Lauren Booth Explains Why She Fell İn Love With İslam

**Prof. Dr. Sinsi** · 10-11-2012

Lauren Booth explains why she fell in love with Islam
Hakkında Lauren Booth explains why she fell in love with Islam

Lauren Booth explains why she fell in love with Islam

and sister-in-law of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, defiantly explains her conversion to Islam

"It is the most peculiar journey of my life

The carriage is warm and my fellow passengers unexpectedly welcoming

We are progressing -rapidly and without delay

Rain, snow, rail unions, these things make no difference to the forward rush

Yet I have no idea how I came to be on board nor, stranger still, quite where the train is heading, apart from this: the destination, wherever it might be, is the most important place I can imagine

I know this all seems gloriously far-fetched, but really it is how I feel about my conversion, announced last week, to Islam

Although the means and mechanisms that brought me to this point remain mysterious, the decision will determine every aspect of my life to come as firmly as the twin rails beneath that exhilarating express

Asked for a simple explanation of how I, an English hack journalist, a -single working mother, signed up to the Western media's least-favorite religion, I suppose I would point to an intensely spiritual experience in an Iranian mosque just over a month ago

But it makes more sense to go back to January 2005, when I arrived alone in the West Bank to cover the elections there for The Mail on Sunday

It is safe to say that before that visit I had never spent any time with Arabs, or Muslims

The whole experience was a shock, but not for the reasons I might have expected

So much of what we know about this part of the world and the people who follow Mohammed the Prophet is based on -disturbing - some would say biased - news bulletins

So, as I flew towards the Middle East, my mind was full of the usual 10pm buzzwords: radical extremists, fanatics, forced marriages, suicide bombers and jihad

Not much of a travel brochure

My very first experience, though, could hardly have been more positive

I had arrived on the West Bank without a coat, as the Israeli airport authorities had kept my suitcase

Walking around the centre of Ramallah, I was shivering, whereupon an old lady grabbed my hand

Talking rapidly in Arabic, she took me into a house on a side street

Was I being kidnapped by a rather elderly terrorist? For several confusing minutes I watched her going through her daughter's wardrobe until she pulled out a coat, a hat and a scarf

I was then taken back to the street where I had been walking, given a kiss and sent warmly on my way

There had been not a single comprehensible word exchanged between us

It was an act of generosity I have never forgotten, and one which, in various guises, I have seen repeated a hundred times

Yet this warmth of spirit is so rarely represented in what we read and see in the news

Over the course of the next three years I made numerous journeys to the occupied lands which were once historic Palestine

At first I went on -assignments; as time went by, I started travelling in solidarity with charities and pro-Palestinian groups

I felt challenged by the hardships suffered by Palestinians of all creeds

It is important to remember there have been Christians in the Holy Land for 2,000 years and that they too are suffering under Israel's illegal occupation

Gradually I found expressions such as 'Mashallah!' (a phrase of gratitude meaning 'God has willed it') and 'Al Hamdil-lilah!' (akin to 'Halle-lujah') creeping into my everyday speech

These are exclamations of delight derived from the 100 names of God, or Allah

Far from being nervous of Muslim groups, I started looking forward to meeting them

It was an opportunity to be with people of intelligence, wit and, above all else, kindness and generosity

I'm going to take a break here to pray for 10 minutes as it's 1

30pm

(There are five prayers each day, the times varying throughout the year depending on the rising and setting of the sun

)

I was in no doubt that I had embarked on a change of political understanding, one in which Palestinians became families rather than terror suspects, and Muslim cities communities rather than 'collateral damage'

But a religious journey? This would never have occurred to me

Although I have always liked to pray and, since childhood, have enjoyed the stories of Jesus and the more ancient prophets that I had picked up at school and at the Brownies, I was brought up in a very secular household

It was probably an appreciation of Muslim culture, in particular that of Muslim women, that first drew me towards a broader appreciation of Islam

How strange Muslim women seem to English eyes, all covered up from head to toe, sometimes walking behind their husbands (although this is far from universally the case), with their children around their long skirts

By contrast, professional women in Europe are happy to make the most of their appearance

I, for example, have always been proud of my lovely blonde hair and, yes, my cleavage

It was common working practice to have this on display at all times because so much of what we sell these days has to do with our appearance

Yet whenever I have been invited to broadcast on television, I have sat watching in wonder as the female presenters spend up to an hour on their hair and make- up, before giving the serious topics under discussion less than 15 minutes' attention

Is this liberation? I began to wonder just how much true respect girls and women get in our 'free' society

In 2007 I went to Lebanon

I spent four days with female university students, all of whom wore the full hijab: belted shirts over dark trousers or jeans, with no hair on show

They were charming, independent and outspoken company

They were not at all the timid, soon-to-be-forced-into-marriage girls I would have imagined from what we often read in the West

At one point they accompanied me to interview a sheikh who was also a commander with the Hezbollah militia

I was pleasantly surprised by his attitude to the girls

As Sheikh Nabil, in turban and brown flowing robes, talked intriguingly of a prisoner swap, they started butting in

They felt free to talk over him, to put a hand up for him to pause while they translated

In fact, the bossiness of Muslim women is something of a joke that rings true in so many homes in the community

You want to see men under the thumb? Look at many Muslim husbands more than other kinds

Indeed, just yesterday, the Grand Mufti of Bosnia rang me and only half-jokingly introduced himself as 'my wife's husband'

Something else was changing, too

The more time I spent in the Middle East, the more I asked to be taken into mosques

Just for touristy reasons, I told myself

In fact I found them fascinating

Free of statues and with rugs instead of pews, I saw them rather like a big sitting room where children play, women feed their families pitta bread and milk and grandmothers sit and read the Koran in wheelchairs

They take their lives into their place of worship and bring their worship into their homes

Then came the night in the Iranian city of Qom, beneath the golden dome of the shrine of Fatima Mesumah (the revered 'Learned Lady')

Like the other women pilgrims, I said Allah's name several times while holding on to the bars of Fatima's tomb

When I sat down, a pulse of sheer spiritual joy shot through me

Not the joy that lifts you off the ground, but the joy that gives you complete peace and contentment

I sat for a long time

Young women gathered around me talking of the 'amazing thing happening to you'

10-11-2012	#1
Prof. Dr. Sinsi	Lauren Booth Explains Why She Fell İn Love With İslam *Lauren Booth explains why she fell in love with Islam* Hakkında *Lauren Booth explains why she fell in love with Islam* Lauren Booth explains why she fell in love with Islam and sister-in-law of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, defiantly explains her conversion to Islam "It is the most peculiar journey of my life The carriage is warm and my fellow passengers unexpectedly welcoming We are progressing -rapidly and without delay Rain, snow, rail unions, these things make no difference to the forward rush Yet I have no idea how I came to be on board nor, stranger still, quite where the train is heading, apart from this: the destination, wherever it might be, is the most important place I can imagine I know this all seems gloriously far-fetched, but really it is how I feel about my conversion, announced last week, to Islam Although the means and mechanisms that brought me to this point remain mysterious, the decision will determine every aspect of my life to come as firmly as the twin rails beneath that exhilarating express Asked for a simple explanation of how I, an English hack journalist, a -single working mother, signed up to the Western media's least-favorite religion, I suppose I would point to an intensely spiritual experience in an Iranian mosque just over a month ago But it makes more sense to go back to January 2005, when I arrived alone in the West Bank to cover the elections there for The Mail on Sunday It is safe to say that before that visit I had never spent any time with Arabs, or Muslims The whole experience was a shock, but not for the reasons I might have expected So much of what we know about this part of the world and the people who follow Mohammed the Prophet is based on -disturbing - some would say biased - news bulletins So, as I flew towards the Middle East, my mind was full of the usual 10pm buzzwords: radical extremists, fanatics, forced marriages, suicide bombers and jihad Not much of a travel brochure My very first experience, though, could hardly have been more positive I had arrived on the West Bank without a coat, as the Israeli airport authorities had kept my suitcase Walking around the centre of Ramallah, I was shivering, whereupon an old lady grabbed my hand Talking rapidly in Arabic, she took me into a house on a side street Was I being kidnapped by a rather elderly terrorist? For several confusing minutes I watched her going through her daughter's wardrobe until she pulled out a coat, a hat and a scarf I was then taken back to the street where I had been walking, given a kiss and sent warmly on my way There had been not a single comprehensible word exchanged between us It was an act of generosity I have never forgotten, and one which, in various guises, I have seen repeated a hundred times Yet this warmth of spirit is so rarely represented in what we read and see in the news Over the course of the next three years I made numerous journeys to the occupied lands which were once historic Palestine At first I went on -assignments; as time went by, I started travelling in solidarity with charities and pro-Palestinian groups I felt challenged by the hardships suffered by Palestinians of all creeds It is important to remember there have been Christians in the Holy Land for 2,000 years and that they too are suffering under Israel's illegal occupation Gradually I found expressions such as 'Mashallah!' (a phrase of gratitude meaning 'God has willed it') and 'Al Hamdil-lilah!' (akin to 'Halle-lujah') creeping into my everyday speech These are exclamations of delight derived from the 100 names of God, or Allah Far from being nervous of Muslim groups, I started looking forward to meeting them It was an opportunity to be with people of intelligence, wit and, above all else, kindness and generosity I'm going to take a break here to pray for 10 minutes as it's 130pm (There are five prayers each day, the times varying throughout the year depending on the rising and setting of the sun) I was in no doubt that I had embarked on a change of political understanding, one in which Palestinians became families rather than terror suspects, and Muslim cities communities rather than 'collateral damage' But a religious journey? This would never have occurred to me Although I have always liked to pray and, since childhood, have enjoyed the stories of Jesus and the more ancient prophets that I had picked up at school and at the Brownies, I was brought up in a very secular household It was probably an appreciation of Muslim culture, in particular that of Muslim women, that first drew me towards a broader appreciation of Islam How strange Muslim women seem to English eyes, all covered up from head to toe, sometimes walking behind their husbands (although this is far from universally the case), with their children around their long skirts By contrast, professional women in Europe are happy to make the most of their appearance I, for example, have always been proud of my lovely blonde hair and, yes, my cleavage It was common working practice to have this on display at all times because so much of what we sell these days has to do with our appearance Yet whenever I have been invited to broadcast on television, I have sat watching in wonder as the female presenters spend up to an hour on their hair and make- up, before giving the serious topics under discussion less than 15 minutes' attention Is this liberation? I began to wonder just how much true respect girls and women get in our 'free' society In 2007 I went to Lebanon I spent four days with female university students, all of whom wore the full hijab: belted shirts over dark trousers or jeans, with no hair on show They were charming, independent and outspoken company They were not at all the timid, soon-to-be-forced-into-marriage girls I would have imagined from what we often read in the West At one point they accompanied me to interview a sheikh who was also a commander with the Hezbollah militia I was pleasantly surprised by his attitude to the girls As Sheikh Nabil, in turban and brown flowing robes, talked intriguingly of a prisoner swap, they started butting in They felt free to talk over him, to put a hand up for him to pause while they translated In fact, the bossiness of Muslim women is something of a joke that rings true in so many homes in the community You want to see men under the thumb? Look at many Muslim husbands more than other kinds Indeed, just yesterday, the Grand Mufti of Bosnia rang me and only half-jokingly introduced himself as 'my wife's husband' Something else was changing, too The more time I spent in the Middle East, the more I asked to be taken into mosques Just for touristy reasons, I told myself In fact I found them fascinating Free of statues and with rugs instead of pews, I saw them rather like a big sitting room where children play, women feed their families pitta bread and milk and grandmothers sit and read the Koran in wheelchairs They take their lives into their place of worship and bring their worship into their homes Then came the night in the Iranian city of Qom, beneath the golden dome of the shrine of Fatima Mesumah (the revered 'Learned Lady') Like the other women pilgrims, I said Allah's name several times while holding on to the bars of Fatima's tomb When I sat down, a pulse of sheer spiritual joy shot through me Not the joy that lifts you off the ground, but the joy that gives you complete peace and contentment I sat for a long time Young women gathered around me talking of the 'amazing thing happening to you'