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Thursday, November 4, 2010

Lauren Booth: I'm now a Muslim. Why all the shock and horror?


Lauren Booth: I'm now a Muslim. Why all the shock and horror?

News that Lauren Booth has converted to Islam provoked a storm of negative comments. Here she explains how it came about – and why it's time to stop patronising Muslim women
Lauren Booth
Lauren Booth . . .'How hard and callous non-Muslim friends and colleagues began to seem'. Photograph: Sarah Lee for the Guardian
It is five years since my first visit to Palestine. And when I arrived in the region, to work alongside charities in Gaza and the West Bank, I took with me the swagger of condescension that all white middle-class women (secretly or outwardly) hold towards poor Muslim women, women I presumed would be little more than black-robed blobs, silent in my peripheral vision. As a western woman with all my freedoms, I expected to deal professionally with men alone. After all, that's what the Muslim world is all about, right?
This week's screams of faux horror from fellow columnists on hearing of my conversion to Islam prove that this remains the stereotypical view regarding half a billion women currently practising Islam.
On my first trip to Ramallah, and many subsequent visits to Palestine, Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon, I did indeed deal with men in power. And, dear reader, one or two of them even had those scary beards we see on news bulletins from far-flung places we've bombed to smithereens. Surprisingly (for me) I also began to deal with a lot of women of all ages, in all manner of head coverings, who also held positions of power. Believe it or not, Muslim women can be educated, work the same deadly hours we do, and even boss their husbands about in front of his friends until he leaves the room in a huff to go and finish making the dinner.
Is this patronising enough for you? I do hope so, because my conversion to Islam has been an excuse for sarcastic commentators to heap such patronising points of view on to Muslim women everywhere. So much so, that on my way to a meeting on the subject of Islamophobia in the media this week, I seriously considered buying myself a hook and posing as Abu Hamza. After all, judging by the reaction of many women columnists, I am now to women's rights what the hooked one is to knife and fork sales.
So let's all just take a deep breath and I'll give you a glimpse into the other world of Islam in the 21st century. Of course, we cannot discount the appalling way women are mistreated by men in many cities and cultures, both with and without an Islamic population. Women who are being abused by male relatives are being abused by men, not God. Much of the practices and laws in "Islamic" countries have deviated from (or are totally unrelated) to the origins of Islam. Instead practices are based on cultural or traditional (and yes, male-orientated) customs that have been injected into these societies. For example, in Saudi Arabia, women are not allowed to drive by law. This rule is an invention of the Saudi monarchy, our government's close ally in the arms and oil trade. The fight for women's rights must sadly adjust to our own government's needs.
My own path to Islam began with an awakening to the gap between what had been drip-fed to me about all Muslim life – and the reality.
I began to wonder about the calmness exuded by so many of the "sisters" and "brothers". Not all; these are human beings we're talking about. But many. And on my visit to Iran this September, the washing, kneeling, chanting recitations of the prayers at the mosques I visited reminded me of the west's view of an entirely different religion; one that is known for eschewing violence and embracing peace and love through quiet meditation. A religion trendy with movie stars such as Richard Gere, and one that would have been much easier to admit to following in public – Buddhism. Indeed, the bending, kneeling and submission of Muslim prayers resound with words of peace and contentment. Each one begins, "Bismillahir rahmaneer Raheem" – "In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate" – and ends with the phrase "Assalamu Alaykhum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh" – Peace be upon you all and God's mercy and blessing.
Almost unnoticed to me, when praying for the last year or so, I had been saying "Dear Allah" instead of "Dear God". They both mean the same thing, of course, but for the convert to Islam the very alien nature of the language of the holy prayers and the holy book can be a stumbling block. I had skipped that hurdle without noticing. Then came the pull: a sort of emotional ebb and flow that responds to the company of other Muslims with a heightened feeling of openness and warmth. Well, that's how it was for me, anyway.
How hard and callous non-Muslim friends and colleagues began to seem. Why can't we cry in public, hug one another more, say "I love you" to a new friend, without facing suspicion or ridicule? I would watch emotions being shared in households along with trays of honeyed sweets and wondered, if Allah's law is simply based on fear why did the friends I loved and respected not turn their backs on their practices and start to drink, to have real "fun" as we in the west do? And we do, don't we?Don't we?
Finally, I felt what Muslims feel when they are in true prayer: a bolt of sweet harmony, a shudder of joy in which I was grateful for everything I have (my children) and secure in the certainty that I need nothing more (along with prayer) to be utterly content. I prayed in the Mesumeh shrine in Iran after ritually cleansing my forearms, face, head and feet with water. And nothing could be the same again. It was as simple as that.
The sheikh who finally converted me at a mosque in London a few weeks ago told me: "Don't hurry, Lauren. Just take it easy. Allah is waiting for you. Ignore those who tell you: you must do this, wear that, have your hair like this. Follow your instincts, follow the Holy Qur'an- and let Allah guide you."
And so I now live in a reality that is not unlike that of Jim Carey's character in the Truman Show. I have glimpsed the great lie that is the facade of our modern lives; that materialism, consumerism, sex and drugs will give us lasting happiness. But I have also peeked behind the screens and seen an enchanting, enriched existence of love, peace and hope. In the meantime, I carry on with daily life, cooking dinners, making TV programmes about Palestine and yes, praying for around half an hour a day.
Now, my morning starts with dawn prayers at around 6am, I pray again at 1.30pm, then finally at 10.30pm. My steady progress with the Qur'an has been mocked in some quarters (for the record, I'm now around 200 pages in). I've been seeking advice from Ayatollahs, imams and sheikhs, and every one has said that each individual's journey to Islam is their own. Some do commit the entire text to memory before conversion; for me reading the holy book will be done slowly and at my own pace.
In the past my attempts to give up alcohol have come to nothing; since my conversion I can't even imagine drinking again. I have no doubt that this is for life: there is so much in Islam to learn and enjoy and admire; I'm overcome with the wonder of it. In the last few days I've heard from other women converts, and they have told me that this is just the start, that they are still loving it 10 or 20 years on.
On a final note I'd like to offer a quick translation between Muslim culture and media culture that may help take the sting of shock out of my change of life for some of you.
When Muslims on the BBC News are shown shouting "Allahu Akhbar!" at some clear, Middle Eastern sky, we westerners have been trained to hear: "We hate you all in your British sitting rooms, and are on our way to blow ourselves up in Lidl when you are buying your weekly groceries."
In fact, what we Muslims are saying is "God is Great!", and we're taking comfort in our grief after non-Muslim nations have attacked our villages. Normally, this phrase proclaims our wish to live in peace with our neighbours, our God, our fellow humans, both Muslim and non-Muslim. Or, failing that, in the current climate, just to be left to live in peace would be nice.

20 comments:

  1. Just amazing and good explanation to everybody. Love it!!! May Allah grant us Jannah is Hereafter.

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  2. Mashallah, sister Lauren,we warmly welcome to the real path of peace, satisfaction and contentment. May Allah(SWT) accept ur jihad(struggle)and grant you jannah. amen. love you. And may u be the source of inspiration for many more

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  3. Subhanallahi walhamdulillah...
    Very well said and good explanation. May Allah (SWT) guides us always.. Amiin yaa rabbal 'alamiin...

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  4. may Allah give us toufeeq so we can practice islam permanantly.

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  5. If only all of the muslims were like you and looked at islam the way you do.
    That would solve all the current problems with islam in the world today. You see the simple truth off the matter is the same as the analogy of the basket full of ripe juicy apples with maybe a few rotten apples on the top. When one views the basket of apples one does not see the ripe juicy apples they see the bad apples and that my dear friend is the reality of the situation. Those that are doing bad things against innocent people are islamic and thay do what they do in the name of allah. Who, from the muslim cominity is going to stand up and challenge them? You? or maybe your neighbour? perhaps the person down the street? None of the muslims have stood up and publicly caused an outcry when non muslims are killed in the world by so called Jihadists. A few when questioned will say "oh but that is not islam, islam is the religion of peace" WRONG. The abrogated verses in islam overule the versus that talk about peace and it is almost as if 2 people we re talking from a different perspective. First love and peace, then hated and murder! Thus the later verses overule the earlier verses and thus violence in the name of allah is justified.
    You have made a grave error, you converted to a false religion without first reading and understand one of the critical pillars of islam, the quran. Your ignorance in this matter is going to bring you great and untold grief but you have made your bed with the violence that is islam and blood is now on your hands.

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  6. nice article .
    there was article in Pakistani Newspaper Tribune about her, topic was "Whats is in name" & writer was seemed very upset with her .

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  7. May ALLAH bless you Sister. It is wonderful to see you have embraced Islam. But, dont follow those who seek help from Ali, the nephew of Prophet Muhammad. The Shia seek help from Ali; and they seek guidance through the 12 Imams; while claiming that the Qur'an with us to be an edited one. All of that involves blasphemy. Hence, my sister, beware of Shia. Do visit this website for more info on Islam www.islam-qa.com.
    May ALLAH bless you.

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  8. May ALLAH bless of all us....Thank you ALLAH... Thank you so much! for everything...

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  9. may allah the almighty bless all of us..........

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  10. CONGRATS.may ALLAH bless u always.ameen

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  11. Allah Ho akbar. Words of my heart were said. SubhanAllah

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  12. May Allah bless you and increase you in Eeman. Don't mind those negative comment. It is just normal.

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  13. I WOULD SUGGEST MY SISTER TO STUDY "THE MESSAGE OF QURAN " WRITTEN BY MUHAMMAD ASAD AND PUBLISHED BY BOOK FOUNDATION UK. THE BEST TRANSLATION IN ENGLISH SO FAR.

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  14. It is a clear cut answer to the critiques remarks

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  15. Masha Allah . sister Lauren. May Allah give you strength in all your rightful efforts. and bless you with health, happiness and peace of mind.

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  16. welcome -------- from darkness to light

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  17. Dear Lauren Booth:

    I really liked your realization of life. I deeply thought about it.
    You are trying to realize the living of a human being.
    At the moment you realized, a tremendous energy entered in you
    to be experienced with NEW reality.
    If you deeply think, it is you who realized,
    it is not something outward, but your inner.
    This is tremendously beautiful.

    I also deeply thought about the negative comments
    about your conversion to Islam. Have you though ever
    why this happended ?

    If you put a color in a pot, it is limited in
    that pot only. And the owner of that Pot may feel
    proud. Now if some other person see this, he will
    try to destroy it or may be want to take it.
    Now assume there is no pot. And the color is spreading
    all over the area and spreading its beauty.
    There is no pot to be claimed. So there is no question
    to take that pot by someone.

    When you put your realization in a certain pot, it
    will definitly create the extrem problem.
    People will be against you, may be fight with you.
    Now assume, you have the same realization without
    any pot.

    I am really shocked when someone use the word
    "Islam" or "Allah" as their own assets. It is just like
    a pot, so it will create the problem.
    Or you may feel proud,which is going on all over the
    world. "Islam" or "Allah" is their beath. This creates
    the problem. They hate others, and love Islam.
    And other, love their religion and hate Islam. You see
    the same thing is going on for millions of years.

    It is tremendously good, if you realize the life without
    using any pot and live your beautiful life.
    When you realize , "Islam" or "Allah" will be just a word
    for you, they have no meaning. Only YOU will be meaningful.

    This is my understanding about the life which I want to tell
    like this:
    "Can you mix two colors using two separate pots ?
    It is never, ever possible until you use a single pot.
    Then they get a single different color, both two colors
    are disappeared into that singularity.
    This exactly works for the religion if you could understood.
    Singularity never separated, only duality is separated"

    My English is not good, hope you will understand what
    I mean...Live in life without conflicts and fear.
    Because life is tremendously beautiful...

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  18. Subhanallahi walhamdulillah...
    May Allah (SWT) guides us always..
    Amiin yaa rabbal 'alamiin...

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  19. subhanallah....may my allah give our sister Lauren Booth the right guide towards Islam...And give Hidaya to those who are in wrong path.....Ameen

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  20. Asallam"o"Alikum and a warm welcome to you,
    one thing i really like what 'Shiekh" said to you...Read Holy Quran and InshaAllah Allah will give you guidance...because there are different Firqa's in Islam too like Christianity but If you only read Holy Quran and some Authentic books of "Ahadiths"...you will always be on the right path, I don't know you whether you will going to read these comments or not but if you do I'll recommend you to listen lectures of Dr.Zakir naik and Bilal Philips on YOUTUBE...

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