“Samantha”, a Muslim Woman : the Feminist

Movements that Call for equality Between

Man and Woman Hate Islam Because

Islam Orders the Wife to Obey her Husband

During the last two decades, Britain witnessed an increase in the number of new Muslims who embrace Islam gladly and out of conviction. In particular, among British women who converted to Islam and were not influenced by what was published, by Western media in general and the British one in particular, consisting of tendentious distortions of Islam’s attitude towards woman. Allah (Praise and Glory to Him) honoured and made her equal to man in religious duties and granted her distinctive characteristics that endow her with a prestigious standing.

We relate here the narratives and stories of those women who embraced the religion of Allah, God of the Universe, so that the reader could get an idea about some of their experiences.

Huda Khattab, a graduate of the School of Oriental and African Studies at London University, who grew up in Blackpool under the name of Samantha, whose father was inspector of a nuclear station, and who embraced Islam while at university said : “Islam orders the wife to obey her husband, and this is what feminist movements which ask for equality between man and woman hate; but I believe that it is very helpful that husband and wife have each a defined role as it is defined by Islam. What benefit will women derive from trying to be like men ? Women will never be like men. It is better to find a positive role for women, and this is what Islam did. The claim that Islam is a religion that calls for extremism is wrong ; for extremists are found among Muslims as well as among Christians. Islam is a religion of tolerance ; it calls for dealing with people in a noble, humane and sympathetic manner. Islam also shows them how to live happily together.”

Christine Mary grew up in Eire in Scotland with four brothers and sisters; her father was an engineer. She was excellent in her studies, and went to Saint Andrews University to study Chemistry. During a summer vacation she went to London to work and earn some money. It was there that she first knew about Islam. After some months, she became a Muslim and changed her name to Sara. She is now married to an Egyptian economist to whom she bore five children, and they all live in Hampstead in London.

Sara said : “My mother was a follower of the Scottish Church, and we used to go to Sunday Schools regularly every week. I believed in Christianity till adolescence when I stopped going to Church like all adolescents in this country. I gave too much attention to my social life, and I did all that adolescent girls did. But I did very well in my studies and worked very hard. This is why I was accepted by four universities. I eventually went to Saint Andrews University. While I was wondering what to do, I decided to go to London to work so as to earn some money. Actually, I found a job there ; I was pleased with my liberty and enjoyed my life.

Nevertheless, I felt that something was missing in my life. One day I came across a small book which contained the translation of the meanings of some Qur’anic Verses, which say that people who lead a devout life will go to Paradise. I said to myself : “O God, this is true !” This was like a quick flash of light which made me think about becoming a Muslim. One Sunday, I went to Hyde Park Corner and heard a Muslim talking about Islam. When he finished his talk, I asked him to help me become a Muslim. He took me with some of his friends to his flat in Midvale in North London. He showed me the bathroom so as to clean myself and gave me decent clothes to wear in preparation for announcing my embracing Islam. I knew that I was in security and peace with this group of Muslims, and this was true. I also knew that by converting to Islam I would make a big step in the course of my life.

However, I had no idea about my capacity to make this big step and persist in it. Two days after my conversion to Islam, I started wearing the Hijab and decent clothes. At the beginning, I was nervous about my clothes because I felt that all people were looking at me and thinking that there was something unusual about me. But I liked the protection that the Hijab offered to me and the message that it sent, namely that I was not available to anybody as a woman. This gave me a great deal of freedom. After embracing Islam, I gave up the idea of studying Chemistry. I moved to London to study French and Arabic. I lived in a hostel with Muslim women and after two years of study, I decided to get married.”

Sara continued : “I had only one choice : an arranged marriage ; that is a marriage without prior acquaintance or relationship between the two parties. I liked this idea, so I talked to my female Muslim friends about my desire to get married and to look for a suitable husband for me. A number of men asked for my hand but I rejected them. On a Friday I was invited by some female friends to meet an Egyptian by the name of Muhammad. I was nervous and anxious on that day ; the meeting took place during a tea party and a conversation about Islam. Some hours later I felt that this person was suitable for me as a husband. Amazingly, he had the same feeling.

The following Monday we got married. But my parents did not attend our wedding, nor did they accept it. However, with time they gradually started to get used to my new life.

I preserved a good relationship with them, and started to take my children to them during summer vacations. Nowadays, when somebody criticizes me or my religion my mother immediately confronts him, taking my defence.”

Sara went on to say : “Immediately after my marriage I got pregnant ; my husband Muhammad helped me a lot at the birth of each child by changing diapers and feeding the child till he grew up. I like to be at home with my children. I felt that this was a big advantage for me and not a burden to be complained about. I like to have a defined role. Why should I not enjoy my staying at home with my children, and then take up the matter of my professional job after finishing bringing them up ? If, I so wish. I finished my studies with the encouragement of my husband. Contrary to the prevailing belief in the West, one of the principles of Islam is the education of woman, and the acquisition of knowledge is a religious duty incumbent upon male and female Muslims alike.

I am very strict with my daughter, I don’t allow her to go to mixed clubs because Islam forbids mixing that leads to fornication.”

Sara concluded : “I started to enjoy my life more after my conversion to Islam. I now see that my life has a meaning and content. However, it is strange that putting a small piece of cloth on the head arouses the hostility of some people. All in all, I am a Muslim, but I am British, too, and I am proud of both.”

Abdoulwakil Young (formerly Francis Young), a Swiss, said that he embraced Islam eight years ago after a patient study aiming at understanding Islam, which made him aware of the fact that Islam answered his spiritual needs and filled the spiritual vacuum that he he had been living in before, though he had been a committed Christian. He relates the story of his conversion to Islam, stating : “I first started searching for the truth of the existence of God (Praise and Glory to Him) and I was not thinking of embracing Islam. I simply studied it as part of my study of the other religions and creeds during my quest of the truth of the existence of God (Praise and Glory to Him). It was strange then that I would embrace Islam because of my commitment to Christianity.

In the first stage, I started to write down my ideas about the other religions and my opinion about them after their study. I visited some Arab countries, such as Algeria and the Sudan so as to know them and have an idea about their peoples’ customs and traditions ; I also was intent on learning Arabic during these visits.

During my visit to Algeria, I was asked by some Algerians about my opinion with regard to religious issues related to the existence of God, the Day of Judgement and so forth. I answered them, and they took me for a Muslim, but I told them that I was a Christian.

It was the beginning of deepening my study of Islam so as to have a sound understanding of it. But I never thought that I would become a Muslim one day.”

Abdoulwakil continued : “After studying Islam for three years, I was convinced that it was the religion that met my spiritual needs and answered some of my questions concerning the existence of God, His Uniqueness, the Resurrection, Doomsday, and other similar complex questions.

Of course, my reflection during my study of Islam was strange. I was putting questions and finding answers for them through this religion, such as Islam’s attitude towards Human Rights together with its attitude towards woman’s freedom and her right to education, to work, etc.

One day in Geneva, I met a Muslim who talked to me about Islam. I asked him tens of questions I had been wondering about, concerning the attitudes of Islam towards some issues, but his answers to my questions were not convincing at all. However, my heart was full of belief in Islam, so I started to think that I should myself look for these answers in Islamic sources by a careful reading of the Holy Qur’an and a deep understanding of the Prophet’s Hadiths.

In February 1991, I decided to embrace Islam after I had been completely convinced that it was a religion of truth, justice and equality. My family’s reaction was calm. My father loved me so much so that he accepted my conversion to Islam, but he asked me why I wanted to become an Arab so I made him understand that Islam is not restricted to Arabs alone, for it is Allah’s religion for all His creatures on earth. It is a religion for the whole of humanity. But my in-laws refused at first my conversion and that of my wife to Islam. What made this problem bigger was the fact that we had our first daughter who should have been born Christian and baptized, but we refused this, saying that she was a Muslim. This made matters worse between us and them at that time. However, after that our relations returned to normal when they realized our persistence in embracing Islam.”