*Thousands Of British Elite Embrace Islam: Study* http://www.islamonline.net
"I have received letters from people … who are looking for a religion which does not compromise too much with the modern world," Eaton LONDON, February 26 (IslamOnline.net) – Jonathan Birt, the son of Lord Birt and Emma Clark, the granddaughter of former liberal prime minister Herbert Asquith, are only two of 14,000 mostly-elite white Britons having reverted to Islam. In the first authoritative study of the phenomenon, carried by the *Sunday Times* on February 22, some of the country's top landowners, celebrities and the offspring of senior Establishment figures have embraced the Muslim faith after being disillusioned with western values. The new study by Yahya (formerly Jonathan) Birt, son of Lord Birt, former director-general of the BBC, provides the first reliable data on the sensitive subject of the movement of Christians into Islam. He uses a breakdown of the latest census figures to conclude that there are now 14,200 white reverts in Britain. *Mass Conversion * Speaking publicly for the first time about his faith this weekend, Birt argued that an inspirational figure, similar to the American revert Malcolm X for Afro-Caribbeans, would first have to emerge if the next stage, a mass conversion among white Britons, were to happen. "You need great transitional figures to translate something alien (like Islam) into the vernacular," Birt, whose doctorate at Oxford University is on young British Muslims, was quoted by the *Times*. "The image of Islam projected by political Islamic movements is not very attractive," he said. Initially, Birt said he had no coherent reasons for reverting, but "in the longer term I think it was the overall profundity, balance and coherence and spirituality of the Muslim way of life which convinced me," he said. *'All Rage' * Meanwhile, it emerged this weekend that Emma Clark, the great-granddaughter of a British prime minister has reverted. Emma, whose ancestor, the Liberal prime minister Herbert Asquith, took Britain into the first world war, said: "We're all the rage, I hope it's not a passing fashion." Clark, who helped design an Islamic garden for the Prince of Wales at Highgrove, his Gloucestershire home, is now helping create a similar garden for a mosque in Woking, Surrey, on the site of a car park, said the British newspaper. Furthermore, fresh evidence came this weekend that Islam has received formal acceptance at the heart of the Establishment. The Queen has approved new arrangements to allow Muslim staff at Buckingham Palace time off to attend Friday prayers at a mosque. A member of staff in the finance department is the first to take advantage of it, said the British paper. *'Trophy Lists' * Others have come to Islam through love or marriage. Kristiane Backer, a former girlfriend of the cricketer Imran Khan, said she was introduced to the religion through love but reverted after her break-up. She has shrunk from speaking publicly about her religion before because of fears it might affect her work prospects. "Imran sowed the seeds, but when (the relationship) finished (the faith) took on a momentum of its own," she said. Drawn to Sufi mysticism, Baker said that white reverts had to overcome prejudice both from those born into Islam and from non-believers. "In the mosque women come up and say to me, 'You have hair showing: you must cover up completely.' I say, 'Mind your own hair, you're here to think about God' ". Many reverts have been inspired by the writings of Charles Le Gai Eaton, a former Foreign Office diplomat, it added. "I have received letters from people who are put off by the wishy-washy standards of contemporary Christianity and they are looking for a religion which does not compromise too much with the modern world," said Eaton, author of Islam and the Destiny of Man. *Wary * Some prominent reverts are even more wary, said the *Times*. The Earl of Yarborough, 40, who owns a 28,000-acre estate in Lincolnshire, declined to discuss anything about his faith. "I have nothing to say to you," said Yarborough, who has apparently taken the name Abdul Mateen. Muslim leaders are harnessing modern campaigning methods to promote their faith. Groups have *sprung up on the internet*<http://www.salaam.co.uk/themeofthemonth/june02_index.php?l=6>publishing "trophy lists" of white reverts. The state-funded school in London founded by Yusuf Islam, formerly the singer Cat Stevens, has turned to Premiership footballers to provide role models, said the *Times*. Sources close to the school say reverts including Nicolas Anelka, the Manchester City striker, and Omer "Freddie" Kanoute, of Tottenham Hotspur, have made visits. The trend is being encouraged by Muslim leaders who are convinced that the conversion of prominent society figures will help protect a community stigmatized by "terrorism and fundamentalism". The Muslim Council of Britain has co-opted Joe Ahmed-Dobson, son of Frank Dobson, the former health secretary, to chair its regeneration committee. "The community has been unfairly targeted and these developments encourage it in a time of difficulty," said Zaki Badawi, chairman of the Imams and Mosques Council. ++++++++++++ *Brothers in Islam* http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1209049654313&pagename=Zone-English-News/NWELayout [image: Image] *Like many among Britain's two-million Muslim minority, Yusuf says he faces suspecions and misconceptions. (Photo through Google)* CAIRO — Belizaire's shock and pain after losing his mother and the tranquility and endurance of his younger brother at such a hard time walked him into a new path in life. "When I was feeling lost and confused….I found that Islam made sense to me," the 28-year-old man from the British city of Bristol, who now goes by the name Mohammed Hakeem, told the *Evening Post* on Thursday, April 24. "It gave me a concrete feeling in the existence of God and an afterlife, which helped me deal with the loss of my mother." Hakeem, who comes from an observant Catholic family, says he owes his younger brother Yusuf, previously Lewis, opening his eyes to Islam. Feeling lost after his mother's death, he watched his brother, who embraced Islam some 19 months earlier, grow in conviction and happiness. After some deep thinking he made up his mind. "It's difficult to describe the feeling when you go through with it and say the Shahadah," he recalls with a smiling face. "It's a wonderful sensation. It's a feeling of spiritual clarity rather than feeling lost and forsaken." Yusuf, a law student in London, had quite a different journey to Islam himself. "Because I was so worried my conversion would create a divide, I waited almost a year to make sure I wasn't being influenced or caught up in something new and interesting," he remembers. "In January 2006 I felt I'd waited as long as I could. The conversion was a lot simpler than I thought." He went to Bristol Central Mosque as people were leaving after Friday prayers and announced his desire to become a Muslims. "I took the Shahadah. Then that was it. "It was only a couple of lines, but in my heart I felt like something big had happened," says Yusuf. "It was the best feeling of my life. I couldn't stop smiling. I could then actually start my journey and become a Muslim." *Prejudice* The journey, however, was nothing easy for the brothers. Yusuf remembers the family was in shock when he announced his conversion. "My grandmother thought I was moving away from God." Yusuf, who had read much about religions before his decision, had to appease her fears by highlighting the commonalities between Catholicism and Islam. He told her that Muslims believe in Jesus (peace and blessings be upon him) as one of the Messengers of God. He also told her that both faiths worship one God. "I sent her a copy of the Qur'an and she read through it. Over Christmas, she helped me find which direction to pray." Unfortunately, reaching out to the rest of society was not as easy. Mohammed, the older brother, regrets how the portrayal of Islam since the 9/11 attack has made life harder for Muslims in the West. "I despise the negative portrayal of the Muslim community in parts of the media. "I've heard tales of people receiving aggro because of their religion, but personally I haven't been targeted." The two-million Muslim minority in Britain complains of a growing Islamophobic climate. A *Financial Times* opinion poll recently showed that Britain is the most suspicious nation about Muslims. "A lot of times people don't know how to take it when I tell them I'm a Muslim convert," says Yusuf. "Terrorism is the first thing that comes into their minds. "They are thinking 'please tell me you're not one of them'." A recent study by the Institute of Community Cohesion found that British Muslims are too often represented as one homogenous group linked to extremism and terror. "I can totally understand where they are coming from because I was there," notes Yusuf. What makes him feel better is that once he talks to people, the walls of deep-seated stereotypes and misconceptions start breaking down. "When I get the chance to speak to them, 90 percent want to know more about Islam."
