As soon as I became online today ,I found most of all international news Websites are speaking about that prominent Muslim who became a Catholic and that the Pope of the Vatican himself has baptized him on Easter. 
That so-called prominent Muslim is Magdi Allam ;the Egyptian born non practicing Muslim who lives in Italy for 35 years ; is a journalist and writer , he is a deputy editor of the Italian Corriere dellaSera , a newspaper known for its Christian right wing conservative views against Islam and Arabs.
I had not heard about him before till he wrote his controversial book "Viva Israel" that sparkled a lot of anger in Egypt and in the Arab world. Allam claimed that Hamas wanted to kill him and asked for security ..etc. This is what I knew about him ,I did not bother myself to know more about him,he was from the same kind of people like Noni Darwish , this was enough for me. "by the way Noni wrote about Allam in her book"
Seriously this man was not that famous or important to us.
I do not care if he converted to Christianity or any other religion he believes in , he is an adult who can take his decisions by himself , but I do not consider him as a Prominent Muslim either , it seems to me that Mr. Allam before baptizing was a very secular person ,he did not pray , he did not fast,going to Mecca for Pilgrimage with his deeply religious mom "I do not know what she will think about him now but as an Egyptian I know that this can create a shock for her"
Of course now some so-called Islamic extremists will appear and say let's kill him just to add more fuel on the fire of So-called Islamic danger in Europe .
I think the media should ignore this , as I said he is a free man to do what ever he wants , we got other important issues to cover and discuss than this.
You are right.
ReplyDeleteYa3ni, how in the world is this guy considered a prominent "Muslim" ? I hate to make analogies to Hitler (as is done often by U.S. media), but Hitler was born a Roman Catholic, but he never attended mass, and he wasn't practicing. Yet, you never hear them describe him as a "prominent catholic christian".
I am not saying Magdi is Hitler, but what i am saying is that calling him a prominent Muslim is just like calling Hitler a prominent Catholic Christian. It is just wrong!!
Hi Zeinobia. I'm recent discoverer of your charming and highly informative blog. About this story you posted: I know of fellow Moroccans (I'm one by the way... sorry for not having introduced myself earlier) who have publicly "converted" to Christianity (I'm using the brackets on purpose) in order to get the green card and have a job and a comfortable situation in the US. These are people who were motivated more by uncertainty in the future, fear, opportunism than by any inner and genuine conviction. I know that the case of Allam is slightly different one: this man has of course the right to convert to any religion of his liking but the context and previous history of the man makes him a perfect opportunist and mean rascal. "Viva Israel"??!! The title in itself tells you everything you need to know about this stupid dummy!
ReplyDelete@Za3tar , this is difference between us and them ,I do not know already what makes him an expert in middle eastern and Islamic affairs , the man lives in Italy for 35 years and he seems to despise everything related to Arab and Islam !!!
ReplyDelete@Hisham,welcome to my blog and I hope that you become a regular visitor , about those Moroccans , well we got the same kind in Egypt , some Egyptians would claim to be homosexual in order to get a green card in America or Canada !!
Allam is a different story as you said , he is a rascal as you said , I checked back from his background and I found that he was not that honest ,he is just like Noni Drawish , the infamous journalist trying to be famous and successful in all possible ways
Magdi Allah, Hardly heard about
ReplyDeleteViva Israel, Never heard about
[[I do not care if he converted to Christianity or any other religion he believes in]], True it is an open two way road
[[I think the media should ignore this , as I said he is a free man to do what ever he wants , we got other important issues to cover and discuss than this.]], Exactly, from what trash can you get your media updates?, and why u agonizing us by posting that??
This guy was plastered all over the Australian Press yesterday. Who cares if he is prominent or whether he converted to Christianity? Why does it need to be publicised?
ReplyDeleteIf Jesus works for him, good on the guy? After all the Koran accepts Jesus as a Mesiah, the good deeds he did on Earth, that he was the son of Virgin Mary and that he rose from the dead.
Perhaps the Media ought to report if there were any Jews converting to Christianity, that would be worth reporting. After all they were the ones that killed Jesus. It is the Jews that do not believe in Christ!
Instead the Jews jump up and down saying the Good Friday prayer is anti-semitic.
http://ardentobservations.blogspot.com/2008/03/pope-is-anti-semitic.html
The Australian papers did not report that however.
There is a famous question in the Christian experience, "What would Jesus do?"
ReplyDeleteIn the context of relations between faiths in today's complex world, the answer to the question would likely stun our perceptions of the other.
As the teacher that he was, the answer to the question, what would Jesus do? ..... I see a transformational experience for both Christians and Muslims.
It occured to me that Jesus would apply to take Hajj to Mecca where he would symbolically and profoundly pray to Alla and share the Eucharist with those who choose.
It would be his way to teach us we both pray to the same God of Abraham and must return to share these experiences in pure joy of life.
With all due respect, I have to say that Jesus would respect "the other" because Jesus' precepts were inclusive to all. But I doubt he would take the Hajj to Mecca because he was not a Muslim. He was what he was above the political, economic, sectarian, religious, and all general human thought even when he was on earth. He said that "his kingdom was not of this world." He was a rebel in the best and highest sense.
ReplyDeleteIn Christian tradition he disapproved of the Jewish/Hebrew religious traditions of the time especially where encouraged empty ceremony and hypocrisy and no real relationship with God. He once characterized the Jewish religious establishment of that day as being like "beautiful white-washed tombs but inside are dead men's bones." He did not go around pacifying everyone by telling them what they wanted to hear, because it he had he never would have gotten crucified with was the plan from the beginning.
Of course, as a devout Christian who calls herself I a "primitive" Christian because I believe and try to live by the original precepts of the early church before it got corrupted even by Roman Catholic doctrine and the church as a business concept practiced here too much in America, I have to see Jesus as more than a man or a prophet. I have studied not at only a secular but also at a Christian university, so I know Christian doctrine and history. But just like Jesus this does not stop me from loving Catholics, Muslims, etc.
Zeinobia,
ReplyDeleteSorry for commenting too much here. I guess I should mind my own business, but as to people converting to Christianity and using excuses like "I am gay," to get into the US, well, immigration authorities are getting wise to all this nonsense.
Since 9/11 it has become difficult for Muslims, even converted Muslims to attend universities here. There was a talk show here with a young American woman who fell in love with a young Palestinian man in Gaza, she went there and he was abusive and terrorized her. This show used the topic to warn American women to be careful about not dating or marrying Muslim and Middle Eastern men. These warnings come up periodically in the press.
I helped a young Turkish woman who a former friend and colleague to get a travel visa here. She used me to get the visa and she had a false conversion to Christianity. She has either married or is living with a poor black man over here. She has learned the hard way that marriage to an American is no guarantee of citizenship post 9/11 especially for people from Muslim countries. This man and his family is poor and they cannot help her. I think she wanted to get with my brother, but I never introduced them because she wasn't his type, and I did not want my brother to be used as anyone's ticket to get anyway. I hate it so much when Americans are used in this way. I understand the desperation of some people, but still is it low to use people in such a way. Nowadays most Americans are pretty wise to such traps, but still some will fall in willingly perhaps out of hope that the person may really love them.
I wish America could just throw open its' doors to everyone in need, but there is not enough to go around. We just cannot. We have at least 12 million illegal aliens mostly from Central and South America who have taken the jobs of poorer, less educated Americans. There is a lot of anger here about this. Then there is fear that Muslims or former Muslims want to come may only be terrorists who want to get here to do damage. Last year only 800 Iraqis were let in, so guess what the chances are if you come from a country that is not at war?
My Russian friend's son has been here for close to 10 years, and they will not grant him citizenship. He is not even Muslim, but I think an atheist. Sadly the homosexual argument may hurt more than help too, because the church wants to eradicate homosexuality if it can as a lifestyle.
I think about my former Turkish friend who came here, thinking she can use her education and get a good job when the best she can do is to remain unemployed like she is now or work in a restaurant or as a maid for a hotel or a private citizen. She speaks perfect English, is blonde, and overweight. She looks American, but she is not wanted here. I wanted to let her know this, but I could not bring myself to tell because I knew she would not listen.
I hope others do their research and do not have to face the heartache and disillusion many are finding out in post 9/11 America.
Sincera, Your life experiences have opened your eyes and given you much understanding and wisdom.
ReplyDeleteThe surety in which rests your certainty that Jesus would not (a) take the Hajj to Mecca and (b) extend the offer of the Eucarist to Muslim, is the peaceful comfort zone from which Jesus would move you beyond.
@Loudlaughter,well I blogged about Allam because all the newspapers in Egypt spoke about him , gave him attention , of course they revealed interesting facts about his modest background in Egypt and his life in Italy,also I was provoked by the prominent Muslim thing
ReplyDelete@Ardent ,I am not surprised that the Australian media ignored the part in the Friday Prayer and we all know why
@anonymous,it is not about the matter of what Jesus would do here more about the media coverage and twisting of facts in order to create more tensions between Muslims and Christians
@Sincerae,the Catholic Church is using this in the media as part of its new attack on Islam led by the conservatives and hawks in the Church ,this pope destroyed all what Jon Paul II had did from good relations with the Muslim world
about the Immigrants ,well I feel so sick and angry from those people , first of all as you said they are taking the jobs opportunities of other people ,the natives , yes they came from poor countries and suffering from bad conditions back home but this way is disgusting
it is before 9/11 and this game is being used now it is used more
The same thing in Europe Egyptian men would marry their grandmas in order to get the citizenship ,they pretend to be converters ,they pretend to be gay
I do not know but as a Muslim ,I believe that this deception and it is the worst way to earn your living regardless of the excuses but you know those people who pretend that they are converters and gays to take the citizenship can't not be trusted easily because religion is a precious thing
how can you lie about it !!??
Zeinobia,
ReplyDeleteWe have a saying, …”the people are voting with their feet”.. A true conversion, unforced, willingly taken, and openly accepted in own's own heart is as pure and joyous and beautiful whether it is a conversion from Christianity to Islam or from Islam to Christianity, Christianity to Jew, Islam to Jew, Jew to Islam or Jew to Christianity. We all pray to the same God of Abraham and seek his guidance. A good soul is a good soul.