How 100,000 Britons have chosen to become Muslim... and average convert is 27-year-old white woman
By Jack Doyle- About 5,200 people in UK adopted faith last year alone
The figure has almost doubled in ten years – with the average convert now a 27-year-old white woman fed up with British consumerism and immorality.
The numbers, revealed in a study by multi-faith group Faith Matters, have led to claims that the country is undergoing a process of ‘Islamification’.
The survey of converts revealed nearly two
thirds were women, more than 70 per cent were white and the average age
at conversion was just 27.
But the organisation’s report argued that most converts saw their religion as ‘perfectly compatible’ with living in Britain.It said: ‘Converts do not represent a devious fifth column determined to undermine the Western way of life – this is a group of normal people united in their adherence to a religion which they, for the most part, see as perfectly compatible with Western life.’
Convert: Lauren Booth, the sister-in-law of
former Prime Minister Tony Blair, attracted a lot of publicity when she
announced she had adopted the Islamic faith last year
In 2001, there were an estimated 60,000 Muslim converts in Britain. Since then, the country has seen the spread of violent Islamist extremism and terror plots, including the July 7 bombings.
Converts who have turned to terror include Nicky Reilly, who tried to blow up a restaurant in Bristol with a nail bomb, shoe bomber Richard Reid and July 7 bomber Germaine Lindsay.
But the report said the number of converts sucked into extremism represented a ‘very small minority’.
The survey, conducted by Kevin Brice from Swansea University, asked converts for their views on the negative aspects of British culture.
They identified alcohol and drunkenness, a ‘lack of morality and sexual permissiveness’, and ‘unrestrained consumerism’.
More than one in four accepted there was a ‘natural conflict’ between being a devout Muslim and living in the UK. Nine out of ten women converts said their change of religion had led to them dressing more conservatively. More than half started wearing a head scarf and 5 per cent had worn the burka.
More than half also said they experienced difficulties after converting because of negative attitudes among their family.
Last year Lauren Booth, sister-in-law of former prime minister Tony Blair, attracted widespread publicity when she announced that she had converted to Islam.
Daniel Streich Embraces Islam
Swiss Politician Bans Minarets then Converts to Islam
The Swiss politician Daniel Streich, who rose to fame as a result of his
opposition to mosques in his homeland, has now embraced the faith he
reviled.
Daniel Streich was a member of then Swiss People's Party (SVP) in
Switzerland. A well-known politician, Streich led the calls for a ban on minarets across Switzerland.
He was active in building anti-Muslim sentiments throughout
Switzerland. This sustained campaign led to him being given a high
ranking position in the Swiss Army.SVP Witch Hunt
Streich left the SVP in November 2009 calling his party's campaign against Islam as a 'witch hunt.' The date coincided with the second anniversary of Streich's conversion which he had kept secret from the party.With the party's campaign to ban minarets leading to a referendum, Streich said the situation had become unbearable for him.
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Wayne Parnell
Wayne Dillon Parnell (born 30 July 1989 in Port Elizabeth) is a cricketer who plays Tests, One Day International and Twenty20 matches for South Africa. At domestic level he plays for the Warriors having previously represented Eastern Province, he has also played county cricket for Kent. In 2010, Parnell was signed by the Delhi Daredevils for the 2010 Indian Premier League, in 2011 he joined the Pune Warriors.
Conversion to Islam
On July 28, 2011 Parnell announced that he has converted to Islam. His new first name after converting to Islam is Waleed, although he will keep his middle name and surname. He converted to Islam in January 2011, after a period of personal study. Parnell confirmed that he will "continue to respect the team's endorsement of alcoholic beverages." Parnell also confirmed that his team-mates Hashim Amla and Imran Tahir along with team manager Mohammad Moosajee had no influence over his decision to convert to Islam. [2
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European man explains
why he converted to Islam
October 30, 2010 | 8:46 am
Why would a left-leaning young man from one of the world's most secular and liberal countries choose to become a pious Muslim?
The 34-year old Swedish music teacher from Stockholm, who asked that his last name not be published, attempted to explain his decision, describing it as the culmination of a long journey searching for faith and him solidifying his religious beliefs that he couldn’t always place.
“I have never doubted my faith," he told Babylon & Beyond while on a recent visit to Beirut. "It feels like I've had the same faith all the time but it feels so cleanly formulated in Islam."
For Malcolm, becoming a Muslim gave him a connection to others in a country where identity is not always clean-cut.
"I feel very comfortable as a Muslim.... We’re social creatures and we want to feel a sense of belonging," he said. "If it’s not a clan it’s a nation or a soccer team. For me it’s nice to have a belonging which is not a nation or a football team."
Growing up in predominantly Protestant Sweden, Malcolm's doubts about his faith lingered as he got older.
He started to study different religions and read philosophy texts. He felt drawn to Islam and fascinated by its teachings, especially to what he says is the religion's focus on seeking knowledge.
He used the Internet to learn about Islam and the Koran, dedicating many hours in front of his computer learning how to recite the Koran and memorizing its chapters.
Malcolm wasn't the only member of his family who embraced Islam. His brother, too, became a Muslim.
The day he "officially" became a Muslim some three years ago will be forever ingrained in his memory.
He had attended Friday prayer service in the grand mosque of Stockholm, when after the program an Imam reached for the microphone and called out in the loudspeakers before the jampacked crowd: “Now, we have a brother here who will say the Shahada,” the Muslim declaration of belief.
The room became quiet as the blond-haired, blue-eyed Swede got up from his seat and started to read out the text alongside the imam in Arabic. From a stand above in the women’s section, his Muslim wife was watching him.
“It felt big. When it was over everyone came up to hug and congratulate me ... one guy from Morocco gave me a kaftan as a gift," Malcolm said.
Since then, then 34-year old strictly observed the rules of Islam. There is no more pork on his dinner plate or drinking of alcohol, no gambling in casinos on the weekends. During the holy month of Ramadan, he fasts. Whenever he can, he attends Friday prayer service at a mosque.
His brother, he said, observered Islam even more strictly.
What's the appeal? In part, Malcolm said, Islam fits in well with his left-wing views. "In that sense, Islam fits me really well," he said. "I am completely against capitalism."
As a Muslim living in Europe, Malcolm is also concerned about what he and others see as the bashing of Islam in the region as acted out in French burka bans, a Swiss decree to ban the building of minarets and the rise of far-right political parties in several European nations.
In September, Sweden made international headlines when it voted the far-right anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats party into Parliament. Members of the party have called Islam “un-Swedish” and said that Muslims should be driven out of Sweden with a policy of “sticks and carrots.”
-- Alexandra Sandels in Beirut
Photo: Malcolm, a 34-year old Swedish music teacher, converted to Islam a couple of years ago. ------------------------------------------------
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Why ARE so Many Modern British Career Women Converting to Islam?
November 4, 2010
By Eve Ahmed
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| Changing values: Camilla Leyland, 32, pictured in Western and Muslim dress, converted to Islam in her mid-20s for ‘intellectual and feminist reasons’ |
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.
The turning point for Kristiane came when she met and briefly dated the former Pakistani cricketer and Muslim Imran Khan in 1992 during the height of her career. He took her to Pakistan where she says she was immediately touched by spirituality and the warmth of the people.
Kristiane says: ‘Though our relationship didn’t last, I began to study the Muslim faith and eventually converted. Because of the nature of my job, I’d been out interviewing rock stars, travelling all over the world and following every trend, yet I’d felt empty inside. Now, at last, I had contentment because Islam had given me a purpose in life.’
‘In the West, we are stressed for superficial reasons, like what clothes to wear. In Islam, everyone looks to a higher goal. Everything is done to please God. It was a completely different value system.
‘In the West, we are stressed for superficial reasons, like what clothes to wear. In Islam, everyone looks to a higher goal. Everything is done to please God’
‘Despite my lifestyle, I felt empty inside and realised how liberating it was to be a Muslim. To follow only one god makes life purer. You are not chasing every fad.
‘I grew up in Germany in a not very religious Protestant family. I drank and I partied, but I realised that we need to behave well now so we have a good after-life. We are responsible for our own actions.’
For a significant amount of women, their first contact with Islam comes from dating a Muslim boyfriend. Lynne Ali, 31, from Dagenham in Essex, freely admits to having been ‘a typical white hard-partying teenager’.
She says: ‘I would go out and get drunk with friends, wear tight and revealing clothing and date boys.
‘I also worked part-time as a DJ, so I was really into the club scene. I used to pray a bit as a Christian, but I used God as a sort of doctor, to fix things in my life. If anyone asked, I would’ve said that, generally, I was happy living life in the fast lane.’
But when she met her boyfriend, Zahid, at university, something dramatic happened.
She says: ‘His sister started talking to me about Islam, and it was as if everything in my life fitted into place. I think, underneath it all, I must have been searching for something, and I wasn’t feeling fulfilled by my hard-drinking party lifestyle.’
Lynne converted aged 19. ‘From that day, I started wearing the hijab,’ she explains, ‘and I now never show my hair in public. At home, I’ll dress in normal Western clothes in front of my husband, but never out of the house.’
With a recent YouGov survey concluding that more than half the British public believe Islam to be a negative influence that encourages extremism, the repression of women and inequality, one might ask why any of them would choose such a direction for themselves.
Yet statistics suggest Islamic conversion is not a mere flash in the pan but a significant development. Islam is, after all, the world’s fastest growing religion, and white adopters are an important part of that story.
‘Evidence suggests that the ratio of Western women converts to male could be as high as 2:1,’ says Kevin Brice.
Moreover, he says, often these female ¬converts are eager to display the visible signs of their faith — in particular the hijab — whereas many Muslim girls brought up in the faith choose not to.
‘Perhaps as a result of these actions, which tend to draw attention, white Muslims often report greater amounts of discrimination against them than do born Muslims,’ adds Brice, which is what happened to Kristiane Backer.
She says: ‘In Germany, there is Islamophobia. I lost my job when I converted. There was a Press campaign against me with insinuations about all Muslims supporting terrorists — I was vilified. Now, I am a presenter on NBC Europe.
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| Ex-MTV Presenter Kristiane Backer with Mick Jagger in the late Eighties. |
‘I call myself a European Muslim, which is different to the ‘born’ Muslim. I was married to one, a Moroccan, but it didn’t work because he placed restrictions on me because of how he’d been brought up. As a European Muslim, I question everything — I don’t accept blindly.
‘But what I love is the hospitality and the warmth of the Muslim community. London is the best place in Europe for Muslims, there is wonderful Islamic culture here and I am very happy.’
For some converts, Islam represents a celebration of old-fashioned family values.
‘Some are drawn to the sense of belonging and of community — values which have eroded in the West,’ says Haifaa Jawad, a senior lecturer at the University of Birmingham, who has studied the white conversion phenomenon.
 | |
| Escape route: Former DJ Lynne Ali is happy to pray five times a day.Liberating: Kristiane Backer says being a Muslim makes her life purer. |  |
‘Many people, from all walks of life, mourn the loss in today’s society of traditional respect for the elderly and for women, for example. These are values which are enshrined in the Koran, which Muslims have to live by,’ adds Brice.
It is values like these which drew Camilla Leyland, 32, a yoga teacher who lives in Cornwall, to Islam. A single mother to daughter, Inaya, two, she converted in her mid-20s for ‘intellectual and feminist reasons’.
She explains: ‘I know people will be surprised to hear the words “feminism” and “Islam” in the same breath, but in fact, the teachings of the Koran give equality to women, and at the time the religion was born, the teachings went against the grain of a misogynistic society.
‘The big mistake people make is by confusing culture with religion. Yes, there are Muslim cultures which do not allow women individual freedom, yet when I was growing up, I felt more oppressed by Western society.’
She talks of the pressure on women to act like men by drinking and having casual sex. ‘There was no real meaning to it all. In Islam, if you begin a relationship, that is a commitment of intent.’
Growing up in Southampton — her father was the director of Southampton Institute of Education and her mother a home economics teacher — Camilla’s interest in Islam began at school.
She went to university and later took a Masters degree in Middle East Studies. But it was while living and working in Syria that she had a spiritual epiphany. Reflecting on what she’d read in the Koran, she realised she wanted to convert.
Her decision was met with bemusement by friends and family.
‘People found it so hard to believe that an educated, middle-class white woman would choose to become Muslim,’ she says.
While Camilla’s faith remains strong, she no longer wears the hijab in public. But several of the women I spoke to said strict Islamic dress was something they found empowering and liberating.
Lynne Ali remembers the night this hit home for her. ‘I went to an old friend’s 21st birthday party in a bar,’ she reveals. ‘I walked in, wearing my hijab and modest clothing, and saw how everyone else had so much flesh on display. They were drunk, slurring their words and dancing provocatively.
‘For the first time, I could see my former life with an outsider’s eyes, and I knew I could never go back to that.
‘I am so grateful I found my escape route. This is the real me — I am happy to pray five times a day and take classes at the mosque. I am no longer a slave to a broken society and its expectations.’
Kristiane Backer, who has written a book on her own spiritual journey, called From MTV To Mecca, believes the new breed of modern, independent Muslims can band together to show the world that Islam is not the faith I grew up in — one that stamps on the rights of women.
She says: ‘I know women born Muslims who became disillusioned and rebelled against it. When you dig deeper, it’s not the faith they turned against, but the culture.
‘Rules like marrying within the same sect or caste and education being less important for girls, as they should get married anyway —– where does it say that in the Koran? It doesn’t.
‘Many young Muslims have abandoned the “fire and brimstone” version they were born into have re-discovered a more spiritual and intellectual approach, that’s free from the cultural dogmas of the older generation. That’s how I intend to spend my life, showing the world the beauty of the true Islam.’
While I don’t agree with their sentiments, I admire and respect the women I interviewed for this piece.
They were all bright and educated, and have thought long and hard before choosing to convert to Islam — and now feel passionately about their adopted religion. Good luck to them. And good luck to Lauren Booth. But it’s that word that sums up the difference between their experience and mine — choice.
Perhaps if I’d felt in control rather than controlled, if I’d felt empowered rather than stifled, I would still be practising the religion I was born into, and would not carry the burden of guilt that I do about rejecting my father’s faith.
Daily Mail-----------------------------------------------------------------
A Hindu who demolished Babari Masjid Converted to
Islam and is now Constructing Masajid every year on
06 December.
Islam and is now Constructing Masajid every year on
06 December.
DEMOLITION OF BABRI MOSQUE MIRACLE THAT CHANGED HINDU EXTREMISTS TO MUSLIMS.
Written by Admin
Saturday, 17 January 2009
DEMOLITION OF BABRI MOSQUE ─ MIRACLE THAT CHANGED HINDU EXTREMISTS TO MUSLIMS.
The demolition of the Babri Mosque in Ayodhiya, India by Hindu extremists on December 6, 1992 is a well-known tragic event in recent Indian history. Two of the most ardent extremists who took part ─ Balbir Singh of Shiva Sena's (Hindu extremist organisation) Youth Flying Squad; and Yogender Pal ─ have BECOME MUSLIMS; taking the names of Mohamed Aamir and Mohamed Omar respectively, after a most shocking tragedy which befell them! (What the tragedy was, is a long account; refer to the book for details).
As atonement for the sin committed by them (demolition of the Babri Mosque) one of them ─ Bro.Mohamed Omar ─ has taken an oath that he would build 100 mosques in villages where there are no mosques; and the other ─ Bro.Mohamed Aamir ─ has vowed that he would renovate 100 mosques that are in dilapidated condition. Till December 2004, Bro.Mohamed Omar has built 20 new mosques; while Bro.Mohamed Aamir has renovated 13 mosques.
Their aim: to complete at least 1 new mosque; and renovate at least 1 dilapidated mosque by 6th December each year.
Their message: If the Muslims had done their duty ─ explaining to non-Muslims about Islam and the sanctity of mosques ─ the most heart-breaking tragedy of demolition of Babri Mosque would not have happened. Those members of Shiva Sena, Bajrangdal (Hindu extremist organisation) and others, who took part in the demolition of Babri Mosque, do not know anything about Islam; nor about Muslims, Al-Quran, and the sanctity of mosques. If we had known then, things would have been different: no demolition of the mosque would have occurred.
If only Pal Thackery, Vinay Kattiyar, Uma Barathi, Asoksingh Kal (all leaders of Hindu extremists organisation in India) had known the truth in Islam, they would have realised that Islam is their religion also; and that it is necessary for them too; and each of them would have taken it as his duty to rebuild the Babri Mosque at his own expense.
(Extract from 'Why We Become Muslims' published in Tamil by 'Shariath Peravai' of Tamil Nadu, India)
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6th December 1992 : Balbir Singh, Vice president Shiv Sena Youth Wing leads the demolition squad and becomes the first person to strike his pickaxe against the central Dome of Babri Masjid. Within minutes the whole structure is razed to ground.
25th June 1993 : Balbir Singh takes rebirth as Mohammad Aamir when he embraces Islam (Al-hamdu Lillah) having lived lives and experienced psyches poles apart from each other. Mohammad Aamir admonishes the Muslim Ummah about their responsibilities and is trying his utmost to awaken them from the slumber they are in.
Master Mohammad Aamir (former Balbir Singh) gives in this write-up( Part-I) a detailed account of his sensational phase of life beginning from affiliations with the Shiv Sena Youth Wing to his ultimate reversion to Islam, as narrated to Ahmad Awah of Armugan-i-Waliullah, Phulat, U.P.
I COME FROM A VILLAGE OF district Panipat in Haryana. Born in a Rajput family on 6th December 1970, I was named Balbir Singh. My father in addition to being an honourable farmer was headmaster in the primary school. A good human being at heart his religion was philanthropy. Cruelty in any form and against anyone was just unbearable for him. He was an eye witness to the communal roits of 1947 and would talk about these with a heavy heart. He considered the massacre of Muslims (during the partition and riots following that) a blot on the face of India and was always on the forefront in rehabilitating the remaining Muslims. Muslim children in the school and their education was his special concern. I did my matriculation from the local high school and got admission for my intermediate in Panipat.
Joining the Shiva Sena
Panipat is a strong hold of Shiva Sena perhaps second only to Mumbai. The youth and the people associated with schools are very much linked to Shive Sena. I came across some Shiva Sainks and ultimately got enrolled in Panipat branch of the Sena. Owing to the historical position of Panipat, the youth there are poisoned against Muslims especially Babar and other Muslim rulers. When my father came to know that I had joined Shive Sena he tried to advise me and explain the situation from historical perspective. He would relate the stories of justice and unbiased treatment meted out by Babur and Aurangzeib towards their non-Muslim subject. He would explain that the British distorted the history and made us fight each other and weaken the nation. In light of the communal roits and massacres of 1947 he tried his utmost to keep me away from Shive Sena, but I wouldn’t listen.
I was entrusted with special responsibilities during 1990 Rath Yatra of L.K. Advani. During the Rath Yatra our leaders poisoned us against Muslims and the hatred against the community was at its climax. I swore by Shivaji “Come what may, I will go alone and demolish the bloody structure at the site of Ram Mandir”.
As a reward for my services during Rath Yatra I was elevated to the position of Vice President Shive Sena Youth Wing. I took charge of my young team and reached Ayodhia on 30th October. Enroute police stopped us at Faizabad. I along with some of my friends escaped from police and reached Ayodhiya but it was too late. The situation had got out of control and police had resorted to firing. Consequently Babri Masjid was sealed off. After trying so hard I could not reach Babri Masjid, my hatred for Muslims was out of bounds. I would repeatedly tell my companions “better to die than live like this. How unjust! Ram’s servants be shot at, right at Rams birth place and that too because of these bloody Arab pirates”. I was infuriated and wanted to go to Lucknow to shoot Mulayim Singh with my own hands. Roits were going on in the country and I was restless waiting for the moment when I could demolish Babri Masjid with my own hands.
Raizing the Babri Masjid
Day by day the unfortunate moment was approaching, which I considered a “moment of bliss” at that time. I took many of my hot headed friends with me and reached Ayodya well in advance on 1st December 1992. Yoginder Pal a young man from a Jat village of Sonipat was with me. He was my best friend. His father was a farmer and philanthropist too. In addition to his father, his uncle too had tried hard to stop their lone son from going to Ayodhiya, but to no avail.
The night before 6th December 1992, we had reached very close to the Babri Masjid and spent the night on the roof tops of the Muslim houses adjacent to the Babri Masjid. I had apprehensions that we might be stopped from the sacred mission like 30th October 1990. In the heart of my hearts, I was thinking of proceding for Kar Seva even if our leaders didn’t turn up, but our group leader stopped us and insisted on maintaining discipline. Oma Bharti’s speech turned the Kar Sevaks volatile. During her speech I along with Yoginder Pal came down from the roof of the house and ascended the roof of the Babri Masjid, with a spade in my hand. Oma Bharti shouted “Dhaka Aik aur doo, Babri Masjid tood doo” (one more blow, raze the Babri Masjid). That was it. I was seeing my dream coming true. I struck the central dome of Babri Masjid with a mighty blow of my spade coupled with an ear deafening shout; “Baghwan Ram Ki Jai”. Within minutes the job was over. Babri Masjid was no more there. With the mission accomplished our joy was boundless. After placing the statues of Ram there, we paid our respects and returned home happily taking with us two bricks of the Babri Masjid which I displayed to my friends in Panipat. My friends would praise me for my outstanding achievement. The bricks were placed in Shive Sena office and a gathering was organized to celebrate the event. Every one would praise me in his speech and the feeling of the pride, that in service of Ramji it was a youth of Panipat who struck his spade first on Babri Masjid, was running high.
My family disowns me
I proudly related this at my home. My father felt displeased and saddened and declared in no ambiguous words “Now you and me, both can not live in this home. If you live here I am going, otherwise you have got to leave. I do not want to see one who demolished Lord’s house. Do not show me your face till I die”. This was unexpected. I tried to make him understand and tried to explain the position of respect which I had achieved in Panipat. His reaction was that the nation was destined to doom owing to such exploiters and in a state of extreme anger he started to move out of the home. I sensed the gravity of the situation and volunteered to abandon the home where the servants of Ram Temple were called oppressors. So I left my home to live in Panipat.
My friend turns insane!
Yoginder Pal, my friend, announced that a couple of bricks of the brutal structure that stood at the place of Ram Temple are in our possession. My (Hindu) brethren are invited to express their faith by urinating the bricks. Every one would come and in utter contempt would take part in the nasty act of urinating on the bricks. The Lord of mosque was acting in His own way. Four or five days later Yoginder Pal experienced a total mental breakdown. In the state of complete lunacy he would tear down all his clothes. Being the lone son of honorable land lord the situation was turning disgusting. During these fits of madness he would time and again try to take off the clothes of his mother. He would cling to her and repeatedly attempted and demanded to commit incest with her.
Muslim Clerics Help
The family especially his father got extremely worried. They took him to many Muslim clerics, prayed for Lord’s forgiveness and would offer alms but Yoginder tried to molest his mother and only neighbours could save her after she cried for help. In order to keep the situation under control Yoginder was chained and his father decided to shoot him instead of risking the honour of the family. Just before he could put his plan in action some one suggested him to see the senior cleric (Molvi Sahab) in the Madrasa of Sonipat Eidgah. “Just see him once and if the situation doesn’t improve then you can do as you please” suggested the adviser. Chowdhry Ragubir Singh took his son Yoginder Pal to Sonipat, Eidgah but the cleric (Molvi Sb.) had left the day before. He was told that the cleric visits the school on 1st of every month for one day. Disappointed he started looking for the local cleric only to know that he too had left with senior one. A shopkeeper from the Eidgah gave him the address of cleric in Delhi and informed him that the cleric is coming to his residence Boowana,Delhi the following Wednesday. Along with chained Yoginder, Chowdhary Ragubir Singh heads for Boowana. The cleric of Boowana Mosque was a disciple of Molvi Kalim Sidiqi Sahib. The cleric informed Chowdhary that owing to the tight schedule Molvi Kalim Sidiqi Sahib has not been able to fulfil the desire of his friends to come to Boowana for a long time. But this time he has promised to be here (in Boowana) at Zuhar prayer after his two day trip in the area. The cleric of Boowana added that owing to the tense situation most of the clerics (Imams) and teachers had gone to their families in UP and many had not shown up even after a month. Molvi Kalim Sidiqi Sahib had delivered a speech on this topic and made clear that if Muslims had approached these non-Muslim brethren and explained the message of Islam, Allah and the mosques, the situation like 6th December 1992 would not have occurred. Molvi Sahib had added that we Muslims are equally responsible for the destruction of Babri Masjid and if we come to senses even now and discharge our duties regarding inviting others to the message of Islam these demolishers of the mosques will turn to be builders of the mosques. Prophet of Islam, Mohammad (May peace and blessings of Allah be on him) had prayed in similar situations “O Allah guide my people (to righteousness) for they know not (what they are doing)”.
At the time when Chowdhary Ragubir Singh met the cleric of Boowana (whose name was perhaps Molvi Bashir Ahmad) he was extremely impressed by the speech of his spiritual guide Molvi Kalim Sidiqi Sahib. He informed Chowdhary Ragubir Singh that he used to exorcize the evil spirits but now his spiritual teacher has advised him to abstain from that as lying and mixing with opposite sex is a prerequisite in that profession. Your son is not under any evil spell but this is a punishment from the Lord. You have got an opportunity, our spiritual guide is coming her on following Wednesday afternoon. You will have to put your problem before him, we hope your son will recover soon. But the deal is you will have to embrace Islam once your son recovers. Chowdhary Ragubir affirmed: “I am ready to do anything once my son recovers”.
Finally Allah’s Mercy Arrives
The following Wednesday Chowdhary Ragubir Singh reached Boowana at 8. a.m along with chained Yoginder. Molvi Kalim Sidiqi also arrived well before Zuhar prayer. With Yoginder Pal Singh chained and without clothes Chowdhary sahib cried bitterly and fell on the feet of Molvi Sahab, “Molvi Sahab, I tried to stop the rascal but he came under the influence of some rogues in Panipat”. Molvi Sahab refrained him from prostrating before him and then listened the whole story.
He said to Chowdhary Sahib, “By demolishing the house of Omnipotent Allah he has incurred such a wrath that if the Lord puts an end to the whole world it will be justified.” It was just too light a sentence from the Lord that only he is being punished. We too are his servants and we too are a party to that sacrilegious act. We have not discharged our duty of delivering the message of truth to the demolishers of the mosque. Now we can do nothing! Only way out is that you beg for forgiveness from the Lord and we too beg for His forgiveness”. Molvi Sahib added, “During the time we are in the mosque you concentrate towards Lord Almighty and with the broken heart pray for forgiveness. Pray O Lord only you can alleviate my misery”. Chowdhary Sahib fell again on his feet and submitted “If I were that good why would something like this have befallen me. You are close to Him, please do something”. Molvi Sahib said, “You have come to me for help. Now do whatever I say” Chowdhary Sahib tacitly accepted. Molvi Sahib went to the mosque, offered his prayers followed by a short speech and supplication. Molvi Sahib requested everyone to pray for Chowdhary Sahib. At the end of the programme some refreshment was served in the mosque.
Yoginder re-born as Mohammad Omar
When people were coming out of the mosque, Lord Almighty had already showered his mercies. Yoginder had covered his body with the turban of his father and was talking to his father as a normal human being. Every one was overjoyed. Imam Sahib of Boowana was delighted and reminded Chowdhary Sahib his promise. He also warned him that if he did not fulfill his commitment Yoginder’s position could be worse. Chowdhary sahib replied “Molvi Sahib my seven generations can not repay your generosity. I am at your disposal”. When Molvi Kalim Sidiqi came to know about this, he advised Imam Sahib that he has not exercised caution in dealing with the situation.
Chowdhary Sahib started moving towards mosque when Yoginder Pal asked, “Father where are you going?” He replied “To embrace Islam”. Yoginder said, “It is me who shall be the Muslism first as I have to construct the Babri Masjid again.” In such a pleasant atmosphere both performed ablutions and recited the Kalima- Islamic Testimony of Faith. Chowdhary Ragubir Singh was named Mohammad Usman and Yoginder Pal Singh was named as Mohammad Omar.
Overjoyed Mohammad Usman and Mohammad Omar both went to their village and met the Imam Sahib (cleric) of the small mosque of their village. Imam Sahib gave the good news to Muslims and soon everyone in the area came to know about the episode. Hindus too came to know about this and a meeting of influential members of the community was organized in urgency. In the meeting it was decided that both the persons shall be killed during the night. Otherwise many other’s faith will be at stake. One of the persons present in the meeting informed Molvi Sahib about the plan. With Allah’s blessing both were taken out of village and shifted to Phulat, U.P. A few days later both Mohammad Usman and Mohammad Omar went with Jamaat for forty days course. Later on his mother too embraced Islam. Mohammad Omer was married to an honourable family in Delhi. They have sold their property in the village and set up an industrial unit in Delhi, where all of them live happily now. (to be concluded)
Overjoyed Mohammad Usman and Mohammad Omar both went to their village and met the Imam Sahib (cleric) of the small mosque of their village. Imam Sahib gave the good news to Muslims and soon everyone in the area came to know about the episode. Hindus too came to know about this and a meeting of influential members of the community was organized in urgency. In the meeting it was decided that both the persons shall be killed during the night. Otherwise many other’s faith will be at stake. One of the persons present in the meeting informed Molvi Sahib about the plan. With Allah’s blessing both were taken out of village and shifted to Phulat, U.P. A few days later both Mohammad Usman and Mohammad Omar went with Jamaat for forty days course. Later on his mother too embraced Islam. Mohammad Omer was married to an honourable family in Delhi. They have sold their property in the village and set up an industrial unit in Delhi, where all of them live happily now. (to be concluded)
Translated by Er Rafeek Ahmad
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B“6th December 1992: Balbir Singh, Vice president Shiv Sena Youth Wing leads the demolition squad and becomes the first person to strike his pickaxe against the central Dome of Babri Masjid. Within minutes the whole structure is razed to ground. 25th June 1993: Balbir Singh takes rebirth as Mohammad Aamir when he embraces Islam (Al-hamdu Lillah) having lived lives and experienced psyches poles apart from each other Mohammad Aamir admonishes the Muslim ummah about their responsibilities and is trying his utmost to awaken them from the slumber they are in. Here is the part II of his story in continuation to part I which appeared in the June issue of CRESCENT.
Pride hath a fall
My embracing Islam can not be separated from this story of Mohammad Omar (former Yoginder Pal Singh) which is incomplete yet. On 9th March 1993, my father succumbed to cardiac arrest. He was worried about the demolition of the Babri Masjid and my participation in the demolition. He used to ask my mother: “Why hasn’t Lord given us birth in some Muslim family. Being Muslim we could have been among the oppressed and not the oppressors”. He had advised the family that Balbir shall not attend his funeral. His body shall either be buried or thrown in water and not burned according to the customs of oppressors. He had advised that his body shall not be taken to Hindus crematory. Family members acted as per his will. I came to know about his death eight days later. My heart was broken. After his death the demolition of Babri Masjid seemed to me some gruesome act. I started feeling sorry instead of proud about that. With my heart sunk, whenever I visited my home my mother would cry in memory of my father. She would blame me for hurting the noble soul and subsequent death of my angle like father. Finally I stopped visiting my home.
Encounter with Truth
In June 1993, Mohammad Omar (former Yoginder) returned from Jamaat and came to visit me in Panipat. He related to me his story in detail. Since two months I was feeling scared as if something was going to befall me. My father’s tragic death and demolition of Babri Masjid were breaking my heart. The story of Mohammad Omar worried me further. Br. Omar insisted that I should see Molvi Kalim Sidiqi who was arriving in Sonipat on 23rd June. I scheduled the trip but was a little late. Br. Omar had reached early and told Molvi Sahib about me. When I reached there Molvi Sahib received me with love and affection and said, “What ever has happened to Omar (former Yoginder) who sinned at your behest can well be repeated by Almighty Lord with you too. Even if He does not punish anyone in this world the punishment in the eternal life of Hereafter is beyond your imagination”. After being with him for an hour I decided that if I have to save myself from some supernatural disaster I have to embrace Islam. Molvi Sahib was leaving for a two days trip. I expressed my desire to be with him during the trip, which was gladly accepted. One day in Haryana, then Delhi followed by Khorja and back to Phulat after two days. After these two days I was ready to embrace Islam. I expressed my desire to Br. Omar and he gladly conveyed the same to Molvi Sahib. On 25th June 1993 after Zuhar prayer I came within the fold of Islam (alhamdulillah). Mohammad Aamir was the name given to me by Molvi Sahib and he suggested me to remain in Phulat to study Islam and learn prayers, etc.
Family Welcomes my Reversion
I expressed my obligations regarding my wife and little child to Molvi Sahib and a house was arranged for me and my family. We continued in Phulat for a few months and constant teaching helped my wife to learn and understand Islam. Thank God she embraced Islam after three months.
When I told my mother about my reversion to Islam she was very happy and said, “Your father’s soul will rest in peace by this”. She too embraced Islam the same year.
New Mission
Brother Omar and myself decided to rehabilitate the abandoned mosques and construct some new one to somehow counter the evil we had incurred by demolishing the Babri Masjid. For smooth functioning, while co-operating with each other, I took the responsibility of rehabilitating the deserted mosques and Brother Omar took the responsibility of constructing new mosques. We have set a target of rehabilitating one hundred deserted mosques and constructing one hundred new mosques. With the grace of Almighty I (the sinner) have been able to rehabilitate thirteen abandoned and forcibly occupied mosques in Haryana, Punjab, Delhi and Meeruth upto 6th December 2004. Brother Omar is ahead of me. He has constructed twenty mosques and laid the foundation of twenty first (See note at the end). We have further decided that at each anniversary of Babri Masjid demolition on 6th December the regular prayers must be started in one deserted mosque and foundation must be laid for one new mosque. Thank God we have maintained this so far but the target of one hundred is yet far off. This year hopefully the progress is better. We are working on eight mosques and hope to rehabilitate those within a few months. Brother Omar is ahead of me. In fact my work is a part of only his work, for he became the reason to lead me out of darkness.
Now-a-days I am running an English medium junior high school with Islamic Studies as a part of our curriculum. In addition to my mother, my elder brother has also embraced Islam now.
Finally the Message
My submission to my Muslim brethren is that they should recognize objective of their life and consider Islam as something they owe to humanity. Just being anti-Muslim shall not persuade you for revenge against any one. Based on personal experience I am sure that if all the participants in Babri Masjid demolition whether Shiv Saniks, Bajrang Dal, or any other Hindu know about what Islam is, what a Muslim means, what Quran teaches or what a mosque prepares one for every one of them can think of constructing a mosque. The question of demolition of mosque will not arise.
I am sure if leaders like Bal Thakrey Ji, Vinay Katyar, Oma Bharti or Ashok Singhal will come to know about the spirit of Islam and that Islam is their’s too, they will consider themselves fortunate to help reconstruction of Babri Masjid at their expenses.
I am sure if leaders like Bal Thakrey Ji, Vinay Katyar, Oma Bharti or Ashok Singhal will come to know about the spirit of Islam and that Islam is their’s too, they will consider themselves fortunate to help reconstruction of Babri Masjid at their expenses.
Some people are notorious for their anti-Muslim attitude and activities but out of one billion Hindus their number will not be even one lac- perhaps one lac is too big a number. The remaining ninety nine crore and ninety nine lac Hindus are just like my father- philanthropists, loving the Islamic principles from the core of their heart. Wasn’t my father a Muslim by nature. I consider my self to be a great sinner being the demolisher of Babri Masjid but even worse are the Muslism whose carelessness and indifference caused my dear father to end in hell. Molvi Sahib speaks with sincerity when he says, “You became, the demolishers of Babri Masjid as you didn’t know Muslims and Islam. You have sinned unknowingly. But Muslims deliberately promote the cause of leading others to hell”. The very idea of my father dying as a rejecter of faith renders my nights sleepless and compels me to resort to sleep inducing drugs.
I wish Muslims feel my pain.
Note : Br. Mohammad Aamir has been kind enough to visit Kashmir along with Allama Kaleem Siddiqui in May 2009. His visit was earlier scheduled last year, but could not materialize. In an interview to Crescent Br. Aamir said that till date 38 new mosques have been constructed by Br. Omar. He and his team have rehabilitated 69 mosques in Haryana, Punjab, Delhi & Meerut. – Editor
Translated by Er. Rafeek Ahmad
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Indian atheist
Dr. Periyardhsan
embraces Islam
Dr. Periyardhsan, an Indian professor, became a Muslim at a Dawa center in Riyadh on Thursday. (AN Photo)
Published: Mar 12, 2010 23:25 Updated: Mar 13, 2010 18:14
RIYADH: A well-known Indian psychotherapist embraced Islam on Thursday.
Dr. Periyadarshan, who has changed his name to Abdullah, told Arab News Friday that Islam is the only religion in the world that follows a book directly revealed from God.
He said that as a student of comparative religions he believes books of other faiths have not been directly revealed to mankind from God. He said the Holy Qur’an is still in the same format and style as it was revealed to the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) from Almighty Allah.
Dr. Abdullah is a visiting professor at the University of California in Los Angeles.
He also acted in the famous Tamil film “Karuthamma” about the killing of newborn baby girls in some remote villages in India. The production received national award from the Indian government.
He said that as a student of comparative religions he believes books of other faiths have not been directly revealed to mankind from God. He said the Holy Qur’an is still in the same format and style as it was revealed to the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) from Almighty Allah.
Dr. Abdullah is a visiting professor at the University of California in Los Angeles.
He also acted in the famous Tamil film “Karuthamma” about the killing of newborn baby girls in some remote villages in India. The production received national award from the Indian government.
“I was well known in India for my atheist theology and later I became to realize that religion is the only way out for human beings both in this world as well as in the hereafter,” he said.
Dr. Abdullah will be performing Umrah on Saturday on his first visit to the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.
I would like to convey the message to all non-Muslims of the world to accept Islam and be successful in this life and in the hereafter. It also saddens me to see so many Muslims not following the religion of Islam as preached by Prophet of Allah. I appeal to them to stop imitating other people.
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