The spread of a world religion
Lucy Berrington found that despite the hostile media coverage in the West, Muslim belief in the West was gaining more and more followers.
Countless British citizens, mostly women, convert to Islam in times of deep divisions between the Anglican and Catholic Church.
The number of conversions has increased so rapidly that Islam will soon become an important religious force in the country. „Within 20 years, the number of British converts will be as large or larger than that of immigrant Muslim communities who have brought the faith here,“ said Rose Kendrick, a religious education teacher and author of a guide to understanding the Quran. She says: “Islam is as much a world religion as Roman Catholicism. No nationality considers it his property. ” Islam is also spreading rapidly on the continent and in America.
The wave of conversions to Islam has occurred in the Western press despite the negative image of belief. Indeed, the publicity surrounding the Salman Rushdie affair, the Gulf War and the situation of Muslims in Bosnia have accelerated the pace of conversions. It is all the more surprising that the majority of British converts are women, given the widespread view in the West that Islam treats women badly. In the United States, female converts outnumber male by 4: 1; and in Britain they make up the majority of the estimated ten to twenty thousand converts who form part of Muslim society from one to one and a half million Muslims. Many of Britain’s ‚New Muslims‘ come from the middle class.
A small survey by the Islamic Foundation in Leicester found that most converts are between 30 and 50 years old. Younger Muslims point to many conversions among students and emphasize the intellectual claim of Islam. ‚Muhammad said:‘ The light of Islam will rise in the West ‚[1] and I think that’s what we’re experiencing right now, ”says Aliya Haeri, a born American and psychologist who converted 15 years ago. She is a consultant to Zahra Trust, a society that publishes spiritual literature, and a prominent British, Islamic spokeswoman. She adds: “Western converts come to Islam with fresh eyes, without all the customs of the East. You avoid a lot that is culturally wrong.
Some say the increase in conversions came from the introduction of comparative religious education. It is also claimed that the British media, which otherwise offer an inexorable bad press against all things Islam, also helped. Westerners who have been disappointed with their own society – increased crime, family destruction, drugs and alcohol – have begun to admire the discipline and security of Islam. Many of the converts are former Christians who are disappointed with the insecurity of the Church and are dissatisfied with the idea of the Trinity and the deification of Jesus.
Interviewing the converts – why the change?
Other converts describe their search for a religious identity. Many had previously been practicing Christians but then found intellectual satisfaction in Islam. “I was a theology student and it was an academic argument that made me convert. Rose Kendrick, a religious education teacher and author, says she was an opponent of original sin: “In Islam, the sins of fathers are not passed on to their sons. The idea that God is not always forgiving is blasphemous for Muslims. ”
Maimuna, 39, was raised as a High Anglican and confirmed at 15 at the height of her religious devotion. „I was overwhelmed by the high church ritual and thought about taking the veil.“ Their crisis came when a prayer was not answered. She went from visiting pastors, but traveled to monasteries to speak to nuns. „My faith came back to me more strongly, but not for the church, the institution, or dogma.“ She researched every Christian direction, as well as Judaism, Buddhism and the understanding of Krishna, before turning to Islam.
Many converts from Christianity reject the church hierarchy and prefer the direct connection of the Muslims to God. They feel a lack of leadership in the English Church and their apparent flexibility is suspect to them. „Muslims are not changing their goals,“ says Huda Khattab, 28, author of the Handbook for Muslim Women published by Ta-Ha this year. She converted ten years ago when she was studying Arabic at the university. “Christianity is changing; For example, some people say pre-marriage sex would be ok if it is the person you want to marry. It seems to be ´wischi-waschi´. Islam is consistent in this regard: as for sex or the five daily prayers. Prayer makes you aware that God sees you at all times.
The Times – Tuesday, November 9, 1993 – Home-news Page
Footnotes:
[1] There is no such statement from Prophet Muhammad, may God praise him. – IslamReligion.
Source: https://www.islamland.com/deu/articles/warum-sich-britische-frauen-dem-islam-zuwenden