Thursday, November 04, 2010

She's A Muslim Now. Deal With It

Here's a story of an English woman who converted to Islam. No big deal, right? Wrong...it seems that Lauren Booth has been getting crap from her friends and other people since her conversion.

With all that we have in our borderless world today, you'd think that people will be a little more informed, educated and, well accepting.

Prejudice, bigotry and phobia transcend literacy and education. You can be the most educated person, but if you have prejudices, you will not be able to see, you will continue to be blind.

So, here's Lauren -- journalist, columnist, activist and now a Muslim - talking about what's it been like for her.

"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."

Continue reading HERE.


23 comments:

Anonymous said...

If she converted to Huduism, Buddhism or even other Christian sect, do you think she would be critised ?

I would like to share an article on her in - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1325231/Why-I-love-Islam-Lauren-Booth-defiantly-explains-Muslim.html

- the last few lines
========
Their final question, though, took me aback. "Will you have your breasts out in public now you are a Muslim?

What??

It seems they’d both been embarrassed by my plunging shirts and tops and had cringed on the school run at my pallid cleavage. Perhaps in hindsight I should have cringed as well.

"Now that I'm Muslim" I said, "I will never have my breasts out in public again."

"We love Islam" they cheered and went off to play. And I love Islam too.
========

Nani Cheras

Anonymous said...

What about Lina Joy?? She is a Catholic. Deal with it!!

Anonymous said...

we are always told that conversion is a choice. but is it, really? i sense a struggle as well when some moslems, in accepting that freedom to choose extends to non-moslems to embrace islam, finds it tough to accept that it should be the case for moslems to embrace other religions as well.

moslems who feel this way need to take a long hard look at themselves and understand why she gets flak for conversion.

farha

Anonymous said...

Yes we should deal with it.At least she will not be killed for converting to islam by those who despise her .What about the threath of death to those converting out of islam.Can the muslims deal with that .

Anonymous said...

Yes we should deal with it.At least she will not be killed for converting to islam by those who despise her .What about the threath of death to those converting out of islam.Can the muslims deal with that .

Old Fart said...

Nice to know you have accepted the conversions of Lina Joy and others too. I presume you too have dealt with it!!

So when will you be asking our own to deal with the likes of Lina Joy and others?

Old Fart said...

And, oh, she is Tony Blair's sister-in-law, by the way. Sister of Cherrie Booth!!

Miz Lavender said...

There's a story on Tony Blair's sister-in-law who converted Islam recently.
I hope the British newspapers will interview her.

nstman said...

I dont think anybody in their right mind will question anybody who wants to convert to Islam. But this is different. People are questioning her motives given her background and connections. Many believe she is using the world's least understood religion to gain maximum publicity. You know, these mat sallehs, especially the well=heeled bored socialites and disfigured botox-ridden freaks, will do anything to steal the limelight. It's chic, it's avant garde, and of course, sensational. By the way, dont be surprised if this woman embraces hinduism or buddhism once boredom sets in.

Anonymous said...

I'm a Muslim, and I don't blame those people who are prejudiced towards Islam. I blame the Muslim world for screwing up the religion, letting clown/clerics with blinkers and chauvinistic views represent us. At least that's what the non-Muslim world perceives it to be, which greatly contributed to Islamophobia...

Over in the Middle East, the so-called 'first Muslims' with all their wealth and claims to be the cradle of civilisation, are not united themselves, filled with MCPigs who treat women and sandals as equal. Despite being theoretically the wealthiest people for eternity (thanks to the black gold), they can't even protect each other, while a teeny weeny Jewish state b**tch-slaps everybody all the time.

Hey, I have nothing against that state. Like I said, Muslims should blame themselves for letting things fester. It's gangrenous now...


- Azlan.

Anonymous said...

funny thing is they dont have a church is mekkah, but they is a mosque in Rome. Funny thing is the crime of coming out of christianity, is not death, but how bout Islam? Funny thing is who are these UNNAMED columist, she claims are up in arms? Funny thing is I'm only a 9 year old girl and I feel safe, nobody up from the sky will come and do me. Now deal with that NURAINA.

I'm no CHILD ABUSER!!!!

Unknown said...

..I envy her..

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

anon@10:50AM,

this posting is not about Lina Joy.
thank you.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

anon@3:22PM: poor poor you. you sure look like you have a problem.

wajaperak said...

Lina Joy?..It wont be long before you realizes a name is just a name..that joy is just a name..

old fart..in a sense you are old..but the fart is everlasting..

wajaperak

Anonymous said...

nstman said...

She is using the world's least understood religion to gain maximum publicity...

Total Muslim Population is 1.82 billion in year 2009. That many people understood what Islam is all about, except for you, MAYBE?

DRAGON GOD

Anonymous said...

I've been getting crap especially from my Muslims friends after I `converted' from a free hair professional to a purdah wearing housewife.
Among them are friends who stop calling or message . And those who invite you to their functions out of coutesy , but wish you would not attend.
For Allah's sake, these trivial idiocracies are easily ignored.

hijab

Bingai @ Bangang said...

Puan Nur,
Kisah mualaf yang dihina bukan perkara baru malah pernah berlaku terhadap teman saya sendiri. Cara mudah menenangkannya ialah dengan berkata "Anda seorang muslim yang diIslamkan dengan bersaksi dan diijabkan kerana kerelaan hati anda. Orang Muslim yang lahir sebagai Muslim sendiri belum tentu ikhlas dengan anutannya. Jadi, siapa yang lebih muslim?"

Aku Yang Bingai
Cerai Sebab Takut Bini di Tendang Terajang

charleskiwi said...

Did she become a muslim because of her faith in Islam ? Also how come Iranians and Indonesians can be Catholic or christians just to name a two countries ? When in Malaysia a Malay cannot ?

Samuel Goh Kim Eng said...

ACCEPTING RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

When everyone advocates and believes in religious freedom
Then there'll be no hang-ups over what anyone believes in
Since it's between believer and his own Lord's kingdom
One can freely choose what to drink at the religious inn

(C) Samuel Goh Kim Eng - 051110
http://MotivationInMotion.blogspot.com
Fri. 5th Nov.2010.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

charleskiwi: because it is against the law. malays in this country are constitutionally muslims and are subject to the syariah.

that is why when a malay wants to give up the religion, he or she has to go to the courts to renounce it. which, as we all have seen, is not easy. but that is the law. so, that is what you have to do if you want to renounce islam.

that is why it is something everyone is trying to deal with -- legally, lawfully, whatever have you -- because in the past, there were no such cases.

that is why issues of civil rights and liberties and human rights have come up with regards to this.

i think as a country matures, it will have to deal with these kind of things.

anyway, you sound angry and accusing.

NURAINA A SAMAD said...

samuel: indeed i agree.

charleskiwi said...

Thank you very much for your kind explanation and I was just trying to show what kind of Islam that we that in Malaysia.
Regardless of how many and for how long the people are fighting against the imposing you must agree with me that they are not muslims.
Isn't there a rule in Islam that all muslims must be controlled by a body in the Islamic body. How can't Malaysia be an exception and still call themselves muslims ?