's numericaly in the least bit significant.

I can understand the attraction of Islam as an alternative to mainstream society.

But intellectually I fail to see the logic of it as a faith. I doubt if their reversion was based on objective reasoning either, probably subjective, but then again so is much of life.

Kohl

irishconvert wrote: »

Interesting article from the Daily Mail in the UK about the number of British women converting to Islam.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1324039/Like-Lauren-Booth-ARE-modern-British-career-women-converting-Islam.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

A real Irish or British person wouldn't convert to Islam. Just like a real Arab thinks they are better than us. Hah. Fat chance.

Freiheit

I can see it from both sides. The Author of the article was born a Muslim but found it oppressive, she was born into a web of chains, she had no choice in the earlier stages of her life.

Yet these same circumstances can appear liberating for women who grow up in an at times somewhat soulless society....

Doesn't make Islam true in my opinion but I can see the attraction of it one level.

irishconvert

Kohl banned for trolling

donaghs

Not too good on hard statistics. So hard to tell what "so many" means. But I wouldn't expect that from a "lifestyle" article in the Daily Mail. Interesting to see the Daily Mail not being negative about Islam for a change.

The author makes it seem as if she had some profound unique experience, becoming alienated from a religion, and then going back to it. Could say the same about most Irish people I know in their 40s/50s.

Nothing to see here.

roonimirza

I suppose same can be said for Buddhism.. why so many Westerns converting to Buddhism??

I believe the current understanding of Islam most Muslims have.. is not good to bring any dramatic change to the societies..

Islam at its glory was all about tolerance, desire towards knowledge and adopting with the changes in the society .. (but not forgetting the fundamental values).

In a real Islam.. you should be convinced to do 'right' things rather than being punished or followed by..

I give example to many of friends..

'What is the best way to stop robbery/ stealing in a society?????
Answers varies in all discussions..

But in Islamic ideology.. it says.. why dont we train members of the society.. not to buy stolen goods..Interesting!'

Imagine.. when everyone is trained to do right things.. and have built in check en balance.. its safe for all members of the society..

Any how long discussion..West shouldn't be worried..about current version of Islam.. as its far from its fundamentals..and more focus on certain practices..
Rather than developing a complete human being.. whose purpose is to spread good for humanity..

In short.. a real Muslim focus should be spread good.. and slowly develop a society where talents of all can be utilized and bring value to system..

oceanclub

Interesting article by William Dalrymple, who has written sympathetically about Islam, but he's rather scathing about the self-obsessed Booth's shallow reasons for conversion here:

http://www.newenglishreview.org/custpage.cfm/frm/75941/sec_id/75941

These are the kind of utterances of people who claim that they are spiritual but not religious; they are a cross between Dale Carnegie and relaxation therapy, with just a hint of eastern spice, but not too much. In fact it is distinctly more Californian than Iranian: Islam-tinged psychobabble. It is religion for those who think that multiculturalism is a matter of eating at a different restaurant every night. There is not a word about the truth or otherwise of the religious tenets of Islam.

P.

Freiheit

Very ,very true Oceanclub.

biko

To me it seems to be a combination of:
1. They meet Muslim men

*The turning point for Kristiane came when she met and briefly dated the former Pakistani cricketer and Muslim Imran Khan
*For a significant amount of women, their first contact with Islam comes from dating a Muslim boyfriend.
*But when she met her boyfriend, Zahid, at university, something dramatic happened. She says: ‘His sister started talking to me about Islam

2. They feel that the life they already lead is lacking somehow

*Her reason? The ‘anything goes’ permissive society that I coveted had proved to be a superficial void.
*For some converts, Islam represents a celebration of old-fashioned family values.
*‘Some are drawn to the sense of belonging and of community — values which have eroded in the West,’ says Haifaa Jawad.

Freiheit

But they don't as the article says,ask whether Mohammad was God's messenger. As I said I can understand the attraction of Islam for someone disillusioned (as I am in ways) with society. But attractive or not it doesn't answer that question.

whydoc

Because islam is the only way not to make partners with our creator and to gain his Grace in the Last Day.

smcgiff

whydoc wrote: »

Because islam is the only way not to make partners with our creator and to gain his Grace in the Last Day.

Lost in translation?

whydoc

Because islam is the only way not to make partners with our creator and to gain his Grace in the Last Day.

smcgiff wrote: »

Lost in translation?

what did you find

ChocolateSauce

What I don't understand is why they didn't just say "no" to the vacuous elements of western culture without declaring support for Islam? I'm generally a champion western culture, but one aspect of it I really hate is the emphasis on beauty over substance, and I reject that emphasis on its own merits, with my own mind and logic. Why couldn't the women in that article do it too?

It seems, simply, that they were weak and needed a crutch, but crutches are for the crippled.

whydoc

ChocolateSauce wrote: »

What I don't understand is why they didn't just say "no" to the vacuous elements of western culture without declaring support for Islam? I'm generally a champion western culture, but one aspect of it I really hate is the emphasis on beauty over substance, and I reject that emphasis on its own merits, with my own mind and logic. Why couldn't the women in that article do it too?

It seems, simply, that they were weak and needed a crutch, but crutches are for the crippled.

Islam is to surrender and submit to God. Others don't understand this.

They were strong enough to declare this .
they knew the true way of salvation.
Their goal is high.

eamo12

I believe islam is a good choice as the women mentioned in the article have very liberal political views based around their deep opposition to the existence of Israel. This strong feeling outweighs all of the human rights issues that are clearly at odds with western modern day feminism.

Mark Hamill

whydoc wrote: »

Islam is to surrender and submit to God. Others don't understand this.

They were strong enough to declare this .
they knew the true way of salvation.
Their goal is high.

Maybe I need to read the article again, but I'm pretty sure none of the women interviewed declared that Islam is to surrender and submit to god and they needed this for salvation. Pretty sure it was either they didn't like the type of objectivication of women or the lack of "traditional" values in western media, but they where unable to seperate it out of their own lives, so they replaced everything with Islam without really examining the merits of the religion.

ChocolateSauce

whydoc wrote: »

Islam is to surrender and submit to God. Others don't understand this.

They were strong enough to declare this .
they knew the true way of salvation.
Their goal is high.

But if you carefully scan the article, you get (or at least I get) the impression that they converted more because they liked Islam and less because they believed it was true. It all seemed very multi-cultural to me, like they viewed religion in general as a buffet they can pick from as opposed to something which is either true or false. If they believe Islam and no other is true, then fair enough, but if they don't......