Euroviews. To stop the potential "Jihadi Jacks" of the future, British Muslim converts need support ǀ View

To stop the potential "Jihadi Jacks" of the future, British Muslim converts need support ǀ View
Copyright REUTERS/Christinne Muschi
By Adeem Younis
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The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent in any way the editorial position of Euronews.

The number of people converting to Islam in the UK is growing rapidly, but they often make headlines for all the wrong reasons.

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The number of people converting to Islam in the UK is growing rapidly, but they often make headlines for all the wrong reasons. Whether it’s Oxford-born Jack Letts’ alleged Islamic State (IS) links or a contentious tweet by the newly-converted singer-songwriter, Sinead O’Connor, Muslim converts are generally met with an air of suspicion or, in many cases, open hostility.

This cynicism towards Muslim converts is nothing new. In the 1800s, Britain was home to a generation of Victorian Muslim converts with the founder of England’s first Mosque, William Abdullah Quilliam, being branded an anti-British traitor for his connections with the global Muslim community.

Many converts are caught between the ambivalence of their new Muslim brethren and the hostility of their old non-Muslim ones. Extremism happens when community fails.
Adeem Younis
Chairman of Penny Appeal

While some politicians, media outlets and elements of our security services have presented Muslim converts as a potential threat, as research by the Radicalisation Research Journal shows, the reality is that many of the most inspiring, inclusive and transformative Muslim leaders around the world - past and present - have been converts. And in the UK, converts represent a unique bridge between the diverse communities they hail from and the ‘Muslim-born’ communities who are settled here.

Whilst complex, the story of Jack Letts represents what can happen when this journey goes frightfully wrong. But the journey of a convert - from a seeker to one integrated into a community and grounded in the balanced practice of their new faith - illustrates the role Islam can play as a crucible for the best of what both heritage Muslim cultures and Western civilisation has to offer.

Today, recent estimates suggest 80,000 have converted to Islam in Britain, with their number growing by 5,000 every year. Two thirds of them are women. Every convert brings their unique experiences, talents and gifts to the Muslim community, but they also bring their own challenges. Muslim communities have generally struggled to sufficiently provide the necessary welfare, support, training and mentorship to those who have newly embraced Islam.

Converts represent the changing face of the religion in Britain, and their fusion of identities can often challenge the status quo of established Muslim communities who may be resistant to change.

Equally, their conversion can bewilder their own family and friends, who may go as far as disavowing them, leaving them potentially vulnerable and without support.

Their journey to Islam - and through it - is often difficult. This is where strong Muslim civic society is needed to provide a guiding hand and safety net for those in particular need. That’s why the charity I founded ten years ago has made care for Muslim converts a priority.

We need to see beyond the famous converts like Muhammad Ali and Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), as well as the infamous ones like Jack Letts and Westminster attacker Khalid Masood.

Many converts are caught between the ambivalence of their new Muslim brethren and the hostility of their old non-Muslim ones. Extremism happens when community fails, when people fall between the cracks, and are left to discover themselves in the perilous, unfettered space of the internet.

As post-colonial, pre-Brexit Britain wrestles with existential questions of what it means to be British today, we should look to learn from Muslim converts who have been able to straddle multiple identities; identities that are often presented as conflicting.

It is by no means a stretch to now call Islam a British religion and with thousands embracing Islam every year, this is becoming more and more self-evident. Just like people of all faiths and none, converts to Islam deserve to be respected, valued and have access to appropriate pastoral care and support.

As someone embedded in grassroots Muslim communities, I’m acutely aware that converts represent the future of Islam in Britain. That’s why I am less concerned with the quantity of people embracing my religion than I am with the quality of both their faith and their journey to and through Muslim communities.

Every one of these journeys is different. But none of them should end in a militant caliphate.

Adeem Younis is Chairman of Penny Appeal, a British-based Muslim charity working in 30 countries around the world, including the UK

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