Sarah Converted To Islam Last week

I received a call from my brother last night,he was in a right tangle let me tell you.
Apparently his sixteen year old daughter (called nominally Sarah) last week told he and his wife that she was now a Muslim.
My brother comes from a born again Christian background , and to say it has sent him into a spin is an understatement.
On the phone he related how yestterday morning she came to breakfast wearing the full Burqa.
At first he wasnt sure it was her but he recognised her voice.
I told him she is probably just going through a teenage phase, trying to get attention, but he is adamant she is serious and wants to transfer to a Private Islamic College.
On a wider scale this must be happenning to other western parents the world over?
How should we handle the conversions?
By law parents cannit stop their children converting?
Is this a positive or negative development?
I believe it could be a pathway to peace and harmony , because if more and more western Europeans become muslim, perhaps the cultural divisions can be bridged?
Olease no racist bigoted replies, this is a thread seeking answers and genuine opinions on what may be a common day reality in the coming years.

reply to post by Dr Conspire

On a wider scale this must be happenning to other western parents the world over?

Suprisingly yes.

How should we handle the conversions?

As long as they are 18 I don't really see what you can do since they have the right to make their own choices.

By law parents cannit stop their children converting?

Nope

Is this a positive or negative development?

Whichever way you want to look at it really. On the plus side it shows more people are becoming tolerant/interested in different lifestyles. On the negative side it shows that more people are becoming hardline on their religious stances and the more Muslims we have in this world the more likely there is for intolerance due to their interpretation of their religion.

I believe it could be a pathway to peace and harmony , because if more and more western Europeans become muslim, perhaps the cultural divisions can be bridged?

Or... It can cause more tension. Ever hear the saying you give them an inch and they take a foot? That is what we could be looking at. Hardline religious people are joining more hardline religions to solidify their hardline stances.

I am strictly against religion in any manner, you can believe in god or not I don't mind, but religion is a leech on society and the more people join hardline religions and become fanatical the more we will regress. If this pattern continues we will see a massive rift developing in the western world.

On one side will be those who are not religious and support tolerance, progress and diversity and on the other will be the religious who are ignorant, regressive and against diversity(a.k.a against non-religious).

GIVE THEM AN INCH AND THEY WILL TAKE A FOOT!

16 years old?

That burkha would come off so fast her head would spin around like The Exorcist. Not in my house.

18 and out of the house? She can do what she wants....

If she was really serious I'd have her committed. Seriously.

You should welcome the change with open arms. Ask her why did she come to accepting Islam as a way of life. It's normal to be curious as to what your children are doing in their life. Respect her big change in life as a accomplishment.

I don't care for any religion , but it seems like she has her own mind and independence of thought . And brave to go against these crazed christians. I wish her well.

Originally posted by Signals
16 years old?

That burkha would come off so fast her head would spin around like The Exorcist. Not in my house.

18 and out of the house? She can do what she wants....

If she was really serious I'd have her committed. Seriously.

Yes but my brother love his daughter and she is strongwilled a bit of a rebel in the clan so to speak, I told him to ignore it and she will see she is just making a rod for her own back, it seems that becoming a muslim is becoming trendy amonst teenagers perhaps?....a rebel sort of thing?
She is rather plain looking so whilst its unkind a part of me has questioned whether she has some sort of looks phobia?
BUt anyways this is a isolated case and I have heard as others have said that this is a common trend around the world?


[edit on 28-5-2010 by Dr Conspire]

reply to post by Misoir

she is 16 hell yes he can rip that stupid burqa off her haid stop her. she is a child and doesn't know what she is getting into.
poor girl. the religion of peace my ass they need to be stopped at whatever the cost.

reply to post by Dr Conspire


Maybe she will get tired of it, after living with certain freedoms, I don't understand why a women would want to go backward,

Maybe when bikini season rolls around she will figure it out.

reply to post by Dr Conspire

I can imagine the shock, if her parents were not aware of her interest prior to the morning she showed up in burqa. Not sure what I would do or advise. I suppose the best course would be to keep communication lines between them open at all times. Perhaps engage her in her interest, ask her to teach them what she knows and is learning, stay involved, challenge her in philosophical thought and belief and study, teach her to question, etc. I'd also not allow the burqa. Period. Compromise and allow the head covering. Perhaps she is serious, perhaps she is experimenting, only time will tell.

reply to post by Dr Conspire


What I find most interesting with western people converting to Islam is the lack of people flocking or attempting to immigrate to Islamic countries.

I have a feeling if they were able to experience life first hand in some of these countries this notion to convert would fade away quickly.

But it could be worst she could have come home with a tattoo across her forehead, or pregnant, or brought home by the cops.

*edit to add* she is most likely rebelling against her Christian Parents

[edit on 28-5-2010 by LDragonFire]

Originally posted by Just Wondering
reply to post by Misoir

 

she is 16 hell yes he can rip that stupid burqa off her haid stop her. she is a child and doesn't know what she is getting into.
poor girl. the religion of peace my ass they need to be stopped at whatever the cost.

Islam is a cancer on civilization. Before it was isolated to a small area, but now it is spreading. And what do you do to cure cancer? No... no violence, I'm not advocating murder.

You teach people about Islam and just show them what those people do. They are opressive, regressive, sexist, and homophobic. They don't fit in western society unless they are secular with their religion. They don't fit the US constitution at all, and simply IMO only the secular muslims belong in America. It's not about picking and choosing or being racist, it's about common sense.

But don't forget, she probably only became Muslim by rebelling against her parents which are probably very religious themselves and are forcing Christianity upon her. IMO I think she is really just trying to say, I don't like religion.

[edit on 5/28/10 by Misoir]

While I have let my children make their own decisions, I have also kept the lines of communication open,they feel free to come to me on any issue and ask my opinion,

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

There is a book called "Living by the Point of My Spear". It is a biography of Mohammad written by a former Imam.

He directly tells the story of Mohammad. He talks about all the lies in Islam.
He talks about how Mohammad murdered people. He talks about the wars started by Mohammad.

You can read parts of this book online at Living by the Point of My Spear

You can also go to MySpear.

This is the authors web site. I would strongly encourage the parents to sit with their child and read about the author and the true history of Mohammad. I don't think that she would want to be Muslim after reading the truth.

People go with the religion that suits them best , whatever pseudo crutch is most appropriate. Why don't you accept them for what they are and what they are happy to believe in , instead of creating enmity and discord about it . Let people choose freely without having some disapproving nay sayer on their back . Sometimes it is like being in the dark ages reading some peoples attitudes.

reply to post by Dr Conspire

I believe it could be a pathway to peace and harmony , because if more and more western Europeans become muslim, perhaps the cultural divisions can be bridged?

Maybe I have been this conspiracy site way to looooooog,

But are you trying to pull a fast one?

Subtle propaganda don't work on me, sorry in advance if I am wrong.





[edit on 073131p://bFriday2010 by Stormdancer777]

Click here for more information.

What's with all the anger? The father needs to have a one on one chat with his daughter. Sometimes you can take something too far and her dressing in a burqa is to much in the beginning of her faith.

Originally posted by Stormdancer777
reply to post by Dr Conspire

 

Maybe she will get tired of it, after living with certain freedoms, I don't understand why a women would want to go backward,

Maybe when bikini season rolls around she will figure it out.

Your post is interesting, Iam old enough to remember all the militant women Libbers raving about having th eright not to wear a bra(apparently they said men liked to view Breasts more suppoted) but we hear little from these militant women today concerning the plight of Islamic women.
Or is that women were led by sheep into the womens lib movement?
And now young women see the Burqa as a genuine femine object of clothing?
Iam unsure, and my Sister in law is now worried she is using the Burqa to conceal cigarettes and makeup ect,which she is forbidden to use.
The sister in law is very fundamentalist Christian she believes perhaps her daughter is posessed?
Iam overseas at the moment , and Iam most concerned mainly for my mild mannered brother, who cannot fathom the turn of events.

[edit on 28-5-2010 by Dr Conspire]

reply to post by Dr Conspire


I believe the situation that your brother is going through is one of, if not the biggest challenge a parent will face and their response may have the most lasting impact on their relationship with their child.

The challenge faced when your child decides to make their own decision about what life philosophy they believe in, especially when that decision is different or the opposite of what you believe in.

Yes these conversions are happening but also keep in mind that conversions are happening from one religion to another all the time. There is nothing we should do to "handle" these conversions. Choosing ones religion is a fundamental human right.

What we need to do, however, is handle how we accept a conversion when it happens to involve a close friend or family member especially if they are converting to a religion that we, personally, do not believe in. That, is the the big challenge.

Conversions like this only become a negative development when there is a lack of support for or resistance to the decision.

If we are able to accept and support our family/friend looking us in the eye and saying "I believe in something that is different to what you believe in" then yes, as you say, it could be a pathway to peace and harmony.

In saying all this, a child, especially teenagers, do need and no matter what they say, crave direction from their parents.

If your brother and his wife could connect with their daughter on this issue and explore her reasons for the decision then maybe a compromise that suits the whole family can be found.

If you had all been born in celtic britain, you would have believed in the power of the druids and tree gods. If one of your daughters came home one day after meeting a roman and proclaimed her everlasting devotion to this christian god , you would have been aghast. It is all dependant upon time and placement as to what is the fashionable religion.