Tony Blair’s sister-in-law announced her conversion to Islam last weekend. Journalist Lauren Booth embraced the faith after what she describes as a ‘holy experience’ in Iran.

She is just one of a growing number of modern British career women to do so. Here, writer EVE AHMED, who was raised as a Muslim before rejecting the faith, explores the reasons why.

Much of my childhood was spent trying to escape Islam.

Born in London to an English mother and a Pakistani Muslim father, I was brought up to follow my father’s faith without question.
But, privately, I hated it. The minute I left home for university at the age of 18, I abandoned it altogether.
As far as I was concerned, being a Muslim meant hearing the word ‘No’ over and over again.

Girls from my background were barred from so many of the things my English friends took for granted. Indeed, it seemed to me that almost anything fun was haram, or forbidden, to girls like me.

There were so many random, petty rules. No whistling. No chewing of gum. No riding bikes. No watching Top Of The Pops. No wearing make-up or clothes which revealed the shape of the body.

No eating in the street or putting my hands in my pockets. No cutting my hair or painting my nails. No asking questions or answering back. No keeping dogs as pets, (they were unclean).

And, of course, no sitting next to men, shaking their hands or even making eye contact with them.
These ground rules were imposed by my father and I, therefore, assumed they must be an integral part of being a good Muslim.

Small wonder, then, that as soon as I was old enough to exert my independence, I rejected the whole package and turned my back on Islam. After all, what modern, liberated British woman would choose to live such a life?

Well, quite a lot, it turns out, including Islam’s latest surprise convert, Tony Blair’s sister-in-law Lauren Booth. And after my own break with my past, I’ve followed with fascination the growing trend of Western women choosing to convert to Islam.

Broadcaster and journalist Booth, 43, says she now wears a hijab head covering whenever she leaves home, prays five times a day and visits her local mosque ‘when I can’.

She decided to become a Muslim six weeks ago after visiting the shrine of Fatima al-Masumeh in the city of Qom, and says: ‘It was a Tuesday evening, and I sat down and felt this shot of spiritual morphine, just absolute bliss and joy.’

Before her awakening in Iran, she had been ‘sympathetic’ to Islam and has spent considerable time working in Palestine. ‘I was always impressed with the strength and comfort it gave,’ she says.

How, I wondered, could women be drawn to a religion which I felt had kept me in such a lowly, submissive place? How could their experiences of Islam be so very different to mine?

According to Kevin Brice from Swansea University, who has specialised in studying white conversion to Islam, these women are part of an intriguing trend.

He explains: ‘They seek spirituality, a higher meaning, and tend to be deep thinkers. The other type of women who turn to Islam are what I call “converts of convenience”. They’ll assume the trappings of the religion to please their Muslim husband and his family, but won’t necessarily attend mosque, pray or fast.’

I spoke to a diverse selection of white Western converts in a bid to re-examine the faith I had rejected.

Women like Kristiane Backer, 43, a London-based former MTV presenter who had led the kind of liberal Western-style life that I yearned for as a teenager, yet who turned her back on it and embraced Islam instead. Her reason? The ‘anything goes’ permissive society that I coveted had proved to be a superficial void.

Read more;

Lauren Booth, who is Cherie Blair's half sister, decided to convert to Islam after what she described as a holy experience in Iran

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1324039/Like-Lauren-Booth-ARE-modern-British-career-women-converting-Islam.html#ixzz13aNgQkID

Allah is behind d conversion nd we say ''ALLAH IS GREAT'''

The greatest favor one can ask from Allah is to be in fold of Islam.
Their conversion is out of Allah favour, mercy and guidiance. May Allah continue to protect us all.

batiatus:

The greatest favor one can ask from Allah is to be in fold of Islam.
Their conversion is out of Allah favour, mercy and guidiance. May Allah continue to protect us all.

aaminnn

MashaAllah. They look more beautiful in hijab than without.

Here's what she said to critics-


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

News that Lauren Booth (Tony Blair's sister-in law) 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

The Guardian, Wednesday 3 November 2010

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.

--
Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.

--The Buddha

--
Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.

--The Buddha



__._,_.___

Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post | Start a New Topic

Messages in this topic (1)

Recent Activity:

· New Members 1

Visit Your Group

Yahoo! Groups

Switch to: Text-Only, Daily Digest • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use

.

__,_._,___

Allahu Akbar, the Queen of England might soon join the list of converts to Islam. Some nairalanders go skip a heartbeat.

Allahu Akbar, the Queen of England might soon join the list of converts to Islam. Some nairalanders go skip a heartbeat.

Allahu Akbar, the Queen of England might soon join the list of converts to Islam. Some nairalanders go skip a heartbeat.

Lauren Booth became muslim in the islamic republic of iran.she narrated her experience about her spiritual experience in the shia-muslim holy city of Qom.Lauren embraced shia-islam after visiting the tomb of one of the descendants of the holy Prophet in qom.

LagosShia, you need to know that this SHIA-SUNNI dichotomy is political. A Muslim is a Muslim.

maclatunji:

LagosShia, you need to know that this SHIA-SUNNI dichotomy is political. A Muslim is a Muslim.

wise words!

i hope that would be enforced and you will commemorate the matyrdom of Imam Hussain and celebrate Eid-al-Ghadir.unity is what islam preaches and what the Ahl-al-bayt sacrificed their rights for.unity cannot be more beautiful than when brothers see eye to eye and reconcile.

LagosShia:

Lauren Booth became muslim in the islamic republic of iran.she narrated her experience about her spiritual experience in the shia-muslim holy city of Qom.Lauren embraced shia-islam after visiting the tomb of one of the descendants of the holy Prophet in qom.

All that matters is she became Muslim. Some day InshaAllah, she'd realise nothing other than to remember death and pray for the dead muslims is gained by visiting other people's graves

@Lagos shia,and thats why shites are on the wrong path,did the prophet tell us to commemorate the death of anybody,or pay too much attention more or else like a worship thing to Ali and Fatima?and why are you not commemorating his other dead children,u people pray to Ali like is your saviour to get to Allah,what an abomination in the sight of Allah,and why did we have to celebrate eid al-ghadir?why cant you people just follow what the prophet did and obey Allah in the Quran?or did the prophet throw stone on the floor when he wants to pray?

the second and fourth pictures look arab.

are they supposed to not be middle eastern?

uplawal:

@Lagos shia,and thats why shites are on the wrong path,did the prophet tell us to commemorate the death of anybody,or pay too much attention more or else like a worship thing to Ali and Fatima?and why are you not commemorating his other dead children,u people pray to Ali like is your saviour to get to Allah,what an abomination in the sight of Allah,and why did we have to celebrate eid al-ghadir?why cant you people just follow what the prophet did and obey Allah in the Quran?or did the prophet throw stone on the floor when he wants to pray?

dear sister,

the same questions keep poping up and the same false accusations are being thrown at us.this shows the wide-spread ignorance that muslims suffer from.i am tired of answering the many misconceptions:from christians from one angle and fellow muslims (sunnis) from the other angle.i dont want one day my family to find me dead replying on nairaland.

please i am begging you to do your research on islam and shia islam particularly.from your above post let me quickly and directly answer your points:

1.)yes the Prophet ordered us to mourn Hussain and we mourn all the righteous servants of islam through their remembrance on their death and birth anniversaries.mourning is a sunnah.the Prophet himself mourned Hussain and shed tears even before Karbala and was greatly sad and pain stricken.so how much more after Karbala?
2.)we do not worship anyone other than Allah.we give attention and honor and respect to those Allah ordered us for.
3.)we mourn the chosen and righteous servants of Allah and the chosen members of the Ahl-al-Bayt.this keeps the religion always fresh and revived in our minds.
4.) we do not worship Ali or anyone except Allah.
5.)we have to celebrate Eid al Ghadir because it was the day Allah perfected the religion and the verse of completion in surat al-maeda was revealed when the Prophet declared Imam Ali as successor and master with an order from Allah.the Imam of the Ahl-al-Bayt used to commemorate it.the Prophet did not live another year after the event of Ghadir Khum to commemorate it.but it is nontheless a great day in islam
6.)because we obey Allah and the Prophet,we must observe the wilayah (loyalty/allegiance) to the 12 Imams.if you dont then you are not practicing a divine order.
7.) the Prophet encouraged his companions to pray on the earth and not on cloth or anything edible(this is in the sunni sahih)we dont pray on stone.we do sajdah (prostration) on a piece of clay (from the earth) or on leaf or a wooden mat.


i am amazed that here you are attacking shias and in another thread you are asking Allah (swt) to hasten the re-appearance of the 12th Imam(ajtfs).are you kidding?that comment made me to go through your posts and i found the above quoted otherwise i would not have found it or replied to it.

can u give me the hadith that says all this?


also,just to say jazakallahu khairan for your effort on the thread about gog and magog,though thats not the title of the thread

uplawal:

can u give me the hadith that says all this?


also,just to say jazakallahu khairan for your effort on the thread about gog and magog,though thats not the title of the thread

Sister,when Islam is our focus and our betterment,then i believe all will be well.

i will provide you with links and an acceptable/reliable hadiths on each of the points stated and you will have to take your time and see all the evidence in the links.

1.) Mourning for Imam Hussain (as) on ashura.


Allama Ibn Hajar Asqalani has recorded a tradition in his renowned book 'Isaba' Volume 1, page 226 that:

The Prophet(s) said: 'whoever on the day of Ashura weeps for my son Husayn, Allah will place that person in paradise alongside the Ul'il Uzm Prophets.

http://www.answering-ansar.org/answers/azadari/en/chap5.php


2.) we worship no one but Allah! Ash-hadu an La Ilaha Ilallah Wa Ash-Hadu Anna Muhammad Rasulullah!


3.)we mounr for all members of the Ahlul-Bayt,including the likes of Muslim Ibn Aqeel alongside the 12 Imams who were all matyred.


4.) Surat Al-Ikhlas
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

Say: He is Allah, the One and Only! (1) Allah, the eternally Besought of all! (2) He begetteth not nor was begotten. (3) And there is none comparable unto Him. (4)


5.)THE EVENT OF GHADIR:

"One who has me as his master has Ali as his master".
1. Mishkat al Masabeeh, page 565, published in Delhi.
2. Sunan Tirmidhi, volume 2, page 298, published in Egypt.
3. Marqaat Sharh Mashkaat, volume 11, page 349, published in Multan

It is narrated by 'Ali (as) himself. He said: on the day of Ghadir Khum, the Messenger of Allah (saww) had a turban tied round my head (as a symbol of honour) and let the loose end hang down at the back. Then he said: The angels whom Allah (swt) had sent to help me at Badr and Hunayn were wearing turbans of the same kind. He then added: surely the turban differentiates between belief and disbelief."

In the footnotes Qadri cites those sources from wherein he cited this narration, he writes:

Tayalisi related it in al-Musnad (p.23#154); and Bayhaqi in as-Sunan-ul-kubra (10:14).

Hindi says in Kanz-ul-'ummal (15:306,482#41141,41909) that, besides Tayalisi, this tradition has also been narrated by Bayhaqi, Tabarani, Ibn Abi Shaybah and Ibn Muni'. Hindi has added the following words:

"Surely the turban differentiates between Muslims and polytheists."

'Abd-ul-A'la bin 'Adi has also narrated that the Prophet (saww) called 'Ali bin Abi Talib (as) on the day of Ghadir Khum, tied a turban round his head (as a sign of honour) and let the loose end hang down at the back.

This tradition is recorded in the following books:
i. Ibn Athir, Asad-ul-ghabah fi ma'rifat-is-sahabah (3:170)
ii. Muhib Tabari, ar-Riyad-un-nadrah fi manaqib-il-'ashrah (3:194).
iii. Zurqani, Sharh-ul-mawahib-il-laduniyyah (6:272).


"Do I have more authority over you than you have over yourselves? To which the people said 'Yes'. He then said Of whomsoever I am Mawla Ali is his Mawla"
Musnad, by Ahmad bin Hanbal Vol 3 p116 Sader Printing 1969


“It is narrated by Bara’ bin ‘azib (r): We were on a journey with Allah’s Messenger
(s). (On the way) we stayed at Ghadir Khum. There it was announced that the
prayer was about to be offered. The space under two trees was cleaned for Allah’s
Messenger (s). Then he offered the zuhr (noon) prayer, and, holding ‘Ali’s hand, he
said: Don’t you know that I am even nearer than the lives of the believers? They
said: Why not! He said: Don’t you know that I am even nearer than the life of every
believer? They said: Why not! The narrator says that he said while holding ‘Ali’s
hand: One who has me as his master has ‘Ali as his master. O Allah! Befriend the one
who befriends him (‘Ali) and be the enemy of one who is his enemy. The narrator
says that after this ‘Umar (bin al-Khattab (r)) met ‘Ali (r) and said to him: O Ibn Abi
Talib! Congratulations, you have become the master of every male and female
believer, morning and evening (for ever).”
Ahmad bin Hambal related it from Bara’ bin ‘azib through two different chains of
transmission in al-Musnad (4:281); Ibn Abi Shaybah, al-Musannaf (12:78 # 12167);
Muhib Tabari, Dhakha’ir-ul-‘uqba fi manaqib dhawi al-qurba (p.125), ar-Riyad-unnadrah
fi manaqib-il-‘ashrah (3:126, 127); Hindi, Kanz-ul-‘ummal (13:133, 134 #
36420); Ibn ‘Asakir, Tarikh Dimashq al-kabir (5:167, 168); Ibn Athir, Asad-ulghabah
(4:103); and Ibn Kathir in al-Bidayah wan-nihayah (4:169; 5:464)]
The Ghadir Declaration, page 25


http://www.answering-ansar.org/answers/how_to_reply/how_to_reply_sunni_brothers.pdf

http://www.answering-ansar.org/fiqh/kalima_adhan/en/chap2.php

http://www.answering-ansar.org/answers/imamate/en/chap1.php

6.) THE EVENT OF GHADIR-AN EXTENSIVE RESEARCH:


http://www.al-islam.org/search.php?selected_tab=&having=941860&cat=0&sid=350772586

http://www.al-islam.org/ghadir/intro.htm

7.) OBEYING THE 12 IMAMS:

http://www.answering-ansar.org/answers/imamate/en/chap11.php

8.)PROSTRATING ON EARTH:

http://www.answering-ansar.org/fiqh/salat/en/chap12.php

Sister "Uplawal",

i have replied severally but my posts keep disappearing and my 3 accounts all got disabled (until this morning).

why,dats unfair u know,everyone got right

Asalamu Aleikum jare,how lagos

uplawal:

why,dats unfair u know,everyone got right

Asalamu Aleikum jare,how lagos

Alhamdulillah!

thank you.
if you got any comment or question about my mazhab,please post them in the Imam Ali thread in the religion forum.it is so unfortunate that we cannot practice our religion and express our beliefs within our own confines.we are always pushed by those in position to seek refuge and practice our beliefs elsewhere away from home and among the kuffar where we find more freedom.this is the same reality in islamic countries especially the arab ones ruled by un-islamic dictators who fear the islamicists and their popular appeal.

do u reside in lagos?

uplawal:

do u reside in lagos?

Yes,I do.

a handful of women convert to islam and you gys are popping champaigneloooool it must be really desperate times indeed because i dont think christians even notice or acknowledge the millions who have converted to christianity from islam

GODSON2009:

a handful of women convert to islam and you gys are popping champaigneloooool it must be really desperate times indeed because i dont think christians even notice or acknowledge the millions who have converted to christianity from islam

it is obvious you dont since the spiritual nature of their conversion is none that u care for but the economic gains thereof.

u never noticed but are aware of their number

deols:

it is obvious you dont since the spiritual nature of their conversion is none that u care for but the economic gains thereof.

u never noticed but are aware of their number

well then talking about the spiritual nature of conversions what ll you say then to the hundreds of thousands of muslims converting to christianity in nigeria/africa then in spite of the persecution,bombings killings?
go to iraq and see how iraqi christians are being persecuted by your brethren,13 just got executed or about to yet more are converting to christianity, same as egypt even somalia pakistan e.t.c now tell me the spiritual implication of that for your dying religion

omdays,you still around

GODSON2009:

a handful of women convert to islam and you gys are popping champaigneloooool it must be really desperate times indeed because i dont think christians even notice or acknowledge the millions who have converted to christianity from islam

GODSON2009:

well then talking about the spiritual nature of conversions what ll you say then to the hundreds of thousands of muslims converting to christianity in nigeria/africa then in spite of the persecution,bombings killings?
go to iraq and see how iraqi christians are being persecuted by your brethren,13 just got executed or about to yet more are converting to christianity, same as egypt even somalia pakistan e.t.c now tell me the spiritual implication of that for your dying religion

i dont think the german priest that burnt himself to death to protest the spread of islam in germany would agree with you.the spread of islam is a reality in the western world.as for christianity and muslims converting,i dont know where you got your numbers from.


even if i may agree with you for argument's sake that "islam is a dying religion",you must really agree with me that christianity is a dead religion.it has died centuries ago when christians in europe broke free and rejected everything religious.

I live in the west,

Yea, Islam is growing in leaps and bounds , It is amazing!!

Inspite of negative publicity and all

All i can say is Alhamdulilah,

Salam

Funny revert story, lol Alhamdulilah

Part 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7a7ywCJ65Y&feature=related

Part 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0Wl0W1ou1g&feature=related

@tbaba
Jazakumullahu Khairan.

Great revert story, he puts a lot of jokes in between, but at the same time his story is really a good one. The best part is how he was convinced by Allah to convert. I m certainly forwarding this video to by brothers.