As salaam alaikum (Peace be upon you)
The perception that the Western Media presents to the people about Muslims is that Muslims are black, poor, or uneducated. So, please examine this impressive list of converts to Islam, and you be the Judge!
Below a collection of converts’ stories which are enlightening, heart-warming and inspiring in equal measure. These new Muslims come from a variety of backgrounds. They include intellectuals, scientists, priests, Rabbis, missionaries, and artists, young and old, famous and laypersons, from around the globe. These testimonies only represent a drop in the ocean however, since every day hundreds of people convert to Islam all around the world. Amongst the most powerful and thought-provoking testimonies are those of former Christian priests and missionaries who have discovered the one true religion. This is a tremendous challenge to Christian missionaries. Instead of wasting around $6.8 billion each year trying to convert poor and sick Muslims, they should concentrate their efforts on understanding Islam!
Priests, Rabbis, and missionaries reverted to Islam:
Dr. Gary Miller (Abdul-Ahad Omar) – Former missionary
G.R. Miller is a mathematician and a theologian. He was active in Christian missionary work at a particular point of his life but he soon began to discover many inconsistencies in the Bible. In 1978, he happened to read the Qur’an expecting that it, too, would contain a mixture of truth and falsehood.
He discovered to his amazement that the message of the Qur’an was precisely the same as the essence of truth that he had distilled from the Bible. He became a Muslim and since then has been active in giving public presentations on Islam including radio and television appearances. He is also the author of several articles and publications about Islam.
Dr. Jerald F. Dirks – Former minister (deacon) of the United Methodist Church:
Former minister (deacon) of the United Methodist Church. He holds a Master’s degree in Divinity from Harvard University and a Doctorate in Psychology from the University of Denver. Author of The Cross and the Crescent: An Interfaith Dialogue between Christianity and Islam (ISBN 1-59008-002-5 – Amana Publications, 2001). He has published over 60 articles in the field of clinical psychology, and over 150 articles on Arabian horses.
Rabbi Moisha Krivitsky of Makhachkala synagogue:
Every person has a different way of coming to the Truth. For Moisha Krivitsky this way led through a faculty of law, a synagogue and a prison. The lawyer-to-be becomes a Rabbi, then he converts into Islam and finds himself in prison. Today Musa (this is the name he has adopted when he became a Muslim) lives in a small mosque in Al-Burikent, a mountain area of Makhachkala, and works as a watchman in the Central Juma mosque.
Dr. Yahya A.R. Lehmann – Doctor of Theology & (Former Roman Catholic Priest Germany):
” By officially embracing Islam as the best fulfillment of the genuine Christian faith in the original Good Message (Gospel) of Jesus, foretelling Allah’s last universal Revelation through His greatest Messenger Muhammad in the divine Word of the Holy Quran, I had to repay my heavy spiritual debt to the many Muslim friends of mine in this country, who encouraged me by their word and example to choose for myself the Islamic Truth as the most positive directive force to a fuller individual life in submission to Allah’s guidance as well as towards the unification of mankind in fraternal fellowship and peace”.
Famous Personalities reverted to Islam:
UK Ex-Prime minister Tony Blair’s sister-in-law Lauren Booth
Tony Blair’s sister-in-law has converted to Islam after having a ‘holy experience’ in Iran.
Broadcaster and journalist Lauren Booth, Cherie Blair’s half-sister – said she now wears a hijab head covering whenever she leaves her home, prays five times a day and visits her local mosque ‘when I can’.
Yvonne Ridley – British freelance journalist:
YVONNE Ridley made headlines when, following the September 11th attacks, she was captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan.
While investigating for a story, the British freelance journalist had wandered into the hands of, what much of the world called the most brutal regime on earth. Freed after ten days of captivity, she returned home a public figure.
Almost two years after that, the multiple award-winning journalist and author again made news. On June 30, 2003, Yvonne accepted the faith of her captors — she became a Muslim.
Yvonne Ridley lives in Central London and is the author of two books “In the Hands Of the Taliban” (Robson Books), a factual account of her experiences and “Ticket To Paradise”, a fictional thriller with the real backdrop of 9/11 (Dandelion Books).
South African Cricketer Wayne Parnell:
South African fast bowler Wayne Parnell has converted to Islam after a period of personal study and reflection.
Parnell’s fellow players, reportedly said they believed that he is very serious about the conversion and had not ‘touched a drop of alcohol’ ever since he converted to Islam.
He is the second Christian cricketer to have converted to Islam after Pakistan’s Yousuf Yohana (now Mohammad Yousuf) in 2006.
Celebrity Reverts to Islam:
A List of Notable converts to Islam:
Go to the below link to get a complete list of Notable reverts in Alphabetical order.
http://www.usislam.org/converts/a_list_of_notable_converts.htm
It is really interesting to see these figures, isn’t it? Kevin Brice from Swansea University explains about revert muslims ‘They seek spirituality, a higher meaning, and tend to be deep thinkers.
Problem in the West is, people are stressed for superficial reasons, like what clothes to wear, etc. In Islam, everyone looks to a higher goal. Everything is done to please God. It was a completely different value system.
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.
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.
All these reverted Muslims are 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. May Allah be pleased with them.
May Allah make us understanding his deen and guide us all to the right path, Aameen.
knowthestraightpath 