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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.
quote:Originally posted by karemo7: 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."
I have no idea who Lauren Booth is, but if she wants people to stop being patronizing and starting to take Muslim converts seriously, it would be a good idea to stop being patronizing herself and not assume all "Westerners" are stupid and ignorant.
quote:Originally posted by karemo7: 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
Oh wow, now that makes perfect sense.
quote:Originally posted by karemo7: 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."
Alhamdullilah, seems she found a reasonable sheikh. I would be curious to hear though what her experiences will be when the initial euphoria wears off and she'll encounter *well-meaning* sisters and brothers telling her you must do this, wear that, have your hair like this, and don't dare following your instincts because the scholars know better, and don't follow the holy Qur'an because there are thousand of ahadeeth that are just as important. And don't dare using your own brain, but follow the majority instead …
Posts: 2803 | Registered: Feb 2007
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Lauren Booth is Tony Blair's sister in law. She is the half sister of his wife.
Posts: 4476 | From: Scotland | Registered: Mar 2006
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To be honest I don't think it is. She's given some interviews here but she is not that well known. It was just news because of who she is related to.
Posts: 4476 | From: Scotland | Registered: Mar 2006
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How hard and callous non-Muslim friends and colleagues began to seem.
Oh. Yeah. Right.
And I am told this view is held by many Muslims, and I was told recently by one of these that the only reason I help the poor is to trick them into liking me.
Posts: 1399 | From: alexandria | Registered: Jan 2002
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I'm glad that she feels happiness in Islam. However, se hasn't finished the Quran, so what happens if she then reads something in it that she morally does not agree with, or will she just ignore what her head thinks and believe regardless because she has chosen to come what may? I have never understood how people convert/say they belong to a certain religion when they haven't read the religions holy book. Without reading that, are you not just judging a religion on the followers which we are so often told not to do?
-------------------- Another one.... Posts: 2573 | From: England | Registered: Jun 2008
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Lauren Booth: I'm now a Muslim. Why all the shock and horror?
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im really Really happy for u . keep going further and further in reading and understanding Islam and Quraan.
dont let any one make u feel down.
people here will keep saying WHAT IF ( and expect bad things )
But i say WHAT IF u recognize that every thing mentioned in Quraan and Islam Logic to ur mind.
i say yes if it was against ur morals and u see it changes u to better then dont hesitate to change urself to better. im not saying that u were bad . but no one is perfect. may be u were 98% good person .what if Islam will make u 100% good person.
wish u all the best in ur new life Posts: 305 | From: egypt | Registered: Jul 2008
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Alhamdullilah, seems she found a reasonable sheikh. [Smile] I would be curious to hear though what her experiences will be when the initial euphoria wears off and she'll encounter *well-meaning* sisters and brothers telling her you must do this, wear that, have your hair like this, and don't dare following your instincts because the scholars know better, and don't follow the holy Qur'an because there are thousand of ahadeeth that are just as important. And don't dare using your own brain, but follow the majority instead
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i think she knew that people will try to help her telling her what to do. also shaikh told her that to follow her instinct so dont need u to tell her what to do and make her down Dalia.
just leave her to do what she believes in.
look people that Dalia talking about are the same like Dalia so dont listen to them as u r not going to listen to Dalia and listen only to ur instinct and Quraan and the teaches of Islam.
Posts: 305 | From: egypt | Registered: Jul 2008
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At the same time, I have felt the highs of finishing a project that you know will help someone who otherwise would not have been helped. Seeing the smile on the face of a fisherman, who, having lost everything due to natural disaster, WOW Gold Kaufen has been given his livelihood back in the Aion Gold of a new fishing boat. Raising enough money (a relative pittance in western measures) to be able to build a school for very needy children in the mountains devastated by earthquakes. Helping hand out rations of food to Buy WOW Gold in tent camps and seeing little boys and girls carry their weight in food back to their WOW Power Leveling.
Posts: 3 | Registered: Nov 2010
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