Islamization of the West: From Michael Jackson to Kristiane Backer
It is said that "opposites attract." Islamic governments like the one in Iran, are frustrated with the growing number of people attracted to a Westernized lifestyle (mixed gender parties, alcohol, dogs as pets, etc.). At the same time, an opposite trend seems to be shaping in the West, i.e., Islamization of Westerners, particularly artists, scholars, the poor and also the billionaires!
30 years ago, most Westerners knew of only a few celebrity Islamic converts, such as Boxing world champion Muhammad Ali, or Basketball legend, Karim Abduljabbar. More recently, it was reported that a large number of famous pop and hip-hop musicians have adopted Islam, from Michael Jackson, to Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg.
But it is not only blacks or African Americans who are converting to Islam in large numbers. Islamization is now rampant among whites as well. Many people recognize the legendary British Rock star Cat Stevens who changed his name to Yusuf Islam after conversion to Islam in 1977. Stevens has been an advocate of a peaceful and moderate Islam. Although after conversion to Islam, Stevens reduced his Western-style music activities, in 2006 he released "An Other Cup" his first mainstream album after almost 30 years, and then in 2009, "Roadsinger" which sounded a lot like "Cat Stevens" to the delight of his enduring fans.
But Cat Stevens is not alone. The Sunday Times reports that there are more than 14000 white British converts to Islam, including such high profile people as Yahya (formerly Jonathan) Birt, son of Lord Birt former director-general of the BBC, and Emma Clark, whose great grandfather, the Liberal prime minister Herbert Asquith, took Britain into the first world war.
Many converts have been inspired by the writings of Charles Le Gai Eaton, a former Foreign Office diplomat. Eaton, author of Islam and the Destiny of Man, says some white people are put off by the wishy-washy standards of contemporary Christianity and they are looking for a religion which does not compromise too much with materialism and greed seen in the modern world.
Other Muslim converts have come to Islam through love or marriage. It was rumored that Princess Diana (Princess of Wales) before her tragic and mysterious death, had agreed to convert to Islam. She was dating the Muslim son of billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed, former owner of Harrods department store and owner of Fulham Football Club and the Hôtel Ritz Paris.
Kristiane Backer, the attractive and popular German star of MTV Europe, was also introduced to the religion through love (when dating Pakistani cricketer Imran Khan) but converted after her break-up. Although she prays and practices Islamic modesty, Backer also portrays a modern image of Muslim women and refuses to wear face or hair covers. She only wore "hijab" during her 2006 pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca (picture).
She called the pilgrimage a serene experience "so holy, On Hajj the whole universe is gathered, a king prays next to a servant, a black next to a white. You realize in front of God nothing counts but what is in people's hearts and their actions." Backer is attracted to Islam's spiritual dimension, Sufism, and says she is drawn culturally, intellectually and spiritually to great Sufi masters, such as the Iranian poet and mystic Jalaluddin Rumi.
Backer writes about her spiritual journey to Islam in her book "Der Islam als Weg des Herzens: Warum ich Muslima bin." Backer discusses her high-flying media life, where she hosted many live music shows in Europe with acts like the Backstreet Boys and Lenny Kravitz, and was cheered by thousands of screaming fans. She met many people in the business who were wealthy and "took drugs or drank a lot" but were not really happy. She says she used to drink champagne at parties every night, but now that she is a Muslim and doesn't touch alcohol she is happier, and her happiness comes from within.
Besides musicians and celebrities, white multi-millionaires have also converted to Islam. Two prime examples who are low-profile in their conversion are The Earl of Yarborough, who owns a 28,000-acre estate in Lincolnshire, England (his Muslim name is Abdul Mateen) and Charles Annenberg Weingarten, Director of the Annenberg Foundation in America and son of Jewish Billionaire Walter H. Annenberg. Charles Annenberg has produced an acclaimed documentary about his spiritual journey to the Middle East with his Muslim friend (clip embedded below):
Some Muslim converts in the West are former hippies and anti-war and anti-capitalism activists of the 60's, and 70's. In a suburb of Philadelphia in the state of Pennsylvania, the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship is a Sufi Islamic Center attracting some former anti-war activists and Jewish converts to Islam. The message of inner peace, patience, certitude, trust and praise of a higher being, and fellowship among humans, resonates well with followers of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen.
Islam is also spreading among Latinos in America. Professor Hjamil MartÃnez-VÃzquez of Texas Christian University claims there are some 100,000 Latino Muslim converts in America and now there are even Latino Muslim organizations such as "Los Angeles Latino Muslim Association." Many of Latino converts come from oppressive backgrounds so they welcome Islam's fighting spirit and message of equality and purity. Latino women who are used to Latino men's domineering roles, are attracted to Muslim men, who are often more modest, family oriented, and protective of their families, as opposed to being into partying, alcohol, drugs, extra marital affairs, and crimes.
The Islamization trend among the intellectuals and the oppressed in the West, may have been helped by the constant - and often negative- publicity in the Western Media about Islam. And not all Islamic converts are moderates like Backer or Stevens (Yusuf Islam). Recently radical Muslim converts have been found among supporters of Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan. There are also those Muslim converts who practice polygamy or extreme interpretations of Islam such as full face mask for women, etc. But the radicals, like in other religions, seem to be the on the fringe and not in the mainstream of converts who have come to Islam as anti-war (anti-colonial) activists or in search of inner peace and moderation in materialism.
The emergence of a large group of moderate Muslim converts in the West, at the same time as Westernization of the Islamic countries, may be good news for anyone hoping to see the demise of radicalism and a more moderate and peaceful world in the 21st Century. If you're one of those hopefuls, forward this article with its source to your friends.
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