Why European women are turning to Islam

The difficulty, security experts explain, is that while the police may be alert to possible threats from young men of Middle Eastern origin, they are more relaxed about white European women. Terrorists can use converts who "have added operational benefits in very tight security situations" where they might not attract attention, says Magnus Ranstorp, a terrorism expert at the Swedish National Defense College in Stockholm.

Ms. Fallot, who converted to Islam three years ago after asking herself spiritual questions to which she found no answers in her childhood Catholicism, says she finds the suspicion her new religion attracts "wounding." "For me," she adds, "Islam is a message of love, of tolerance and peace."

.......

In fact, she explains, she liked the way "Islam demands a closeness to God. Islam is simpler, more rigorous, and it's easier because it is explicit. I was looking for a framework; man needs rules and behavior to follow. Christianity did not give me the same reference points."

.......

Others are attracted by "a certain idea of womanhood and manhood that Islam offers," suggests Karin van Nieuwkerk, who has studied Dutch women converts. "There is more space for family and motherhood in Islam, and women are not sex objects."



http://csmonitor.com/2005/1227/p01s04-woeu.html

Muslims, the new Commies.

but I can honestly see why some women would prefer the sheltered life of many Mulsim women. I am not saying it is a good thing or healthy. But I understand that desire for sheltering from the world.

But I grew up in a convent school so I am kind of odd.

And yes, I do know what hell it can be if you have a brute of a man for a husband, father or brother.

The issue is personal choice, not what you choose for yourself.

a place to withdraw from the problems of the world. But in convent school it was the women who ruled, not the men. As a matter-of-fact, I resented the fact the the priests and bishop often had the final say on matters, even though they spent little time worrying about the problems of the convent.

but the nuns were all over themselves about "Father." But you know, I don't think they really liked him.

I know I didn't. Confession time the guy was just this side of pedophile.

I would hope no one would flame you for bringing valid points to the table. I think that Islam, like the two other branches of the same basic religion, has the very real potential to make a second-class role for women. But there are certainly progressive forces in the Islamic culture, too.

Regarding the hell of having a brute for a husband, father, or brother .... it reminds me of one of the major attractions of the Muslim faith in the United States in the 1950-60s. The Nation of Islam, which certainly had its share of problems, was known for taking males who were in fact the lowest type of brutes .... drug-addicted, irresponsible, unemployed, violent hoodlums .... and transforming them into brothers, fathers, and husbands. I think that the Muslim sisters were attracted to the Nation of Islam and to the Muslim faith for this reason: where they once saw brutes, who are by definition the weakest link in a civilzed society, they began to see real men.

I think that Islam also creates a greater sense of community, based on the model of the extended family that high-tech society simply does not allow for. The confusion of our modern "culture" has left too many men emotional islands, who are so wounded that they experience great difficulty with healthy links to "the group" that our biological make-up requires for us to reach our fullest potential. Women, despite being oppressed by that same culture in more extreme ways, tend to have maintained a greater appreciation for the extended family/group concept. Obviously, this is not true in many, many cases. But I think it is to an extent that explains, in large part, the appeal of Islam in our sick society.

There is not a man, woman or child who doesn't desire the security of a commitment to common goals.

We ALL desire that! Every human being wants to trust that those within their "circle" will be committed and trustworthy enough to fulfill basic promises and respectful enough to embrace one another.

Okay. Well, those who are barabaric assholes don't give a shit about such things but the vast majority of us certainly do. :eyes:

For example, I can't even count how many people I know who have converted to Judaism to marry in the Jewish faith. There are so many. I think whenever there's a religious influence, one will see religious conversions for reasons of love or interest.

In the past decade, Muslims have been migrating to Europe at an unprecedented rate. I noticed the change in the numbers of Muslims because I've been traveling back and forth for decades. I think it's quite natural to expect a far larger number of people in Europe to convert to Islam with so many Muslims now living there.

or just silly women who want to put us back in the cave?

i'm just as angered by this as by women who convert to anti-women fundamentalist christian sects

i know two women who had to travel across the world & marry americans to escape repressive muslim families but these women in the news story apparently think this life is something to toy with so they can pretend to be spiritual, you know what, it would be more spiritual to face life as an equal w. a man and w. courage, because so many women would kill for that opportunity

Women who flee to the idea of being second class citizens like that are showing that they are not being armed to deal with the real world, suggestinga failure of family and society in her upbringing.

People who flee to extremely strict religions and sects are again, looking for simple answers and showing they are ill equiped to live with the outside world.

I mean, not to poke fun at Catholocism, but they aren't exactly known to be a religion of loose morals.

Atheism is the only path to freedom.

I have found atheism to be the only true, moral code. One's actions aren't the result of either the threat of punishment (hell) or the promise of reward (heaven). One does what one does because it's the right thing to do and one's life flows more smoothly because of it. My life became ever so much more peaceful and harmonious ever since I gave up on religion.

I must say I admire the Jewish faith in that they believe as long as one lives a "righteous" life ie. a life in accordance with the ten Noahide laws (ten commandments), that person will go to heaven whether they believe in God or not. You don't have to belong to the club (be Jewish) in order to "belong". That's great.

Otherwise I see religion as a cult; cultural conditioning in the milder cases, brainwashing at the extremes. And I see Islam and Catholicism as two examples of religions that are very much at the extremes.

rather like a fundamentalist.

"Others jump right in, eager for the exoticism of a new religion,"

a lot of white people are like that, grab onto something as long as it didn't originate in the suburbs - case in point: my cousin lived in low cost housing for a few months, now she claims she's from "the ghetto"

In the "European" equation :eyes:

"Religious suffering is, at one and the same time, the expression of real suffering and a protest against real suffering. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people. "

http://www3.baylor.edu/~Scott_Moore/texts/Marx_Opium.html

From the article:

"A lot of women are reacting to the moral uncertainties of Western society," says Dr. Jawad. "They like the sense of belonging and caring and sharing that Islam offers." emphasis mine

From Marx again for emphasis: "Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions."

The more corporations commodify human beings, the more we are oppressed and repressed, the more people will turn to religion, any religion, for answers and relief from suffering.

Please note: I am not in any way slamming people who are religious. I have seen science and technology used in much the same way. Many times, we become overwhelmed by the amount of abuse and suffering inherent in our "societal systems" and rather than "fight city hall" we look for something over which we think we have control. Logic, religion, self-help, self-medication, whatever.

I guess I will always be left to wonder what our world would look like if we eliminated systems which promote suffering, hatred, oppression and the de-humanization of humankind for the benefit of a few.