The number of Britons choosing to become Muslims has nearly doubled in the past decade, according to one of the most comprehensive attempts to estimate how many people have embraced Islam.

Following the global spread of violent Islamism, British Muslims have faced more scrutiny, criticism and analysis than any other religious community. Yet, despite the often negative portrayal of Islam, thousands of Britons are adopting the religion every year.

Estimating the number of converts living in Britain has always been difficult because census data does not differentiate between whether a religious person has adopted a new faith or was born into it. Previous estimates have placed the number of Muslim converts in the UK at between 14,000 and 25,000.

But a new study by the inter-faith think-tank Faith Matters suggests the real figure could be as high as 100,000, with as many as 5,000 new conversions nationwide each year.

By using data from the Scottish 2001 census – the only survey to ask respondents what their religion was at birth as well as at the time of the survey – researchers broke down what proportion of Muslim converts there were by ethnicity and then extrapolated the figures for Britain as a whole.

In all they estimated that there were 60,699 converts living in Britain in 2001. With no new census planned until next year, researchers polled mosques in London to try to calculate how many conversions take place a year. The results gave a figure of 1,400 conversions in the capital in the past 12 months which, when extrapolated nationwide, would mean approximately 5,200 people adopting Islam every year. The figures are comparable with studies in Germany and France which found that there were around 4,000 conversions a year.

Fiyaz Mughal, director of Faith Matters, admitted that coming up with a reliable estimate of the number of converts to Islam was notoriously difficult. “This report is the best intellectual ‘guestimate’ using census numbers, local authority data and polling from mosques,” he said. “Either way few people doubt that the number adopting Islam in the UK has risen dramatically in the past 10 years.”

Asked why people were converting in such large numbers he replied: “I think there is definitely a relationship between conversions being on the increase and the prominence of Islam in the public domain. People are interested in finding out what Islam is all about and when they do that they go in different directions. Most shrug their shoulders and return to their lives but some will inevitably end up liking what they discover and will convert.”

Batool al-Toma, an Irish born convert to Islam of 25 years who works at the Islamic Foundation and runs the New Muslims Project, one of the earliest groups set up specifically to help converts, said she believed the new figures were “a little on the high side”.

“My guess would be the real figure is somewhere in between previous estimates, which were too low, and this latest one,” she said. “I definitely think there has been a noticeable increase in the number of converts in recent years. The media often tries to pinpoint specifics but the reasons are as varied as the converts themselves.”

Inayat Bunglawala, founder of Muslims4UK, which promotes active Muslim engagement in British society, said the figures were “not implausible”.

“It would mean that around one in 600 Britons is a convert to the faith,” he said. “Islam is a missionary religion and many Muslim organisations and particularly university students’ Islamic societies have active outreach programmes designed to remove popular misconceptions about the faith.”

The report by Faith Matters also studied the way converts were portrayed by the media and found that while 32 per cent of articles on Islam published since 2001 were linked to terrorism or extremism, the figure jumped to 62 per cent with converts.

Earlier this month, for example, it was reported that two converts to Islam who used the noms de guerre Abu Bakr and Mansoor Ahmed were killed in a CIA drone strike in an area of Pakistan with a strong al-Qa’ida presence.

“Converts who become extremists or terrorists are, of course, a legitimate story,” said Mr Mughal. “But my worry is that the saturation of such stories risks equating all Muslim converts with being some sort of problem when the vast majority are not”. Catherine Heseltine, a 31-year-old convert to Islam, made history earlier this year when she became the first female convert to be elected the head of a British Muslim organisation – the Muslim Public Affairs Committee. “Among certain sections of society, there is a deep mistrust of converts,” she said. “There’s a feeling that the one thing worse than a Muslim is a convert because they’re perceived as going over the other side. Overall, though, I think conversions arouse more curiosity than hostility.”

How to become a Muslim

Islam is one of the easiest religions to convert to. Technically, all a person needs to do is recite the Shahada, the formal declaration of faith, which states: “There is no God but Allah and Mohamed is his Prophet.” A single honest recitation is all that is needed to become a Muslim, but most converts choose to do so in front of at least two witnesses, one being an imam.

Converts to Islam

Hana Tajima, 23, fashion designer

Hana Tajima converted to Islam when she was 17. Frustrated by the lack of variety in Islamic clothing for converts she founded Maysaa, a fashion house that designs western-inspired clothing that conforms to hijab. 

“It’s true that I never decided to convert to Islam, nor was there a defining moment where I realised I wanted to be Muslim.  My family aren’t particularly religious.  I was interested in religion, but very disinterested in how it related to my life.  I grew up in rural Devon where my Japanese father was the ethnic diversity of the village.  It wasn’t until I studied at college that I met people who weren’t of the exact same background, into Jeff Buckley, underground hip-hop, drinking, and getting high.  I met and became friends with a few Muslims in college, and was slightly affronted and curious at their lack of wanting to go out to clubs or socialise in that sense.  I think it was just the shock of it, like, how can you not want to go out, in this day and age.   

“It was at about that time that I started to study philosophy, and without sounding too much like I dyed my hair black and wore my fringe in front of my face, I began to get confused about my life. I was pretty popular, had good friends, boyfriends, I had everything I was supposed to have, but still I felt like ‘is that it?’  So these things all happened simultaneously, I read more about religion, learned more about friends of other backgrounds, had a quarter life crisis.  There were things that drew me to Islam in particular, it wasn’t like I was reaching for whatever was there.  The fact that the Qur’an is the same now as it ever was means there’s always a reference point. The issues of women’s rights were shockingly contemporary.  The more I read, the more I found myself agreeing with the ideas behind it and I could see why Islam coloured the lives of my Muslim friends.  It made sense, really, I didn’t and still don’t want to be Muslim, but there came a point where I couldn’t say that I wasn’t Muslim. 

“Telling my family was the easy part.  I knew they’d be happy as long as I was happy, and they could see that it was an incredibly positive thing.  My friends went one of two ways, met with a lack of any reaction and lost to the social scene, or interested and supportive.  More the former, less the latter.”

Denise Horsley, 26, dance teacher

Denise Horsley lives in North London. She converted to Islam last year and is planning to marry her Muslim boyfriend next year. 

“I was introduced to Islam by my boyfriend Naushad. A lot of people ask whether I converted because of him but actually he had nothing to do with it. I was interested in his faith but I went on my own journey to discover more about religion. 

“I bought loads of books on all the different religions but I kept coming back to Islam – there was something about it that just made sense, it seemed to answer all the questions I had. 

“I would spend hours in the library at Regents Park Mosque reading up on everything from women’s rights to food. Before I went to prayers for the first time I remember sitting in my car frantically looking up how to pray on my Blackberry. I was so sure people would know straight away that I wasn’t a Muslim but if they did no-one seemed to care. 

“During Ramadan I’d sit and listen to the Qur’anic recitations and would be filled with such happiness and warmth. One day I decided there and then to take my shahada. I walked down to the reception and said I was ready to convert, it was as simple as that. 

“My friends and family were rather shocked, I think they expected there would be some sort of huge baptism ceremony but they were very supportive of my decision. I think they were just pleased to see me happy and caring about something so passionately. 

“I grew up Christian and went to a Catholic school. Islam to me seemed to be a natural extension of Christianity. The Qur’an is filled with information about Jesus, Mary, the angels and the Torah. It’s part of a natural transition. 

“I do now wear a headscarf but it wasn’t something I adopted straightaway. Hijab is such an important concept in Islam but it’s not just about clothing. It’s about being modest in everything you do. I started dressing more modestly – forgoing low cut tops and short skirts – but before I donned a headscarf I had to make sure I was comfortable on the inside before turning my attention to the outside. Now I feel completely protected in my headscarf. People treat you with a new level of respect, they judge you by your words and your deeds, not how you look. It’s the kind of respect every dad wants for their daughter. 

“There have been some problems. Immediately after converting I isolated myself a bit, which I now recognise was a mistake and not what Islam teaches. I remember a lady on a bus who got really angry and abusive when she found out I had converted. I also noticed quite a few friends stopped calling. I think they just got tired of hearing me say no – no to going clubbing, no to going down the pub. 

“But my good friends embraced it. They simply found other things to do when I was around. Ultimately I’m still exactly the same person apart from the fact that I don’t drink, don’t eat pork and pray five times a day. Other than that I’m still Denise.”

 Dawud Beale, 23

Dawud Beale was a self-confirmed “racist” two years ago who knew nothing about Islam and supported the BNP. Now a Muslim, he describes himself as a Salafi – the deeply socially conservative and ultra-orthodox sect of Islam whose followers try to live exactly like the Prophet did. 

“I was very ignorant to Islam for most of my life and then I went on holiday to Morocco, which was the first time I was exposed to Muslims. I was literally a racist before Morocco and by the time I was flying home on the plane a week later, I had already decided to become a Muslim.” 

“I realised Islam is not a foreign religion, but had a lot of similarities with what I already believed. When I came back home to Somerset, I spent three months trying to find local Muslims, but there wasn’t even a mosque in my town. I eventually met Sufi Muslims who took me to Cyprus to convert. 

“When I came back, I was finding out a lot of what they were saying was contradictory to what it said in the Qur’an. I wasn’t finding them very authentic, to be honest. I went to London and became involved with Hizb-ut-Tahrir, the political group who call for the establishment of an Islamic state. 

 ”But while I believe in the benefits of Sharia law, I left this group as well. The problem was it was too into politics and not as concerned with practicing the religion. For me, it is about keeping an Islamic appearance and studying hard. I think we do need an Islamic state, but the way to achieve it is not through political activism or fighting. Allah doesn’t change the situation of people until they see what’s within themselves. 

“I have a big dislike for culture in Islamic communities, when it means bringing new things into the religion, such as polytheism or encouraging music and dance. There is something pure about Salafi Muslims; we take every word of the Qur’an for truth.  I have definitely found the right path. I also met my wife through the community and we are expecting our first child next year.” 

Paul Martin, 27

Paul Martin was just a student when he decided to convert to Islam in an ice-cream shop in Manchester four years ago. Bored of what he saw as the hedonistic lifestyle of many of his friends at university and attracted to what he calls “Islam’s emphasis on seeking knowledge,” he says a one-off meeting with an older Muslim changed his life. 

“I liked the way the Muslims students I knew conducted themselves. It’s nice to think about people having one partner for life and not doing anything harmful to their body. I just preferred the Islamic lifestyle and from there I looked into the Qur’an. I was amazed to see Islam’s big emphasis on science. 

“Then I was introduced by a Muslim friend to a doctor who was a few years older than me. We went for a coffee and then a few weeks later for an ice cream. It was there that I said I would like to be a Muslim. I made my shahada right there, in the ice cream shop. I know some people like to be all formal and do it in a mosque, but for me religion is not a physical thing, it is what is in your heart. 

“I hadn’t been to a mosque before I became a Muslim. Sometimes it can be bit daunting, I mean I don’t really fit into this criteria of a Muslim person. But there is nothing to say you can’t be a British Muslim who wears jeans and a shirt and a jacket. Now in my mosque in Leeds, many different languages are spoken and there are lots of converts. 

“With my family, it was gradual. I didn’t just come home and say I was a Muslim. There was a long process before I converted where I wouldn’t eat pork and I wouldn’t drink. Now, we still have Sunday dinner together, we just buy a joint of lamb that is halal. 

“If someone at college had said to me ‘You are going to be a Muslim’, I would not in a million years have believed it. It would have been too far-fetched. But now I have just come back from Hajj – the pilgrimage Muslims make to Mecca.” 

 Stuart Mee, 46

Stuart Mee is a divorced civil servant who describes himself as a “middle-of-the-road Muslim.” Having converted to Islam last year after talking with Muslim colleagues at work, he says Islam offers him a sense of community he feels is missing in much of Britain today. 

“Everything is so consumer-driven here, there are always adverts pushing you to buy the next thing. I knew there must be something longer term and always admired the sense of contentment within my colleagues’ lives, their sense of peace and calmness. It was just one of those things that happened – we talked, I read books and I related to it. 

“I emailed the Imam at London Central Mosque and effectively had a 15 minute interview with him. It was about making sure that this was the right thing for me, that I was doing it at the right time. He wanted to make sure I was committed. It is a life changing decision. 

“It is surprisingly easy, the process of converting. You do your shahada, which is the declaration of your faith. You say that in front of two witnesses and then you think, ‘What do I do next?’ I went to an Islamic bookstore and bought a child’s book on how to pray. I followed that because, in Islamic terms, I was basically one month old. 

“I went to a local mosque in Reading and expected someone to stop me say, ‘Are you a Muslim?’ but it didn’t happen. It was just automatic acceptance. You can have all the trappings of being a Muslim – the beard and the bits and pieces that go with it, but Islam spreads over such a wide area and people have different styles, clothes and approaches to life. 

“Provided I am working within Islamic values, I see no need in changing my name and I don’t have any intention of doing it. Islam has bought peace, stability, and comfort to my life. It has helped me identify just what is important to me. That can only be a good thing.” 

 Khadijah Roebuck, 48

Khadijah Roebuck was born Tracey Roebuck into a Christian family. She was married for twenty five years and attended church with her children every week while they lived at home. Now, divorced and having practiced Islam for the last six months, she says she is still not sure what motivated her to make such a big change to her life. 

“I know it sounds odd, but one day I was Tracey the Christian and the next day I was Khadijah the Muslim, it just seemed right. The only thing I knew about Muslims before was that they didn’t drink alcohol and they didn’t eat pork. 

“I remember the first time I drove up to the mosque. It was so funny; I was in my sports car and had the music blaring. I wasn’t sure if I was even allowed to go in but I asked to speak to the man in charge, I didn’t even know he was called an Imam. Now I wear a hijab and pray five times a day. 

“My son at first was horrified, he just couldn’t believe it. It’s been especially hard for my mum, who is Roman Catholic and doesn’t accept it at all. But the main thing I feel is a sense of peace, which I never found with the Church, which is interesting. Through Ramadan, I absolutely loved every second. On the last day, I even cried. 

“It is interesting because people sometimes confuse cultures with Islam. Each Muslim brings their different culture to the mosque and different takes on the religion. There are Saudi Arabians, Egyptians and Pakistanis and then of course there is me. I slot in everywhere. A lot of the other sisters say to me, ‘That is why we love you, Khadijah, you are just yourself.’”

By Niki Kitsantonis

ATHENS — A wave of violent attacks against immigrants by suspected right-wing extremists has put Muslims and the police on alert in rundown parts of Athens with burgeoning migrant populations.

Immigrants have been beaten and stabbed near central squares, and several makeshift mosques have been burned and vandalized. In the most grievous attack, at the end of October, the assailants locked the door of a basement prayer site and hurled firebombs through the windows, seriously wounding four worshipers.

“The attacks are constant — I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Naim Elghandour, who moved to Athens from Egypt in the 1970s and now heads the Muslim Association of Greece. “I used to be treated like an equal. Now I’m getting death threats.”

Tensions in neglected, crime-ridden parts of Athens with growing immigrant communities have been mounting over the past two years. Highlighting expanding public discontent, the extreme right-wing group Chrysi Avgi, or “Golden Dawn,” won its first ever seat on the Athens City Council in local elections three weeks ago. The group mustered strong support in working-class neighborhoods in the capital and elsewhere in Greece by describing migrants as a drain on the economy, which is reeling from a debt crisis, and calling for immediate deportations.

The Greek news media linked the group to the violence after a spray-painted cross merged with a circle — a symbol used by extreme rightists worldwide — was found on the wall of a firebombed prayer site. But the police have not confirmed a connection, saying no arrests have been made. The group did not respond to requests for comment.

Thanassis Kokkalakis, a police spokesman, said the problem was complex. He said that while “extremist elements” were believed to be behind certain attacks, there was also violence between migrants of different ethnic origins, muggings of Greeks by poverty-stricken foreigners and clashes between extreme rightists and left-wing protesters.

“All this chaos stems from a constantly growing population of immigrants in these areas,” said Mr. Kokkalakis, noting that about 150 migrants arrived in Athens daily despite the mobilization of European Union guards in early November at Greece’s land border with Turkey. “The upheaval has fueled aggravation among residents, which is being exploited by extremist groups.”

The residents of the problem areas are divided: Some want dialogue and better policing, while others are taking matters into their own hands. Elderly and middle-aged residents often sit in local squares during the daytime, shouting abusive statements at migrants when they go by. Small gangs of teenagers stalk the neighborhoods by night, but it remains unclear if they are locals or visiting extremists.

The police have stepped up patrols following reports of attacks by vigilantes who, locals say, are as young as 14. “I saw three kids bashing an Afghan man with wooden poles until blood ran down his face,” said Muhammad, the Syrian manager of a convenience store in Aghios Panteleimonas, once a lively neighborhood, now a no-go zone. Like other migrants living in the area, he would not give his surname for fear of reprisals.

The exact number of attacks remains unclear. “The victims are usually too scared to go to police,” said Thanassis Kourkoulas, a spokesman for Deport Racism, a group that offers targeted migrants advice and support.

Others say this reflects a general trend in Europe. “Hate crimes against Muslims are underreported and underrecorded,” said Taskin Soykan, who advises the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe on combating racial intolerance.

The attacks in Greece mirror similar incidents in other European countries, including Switzerland, where a referendum last November led to a ban on the construction of minarets on mosques, and in France and Italy, where the authorities have deported Roma residents and immigrants.

“The difference in Italy is that most of the attacks were in the provinces, while in Greece they are in the heart of the capital, which is potentially far more explosive,” Liz Fekete of the Institute of Race Relations in London said. “The common factor is the formation of vigilante groups, egged on by the far right.”

Angry protesters, including some thought to be right-wing extremists, had to be restrained by the police last month when thousands of Muslims congregated in several Athens squares for a religious festival. At one site, officers fired tear gas to disperse a small group of demonstrators, who continued their protest from the balconies of apartment complexes, pelting worshipers with eggs and playing loud music to disturb the prayers.

The day after the protests, government officials said a stalled project to build an official mosque was back on track. Athens is the only capital of the original 15 E.U. member states to lack a state-approved mosque.

Although the country’s influential Orthodox Church has given its support to the project, opinion polls show that half of Athens’s five million residents oppose the creation of a mosque to serve the capital’s Muslim community, which numbers about 500,000.

“A large mosque with minarets in the city center will be a provocation,” said Dimitrios Pipikios, the head of a residents’ group in Aghios Panteleimonas, where Chrysi Avgi drew 20 percent of the vote in recent elections.

Mr. Pipikios said the only way to ease tensions was to deport immigrants. “There is no room for us all,” he said, adding that extreme rightists were patrolling the area “because the police are not doing their job.”

Other residents said they felt intimidated. “The situation is totally out of control,” said Maria Kanellopoulou, who wants not deportations but the better social integration of immigrants.

The local authorities are determined to tackle the problem, said a spokesman for Giorgos Kaminis, the newly elected mayor of Athens.

“Chasing immigrants away from city squares is an established technique of extreme rightists, and we are seeking advice on how to deal with it,” said the spokesman, Takis Kampilis, who has approached the municipal authorities in Germany, who have averted similar campaigns by neo-Nazis. The new mayor is also planning to improve health care and housing for migrants and organize street markets where they can legitimately sell wares rather than touting illegally on street corners.

Ms. Fekete said increasing integration would help, but to stamp out extreme violence, local and central governments must condemn it in strong terms. “If the authorities do not speak out, public tolerance of the violence will grow,” she said. “This is a wake-up call.”

Questions were racing through my mind.  Does this makes me a Muslim? What is a Muslim after all? And is it easy to become one? And what happens after that? What if I regret?

It was minutes after my shahada (my declaration of the Islamic faith), a few weeks ago.

It took me almost 9 years to believe there is actually a God and choose Islam as the way to worship Him.  But why was that? Having a very hard life so far, full of personal traumatic experiences of which I could not be responsible for during childhood, puberty and adolescence, a person does not have the right to make his own choices by law, I was led to disappointment.

I almost completely rejected the presence of God or of any Divinity in my life.

Although I was completely dissatisfied by the behaviour of the clergy in Greece and still having the words of the burial service which says “rest your servant ignoring all sins,” I decided to start reading about religion.

Feeling tormented, tired and a bit desperate to find answers to my questions, I choose to read religion initially and then philosophy and history of sciences instead of trying to find my way through fortune tellers or tarot readers, drugs or alcohol.

No matter how hard someone tries to numb himself so he doesn’t feel any pain, the pain will always be there, waiting to be confronted. Being deeply ethical and raised with the traditional values of a middle class Greek family , values of honesty, pride and dignity, I did not want to be part of any religious or philosophical group just to satisfy my needs for warmth and affection. And I definitely, loved and honoured my Greek cultural identity and I did not want to imitate or fake any other identity or nationality.

I started researching Christianity and mainly the Orthodox Dogma, then Judaism and Buddhism and finally Islam. I started gradually believing in God, my faith becoming stronger with time. At some point I started having questions about the Trinity, questions for which I found the answers in Islam.

What I realised is that Islam is the religion that closes the circle of Divine revelations. Islam means peace and Muslim means the person who offers himself to God and God only, with no remorse or personal benefit. Allah is not a new invention, it’s just the Arabic word for God, the half moon is not a symbol of blood bathing and revenge but is a reminder that Muslim people calculate the time based on the moon rather than the sun.

At this point I seriously started to consider myself as a believer rather than an agnostic. In the meantime, I moved to United Kingdom, to further educate myself though postgraduate studies. I do not know if it was a sign but while I was in UK, I kept meeting really nice people, the majority of them being Muslims, and I ended up marrying one of them.

I continued reading more and more and was becoming focused on Islam this time. Though not only reading, watching documentaries, attending Islamic lectures, going to Islamic museums, attending Islamic classes.

And there comes the questioning. Do I want to be part of a religion that has so many different variations of interpretation of its Holy Book? Would I want to be part of a group that would be a religious minority in my country? Would I want to be part of a religious group where most people, of the ones I have met at least, are paying attention just to the rules of worship and not the worship itself? Or would I want to be part of a religion which is used by its own followers to inspire hate and hostility?

I got again disappointed but this time not by the religion itself or the philosophy itself or from the Quran but from the followers. And then I realised that I cannot blame the religion itself since I found the answers to my questions, from its followers. I decided to start living as a Muslim for a period of time, to see what it takes and see if it is really so hard. As it is stated in Quran, men and women were created equally having their own free will.

But what does it mean to live as a Muslim? Wearing an abaya and niqaab? Praying 10 times a day? Fasting strictly during Ramadan? Staying at home and having loads of children? Avoiding any kind of joyful experience just in case you do something forbidden? Certainly not, in my opinion.

Islam is not a strict system of rules or a kind of imprisonment. Doing good deeds every single day, trying to avoid bad actions, praying as much as you can, fasting as much as you can, showing love and compassion and always fighting peacefully to improve yourself, progressing and evolving in knowledge day by day, trying your best every single day, this is what it takes to be a Muslim.

I realised that I could live as a Muslim, I just changed the way and the frequency of my prayers, I stopped completely eating pork or drinking alcohol and I wore a headscarf. That’s all. So after this so long journey, I decided to have my shahada done admitting firstly to myself that ‘There is no god but Allah (God), and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah (God).

Written by:

Myrto Z.

Athens, Greece

Ω  Θεέ μου, πραγματοποίησα την Ισλαμική  Ομολογία Πίστεως  πρόσφατα, αυτό με κάνει  μουσουλμάνα; Τι είναι μια μουσουλμάνα εν τέλει; Και είναι εύκολο να γίνει κάποιος; Και τι θα συμβεί μετά από αυτό; Τι θα συμβεί αν μετανιώσω;

Μου πήρε σχεδόν 9 χρόνια για να πιστέψω ότι στην πραγματικότητα υπάρχει Θεός και να επιλέξω το Ισλάμ ως τον τρόπο για να τον λατρεύω.  Αλλά γιατί αυτό; Έχοντας μέχρι τώρα μια πολύ σκληρή ζωή, γεμάτη από προσωπικές τραυματικές εμπειρίες για τις  οποίες  δεν θα μπορούσα να είμαι υπεύθυνη, αφού κατά την παιδική ηλικία, εφηβεία και νεανικότητα ένα άτομο δεν έχει το δικαίωμα από το νόμο να κάνει τις δικές του επιλογές, με οδήγησαν σε πλήρη απογοήτευση. Είχα σχεδόν εντελώς απορρίψει την παρουσία του Θεού ή οποιασδήποτε θείας δύναμης  στη ζωή μου.

Αν και ήμουν απόλυτα δυσαρεστημένη από τη συμπεριφορά του κλήρου στην Ελλάδα εξακολουθούσαν να ηχούν στα αυτιά μου τα λόγια της νεκρώσιμη ακολουθία που λέει, «Ανάπαυσε τον υπηρέτης σου αγνοώντας όλες τις αμαρτίες». Έτσι  αποφάσισα να αρχίσω  ανάγνωση και αναζήτηση πληροφοριών σχετικά με τη θρησκεία. Αισθανόμουν βασανισμένη, κουρασμένη και λίγο απεγνωσμένη να βρω απαντήσεις στα ερωτήματά μου,  επέλεξα να διαβάσω αρχικά θρησκεία και, στη συνέχεια, τη φιλοσοφία και την ιστορία των επιστημών, αντί να προσπαθώ να βρουν τον δρόμο μου μέσω μάντεις ή tarot αναγνώστες, τα ναρκωτικά ή αλκοόλ. Δεν έχει σημασία πόσο επίμονα κάποιος προσπαθεί να μουδιάσει τα συναισθήματα  του να νεκρώσει τον εαυτό του ώστε να μην αισθάνεται οποιοδήποτε πόνο, ο πόνος θα είναι πάντα εκεί, περιμένοντας να αντιμετωπιστεί.  Έχοντας βαθιά ηθική και  έχοντας μεγαλώσει με τις παραδοσιακές αξίες μιας μεσαίας τάξης, ελληνικής οικογένεια, τις αξίες της ειλικρίνειας, της υπερηφάνειας και αξιοπρέπειας, δεν ήθελα να είμαι μέρος οποιασδήποτε θρησκευτικής ή φιλοσοφικής ομάδας απλά για να ικανοποιώ τις ανάγκες μου για τη ζεστασιά και την αγάπη . Και εγώ σίγουρα, αγαπώ και τιμώ την  ελληνική πολιτιστική ταυτότητα μου και δεν ήθελα να μιμηθώ ή υποκριθώ οποιαδήποτε άλλη ταυτότητα ή εθνικότητα.

Ξεκίνησα την έρευνα με  τον Χριστιανισμό και κυρίως το Ορθόδοξο δόγμα, στη συνέχεια, τον Ιουδαϊσμό και τον Βουδισμό και, τέλος, το Ισλάμ. Άρχισα σταδιακά να πιστεύω στο Θεό, η πίστη μου να γίνεται όλο και ισχυρότερη με το χρόνο. Κάποια στιγμή άρχισα να έχω ερωτήσεις σχετικά με την Τριάδα, ερωτήσεις για τις οποίες βρήκα τις απαντήσεις στο Ισλάμ. Αυτό που κατάλαβα είναι ότι το Ισλάμ είναι η θρησκεία που κλείνει τον κύκλο της Θείας Αποκάλυψης. Ισλάμ σημαίνει ειρήνη και μουσουλμάνος σημαίνει ο άνθρωπος  που  προσφέρει τον εαυτό του στο Θεό και τον Θεό μόνο, άνευ τύψεων ή προσωπικό όφελος. Ο Αλλάχ δεν είναι μια νέα εφεύρεση, είναι μόνο η αραβική λέξη για τον Θεό, το μισοφέγγαρο δεν είναι ένα σύμβολο αιματοκυλίσματος, βαρβαρότητας και εκδίκησης, αλλά είναι μια υπενθύμιση ότι οι Μουσουλμάνοι  υπολογίζουν τον χρόνου και  με ένα βασίζεται στις κινήσεις του φεγγάρι . Σε αυτό το σημείο είχα αρχίσει να θεωρώ τον εαυτό μου πιστή και όχι αγνωστικιστή. Εν τω μεταξύ, μετακόμισα στο Ηνωμένο Βασίλειο, για να πραγματοποιήσω  μεταπτυχιακές σπουδές. Δεν ξέρω αν ήταν ένα θείο σημάδι, αλλά ενώ ήμουν στο Ηνωμένο Βασίλειο, συνέχισα συναντούσα πραγματικά καλούς ανθρώπους που στην πλειοψηφία τους είναι μουσουλμάνοι και κατέληξα να παντρευτώ έναν από αυτούς.

Συνέχισα την έρευνα μου όλο και περισσότερο  με έμφαση στο Ισλάμ αυτή τη φορά. Αν και δεν ήταν μόνο το διάβασμα, αλλά  βλέποντας ντοκιμαντέρ, παρακολουθώντας Ισλαμικές διαλέξεις, επισκεπτόμενη ισλαμικά μουσεία, παρακολουθώντας ισλαμικές τάξεις. Και έρχεται η αναρώτηση και η αμφιβολία. Θέλω να είμαι μέρος μιας θρησκείας που έχει τόσες πολλές διαφορετικές παραλλαγές της ερμηνείας του Ιερού Βιβλίου της; Θα ήθελα να είμαι μέρος μιας ομάδας που θα είναι μια θρησκευτική μειονότητα στη χώρα μου; Θα ήθελα να είναι μέρος μιας θρησκευτικής ομάδας, όπου οι περισσότεροι άνθρωποι, από αυτά που έχω γνωρίσει, τουλάχιστον, στρέφει την προσοχή του μόνο στους κανόνες της λατρείας και όχι η λατρεία ίδια; Ή θα θέλω να είμαι μέρος μιας θρησκείας η οποία χρησιμοποιείται από τους ίδιους τους οπαδούς της ώστε να εμπνέουν το μίσος και την εχθρότητα;  Απογοητεύτηκα πάλι , αλλά αυτή τη φορά όχι από την ίδια τη θρησκεία ή τη φιλοσοφία της  ή από το Κοράνι, αλλά από τους οπαδούς της. Και τότε κατάλαβα ότι δεν μπορούμε να κατηγορήσω την ίδια τη θρησκεία καθώς βρήκα τις απαντήσεις στις ερωτήσεις μου, για τους οπαδούς της. Αποφάσισα να αρχίσω να ζω ως μουσουλμάνα για ένα χρονικό διάστημα, για να δώ τι χρειάζεται, αν είναι πραγματικά τόσο δύσκολο. Όπως αναφέρεται στο Κοράνι, άνδρες και γυναίκες έχουν δημιουργηθεί εξίσου με δική τους ελεύθερη βούληση.

Αλλά τι σημαίνει αυτό για να αφήσει ως μουσουλμάνος; Να φοράς μια κελεμπία και ένα κάλυμμα προσώπου; Να Προσεύχεσαι 10 φορές την ημέρα; Να  νηστεύεις αυστηρά κατά τη διάρκεια του Ραμαζανιού ; Να  μένεις στο σπίτι και να έχεις έχοντας αποκλειστικά την φροντίδα των παιδιών; Να αποφεύγεις  κάθε είδους απολαυστική εμπειρία μόνο  και μόνο για να μην  κάνεις κάτι απαγορευμένο; Σίγουρα δεν είναι έτσι, κατά τη γνώμη μου. Το Ισλάμ δεν είναι ένα αυστηρό σύστημα κανόνων, ένα είδος φυλάκισης. Να κάνεις καλές πράξεις κάθε μέρα, προσπαθώντας να αποφύγει κακές ενέργειες, προσευχόμενος όσο μπορείς, να  νηστεύεις όσο μπορείς, δείχνοντας την αγάπη και τη συμπόνια και πάντα αγωνιζόμενος ειρηνικά για να βελτιώσεις τον εαυτό σου, να προχωράς και εξελίσσεσαι  στην γνώσης μέρα με τη μέρα, να προσπαθείς να είσαι καλύτερος κάθε μέρα, αυτό είναι ό, τι χρειάζεται για να είναι κανείς μουσουλμάνος κατά την άποψη μου πάντα. Συνειδητοποίησα ότι θα μπορούσα να ζήσω ως μουσουλμάνα, άλλαξα απλώς τον τρόπος και τη συχνότητα των προσευχές μου, σταμάτησα να τρώω εντελώς χοιρινό ή να πίνω αλκοόλ και φόρεσα ένα κεφαλομάντηλο. Αυτό ήταν όλο. Έτσι μετά από αυτό το τόσο μεγάλο ταξίδι, αποφάσισα να παραδεχτώ  πρώτα στον εαυτό μου  και μετά δημοσίως ότι: Δεν υπάρχει άλλος Θεός από τον Αλλάχ και ο Μωάμεθ είναι ο αγγελιοφόρος του Αλλάχ.

Μυρτώ Ζ.

Αθήνα, 2010

Translation © Muslim Association of Greece

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Without any special reactions the religious manifestations of Muslims took place. “Greece is the only European country without a mosque” states the chairman of the Muslim Association of Greece.

Thirteen thousand people, according to the police, participated in all the manifestations of the Muslims’ public prayer in twelve different areas of Attica.

The prayer, who started at 7:40 in the morning and finished at 11, took place without the slightest problem, besides Attica square, where according to eye-witnesses, there was abuse, by a small group of habitants, who threw eggs and other objects against Muslims who were walking by the streets of the area, though there was no response and with the firm presence of the police, there weren’t any violent incidences.

As it has been stated by the Hellenic Police, the manifestations of Muslims joined 4.000 people at Aigaleo, 2.000 at the Arabic-Hellenic Educational Centre at Kiprou str. In Moschato area, 500 at Propylaia, 600 at Attica square, 600 at Koumoundourou square, 1.000 at the old Racetrack Court at Faliro, 1.000 at Karamnanlis Avenue at Menidi, 300 at the basketball court at Elefsina, 250 at Aspropirgos, 1.500 in an abandoned factory at Markopoulos avenue at Koropi, 250 at Oinofyta and 1.000 in the court of Ierotheos at Peristeri.

Backlashes for the religious manifestations

Habitants of the area of Attica square, together with members of “Chrisi Augi” gathered earlier in the area in order to prevent the Muslims to perform a religious manifestation, the Qurban Bayram or the Feast of Sacrifice.

In the area, there was a firm police presence which in order to avoid any violent incidents, drove off all the gathered group-who were demonstrating against the presence of immigrants in Athens-towards Acharnon str., making a slight use of chemicals.

The Bayram is the equivalent to the sacrifice of Abraham that lies also in Christian religion, and which up to a certain point is accepted by the Muslims as well. At this very moment at Propylaia dozens of Muslims are gathered who live in Greece, originating from Greece, Albania and from other countries of Asia and Africa.

The gathering at Propylaia took place under the initiative of the Muslim Association of Greece and it is the third time that prayer takes place in a public place.

Muslim Association of Greece: We should assemble all the prayer sites with the Mosque

The chairman of the Muslim Association of Greece Naim Elgandour participating in the show “Proti Grammi” on SKAI television made clear that the prayers at public areas do not constitute a force mechanism for the construction of a Mosque.

He stated that “It is a matter of culture. Greece is the only European country without a Mosque, it has to be done soon enough in order to assemble all these prayer sites that they are constantly sprout up.”

www.kathimerini.gr with information by ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ, skai.gr

Translator:  Myrto Zacharof

Translation © Muslim Association of Greece

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It was characterised by the great numbers of people who participated and the request for respect the rights of the immigrants. It was blemished by the attitude of a group of people who disagree with the presence of foreigners in the country. In Tuesday morning, under the occasion of one of the most important feasts of Islam, Muslim immigrants performed a public prayer in 15 points of Athens.

At Propylaia, was realised the wider participation of Muslims for the feast of Qurban Bayram, that refers to the sacrifice of Abraham’s son. At about two thousand Muslims, originating from different countries, kept their custom. After they placed sheets on the ground, in the courtyard of Athens Academy, they took of their shoes and they keeled following the Imam’s prayers, who travelled from the Islamic University of Egypt to participate in the ceremony.

The public religious performance of Muslims in Athens, symbolised as well, the need of the construction in Attica, like the administration of political asylum. Like the big red banner “We ask for political asylum”. Besides, the prayer took place next to the tents of the Iranians hunger strikers, who as being political refugees they demand asylum from the Greek authorities.

The Police was discretely present in the manifestation, in order to deter any aggressiveness by people who are not fond of the immigrants. The few aggressive incidents that happened at Propylaia were minor interest, mainly focused on the verbal protest of the passing pedestrians, who were expressing thoughts such as “in Constantinople, the Greeks cannot pray.”

In Attica square, the demonstration expanded in three additional elements: music notes, eggs and yogurts. Approximately 50 extreme rightists, who tried from the previous night to occupy the area but they were drove off by the police, they gathered early in the morning in the square and started soughing abusive slogans against the immigrants. Although they did not leave the area, they were strayed by the lined police officers.

Nevertheless, “allies” were found in a balcony of an adjacent building. Three women raised Greek flags and put on loud music, harassing the immigrants’ prayer. In addition, they were shouting abusive slogans. In the account the throw of two eggs and two yogurts towards the square is added. Clearly worried, the approximately 500 immigrants (majorly from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh) did note reacted. After they fulfilled the ceremony, they immediately left the area. 

Translator:  Myrto Zacharof

Translation © Muslim Association of Greece

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Yesterday’s public player that was performed by at least 13.000 Muslims in twelve different points of Attica was unprecedented for what is usually happening in the capital. This public manifestation worked as triggering event for the development of a Mosque in Athens but as well as the expected social reactions.

The prayer, which was performed due to the occasion of celebrating the first day of the Muslim feast Eid-Al-Adha (equivalent to the sacrifice of Abraham) started at 7:40 in the morning and lasted approximately three hours. As the Greek Police stated, the Muslims’ manifestations were attended by 4.000 people at Aigaleo, 2.000 at Kiprou str.  at Moschato, 500 at Propilea were the prayer took place under the initiative of the Muslim Association of Greece, 600 at Attica square, 1.000 in the old Racetrack Court in Faliro, 1.000 at Karamanlis Avenue at Menidi, 300 at the in the basketball court of Elefsina, 250 at Aspropirgos and 1.000 in the court of Ierotheos at Peristeri.

All the manifestations took place peacefully, with the exception though of Attica square. There, a group of habitants attacked with eggs and with other objects against the offhand prayer site, though other habitants had placed on their balconies Greek flags, they put loud music inorder to interrupt the process of the prayer.

The Request for an Official Prayer Site

Yesterday’s prayer was the third one that took place in a public place, (previously it had been performed in Kotzia square and in Olympic stadium) but it was the most impressive. The representatives of the Muslims referred again on their claim for the development of an official prayer site. Mr. K. Aivaliotis representative of LAOS’s party stated that this is a “demonstration of power in Athens by African Muslims.”

 “In the times we live in, it is imposed, in the civilisation we claim we are having and which governs our society, and it is a duty of the Greek state, to facilitate each person who wants to perform his religious duties” the Government’s representative, G. Petalotis, highlighting that “there is a legal commitment made to create a Mosque in Athens, in order for our fellow Muslim citizens to perform with safety and liberty their religious rights.”

In Athens… by Coach

 “Athens needs many , small sized religious prayer sites for the immigrants”, the journalist Stavros Theodorakakis claimed yesterday while on air on the radio station Flash, who due to his show for the flux of immigrants in Greece through the land borders( it will be presented next Sunday) , he stayed  for a few days in Evros.

 “ The loops that originate from Turkey, meaning the slavers and the traffickers have realised that practically the Greek Authorities have no practical means to oppose against the flux of unarmed immigrants” Mr.Theodorakis stated, though Mr. Salamagkas, police officer of Orestiada , referred, participating in the same show , that the Authorities after the capture of the immigrants and their identification, they release all those who cannot be deported (such as Palestinians or  Afghanis for whom there are specific international treaties about their immunity.) They are given a piece a paper referring that they should leave the country within thirty days  and they leave them free outside the detention centres where they are temporarily located. There usually there is a coach awaiting them who transports them in Athens.

Translator:  Myrto Zacharof

Source:   European Muslim Women of Influence

In Madrid on Saturday 30 October, the winners of the inaugural European Muslim Women of Influence Awards 2010 were announced. The presentation of the women’s success stories and the prize giving were held during the first international gala event of the European Muslim Professionals Network, Cedar.

Cherie Blair

Source:  The Cedar Network

Chair of the Judging Committee and BBC journalist, Razia Iqbal announced the winners who were selected from the 26 shortlisted candidates. They were:

Ndeye Andújar – a spokeswoman for Islamic feminism and Editor-in-Chief of Webislam.com, a site that seeks to inform and enhance public perceptions of the Muslim community within Spain;

Sineb El-Masrar – Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Gazelle, Germany’s first multicultural women’s magazine targeted specifically at women from minority backgrounds;

Shaheed Fatima – one of the UK’s leading human rights lawyers, who has been the counsel in a number of high-profile and significant counter-terrorism and human rights cases;

Zaha Hadid - one of the Britain’s most highly acclaimed and sought after architects whose national and international works constantly push the boundaries of urban design;

Sabina Iqbal – Chair and Founder of Deaf Parenting UK, the first charity run by deaf parents for deaf parents in the UK and worldwide;

Lamya Kaddor – founder of the Liberal Islamic Union, whose work reflects her unique interpretation of contemporary German Islam and seeks to provide a voice for liberal Muslims in Germany and across Europe;

Barni Nor – As a nurse, nutritionist, full-time PhD student and chairwoman for the Muslim Women’s Association in Stockholm who regularly represents the Muslim community at official government meetings, conferences and in the media;

Nabila Ramdani- a French journalist and academic who specialises in Anglo-French issues, Islamic affairs and the Arab World;

Hilal Sezgin – a freelance journalist and political commentator from Germany, who has published several works on the topics of Islam, Islamophobia, German feminism and multiculturalism within Europe;

Anna Stamou – As Marketing Manager of the Muslim Association of Greece and Director of the first Greek Muslim centre, who has worked tirelessly to promote a positive image of Islam and Muslims in Greece.

The Judging Committee were drawn from across Europe: Edit Schlaffer, Founder and Chair, Women Without Boarders/SAVE-Sisters Against Violent Extremism, Austria; Pegah Ferydoni – actress, Germany; Rosa León – Director of the Cervantes Institute, Dublin; Guillaume Fourmont – academic and journalist, ‘Publico’, Spain and Jake Hayman – CEO of The Social Investment Consultancy and founder of FutureFirst, UK.

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The Muslim Association of Greece is celebrating Eid Al Adha

(honoring the sacrifice of Abraham)

with a festive prayer with honored guest

Sheikh Dr. Mohamed Baddari of Al Azhar University Cairo

on Tuesday November 16, 2010, 7.30-8.30am

Propylea of Athens University, Panepistimiou Street, Metro Panepistimio

You are all welcome. Your presence will honor us.

Contact info:

Anna Stamou +30 6972838164

Η Μουσουλμανική Ένωση Ελλάδας όπως κάθε χρόνο θα εορτάσει το Αΐντ Αλ Άντχα

(εορτή που τιμά τη θυσία του Αβραάμ)

με μία εορταστική προσευχή με εκλεκτό καλεσμένο

τον Δρ. Mohamed Baddari από το πανεπιστήμιο Αλ Άζχαρ της Αιγύπτου

Την Τρίτη 16 Νοεμβρίου 2010, 7.30-8.30 το πρωί

Στα Προπύλαια του πανεπιστημίου Αθηνών,

Η παρουσία σας θα μας δώσει χαρά.

Επικοινωνία:

Ναΐμ Ελγαντούρ +306972008214