Unfortunately for ‘western Muslim converts’, it may be difficult to practise Islam, if they constantly look and care at what the media thinks.
Unfortunately for ‘western Muslim converts’, it may be difficult to practise Islam, if they constantly look and care at what the media thinks.
There have been huge misunderstandings that have been created by the leading powerhouse in the west and the media, that has forced ‘potential Muslims’ to question why Islam is the one religion that is spread by using force and has supposedly been spread by the sword thousands of years back. This misconception needs to be discussed in order to clarify to the ‘potential Muslims’ that Islam thrives upon creating a harmonious society that attracts many non-Muslims into the fold of Islam, simply because it makes sense.
What does Islam mean?
It is quite clear that the definition of Islam means peace as it comes from the Arabic triliteral root word of (س ل م) which means peace and total submission. Therefore, a Muslim cannot terrorise any human being no matter what race, colour, gender or ethnicity because it goes against the fundamental belief of peace. According to the Pew Research Centre in 2015, “There were 1.8 billion Muslims in the world as of 2015 – roughly 24% of the global population” [1] and the figure seems to be increasing alongside the rise of Islamophobia.
Unfortunately for ‘western Muslim converts’, it may be difficult to practise Islam, if they constantly look and care at what the media thinks. However, if in your heart you are sincere about your faith, there will not be any problem with practising the fastest growing religion. There is nothing wrong with the religion, so why shouldn’t they practise it openly? The media will always belittle Islam and the Muslim community because – supposedly – it is a power struggle, they feel that scrutinising Muslims and causing wreckage and disunity within the community, will give them the control that they deserve. Truth – as we all know – will prevail and it seems Islam will conquer this predicament as more people discover the reality.
“We will show them our signs in the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that it is the truth.” – (Al-Quran 41:53)
How a revert views Islam
A recent example of a western convert is Krisitiane Backer, a presenter on MTV Europe, who decided that although she was living the high life interviewing celebrities on the red carpet, she still felt like something was missing.
“It was a dilemma for me at that time; I was on stage with 70 000 person cheering, and it was as if I was on a cloud. But I felt lonely.”
It seems that even in this day and age we still need spirituality to feel connected to the one who created this life and in turn, every human has an ultimate purpose. The moment Barker was introduced to Islam was on her trip to Pakistan and it was in fact cricketer Imran Khan who played Sufi music that brought her to Islam. But not just that, Kristiane saw how content Pakistanis were, despite their “miserable conditions” and that really made her think about the generosity of their culture. She found out that all Muslims she had met were looking to better themselves and it was faith that inspired them to spend time and even money to fulfil their aspirations and goals. Knowing that Islam values women by their character rather than their physical appearance were something that inspired her and she even went on to say that ‘Islam changed my life’. I end this article on a very positive note from Kristiane:
“What a liberation it is to worship nothing but God, not money, not fame, not fashion.”
