This is from the March 27-April 2, 2010 issue, so this is a little bit late. I picked it up before I went on vacation.
The front page carries a picture of the Cathedral of Sacre Coeur in front of the Hassan II mosque. The caption translates:
THE TEMPTATION OF CHRIST
Despite police harassment and death threats, thousands of Moroccans have converted to Christianity. Today the state is violently reacting to counter the 'threat'.
Yes, those are scare quotes.
The entire coverage is an in-depth critique of the incoherence and injustice of recent Moroccan government activities in the area of religious liberty.
The main article is accompanied by testimonies from a number of Moroccans who have converted to Christianity. All have struggled. Some of their families have disowned them; others are more tolerant. Some Moroccan Christians have lost jobs. All have lost friends.
In the main article, it points out that most Moroccans convert to Christianity more as a result of Arabic media and not from foreign missionaries. This jives with my experience: a number of Moroccans I know have had long conversations with Christian missionaries about religion and none have converted. Some defended Islam while smoking hashish just to piss off the Christians, it that gives you an idea of how many Moroccans understand their Islamic identity. This observation about foreign missionaries, of course, undermines the rationale behind the recent expulsions of many foreigners.
Tel Quel notes that what has been effective in getting Moroccans to convert has been Arabic media such as the television channel al Hayat. Tel Quel carries a profile of Al Hayat broadcaster Brother Rachid, a Moroccan who converted to Christianity and often speaks with Father Zakaria, an Egyptian priest who has been imprisoned twice for baptizing new Christians and now is forced to live in exile. Both live in secrecy after having received numerous death threats.
Another point Tel Quel makes is that the common claim that 150,000 Moroccans have converted to Christianity is false. Using French research, they conclude maybe a few thousand have. Of course, the Islamicists have good reason to exaggerate the number to scare the average Moroccan into thinking he or she is surrounded by a growing Christianization (ironically...the same dynamic in Western countries regarding Islam).
Tel Quel concludes that the reason behind the government crackdown on non-Sunni Muslims has to do with internal politics. By holding a hard line against Christian missionaries and generating heat about it from abroad, they counter radical Islamic talking points about decadent Westernization and Christianization. This explanation, which I have seen repeated a few times now, seems most likely to me at this point.
The article ends with a discussion of a quote from an interview the king Mohammed VI gave to Le Figaro in 2001. He stated that he was the Commander of all the believers: Muslims, Jews, and Christians. Tel Quel quotes one Moroccan Christian pleading to be recognized in the same light: a Moroccan believer under the authority of the king...just a Moroccan Christian believer.
Tel Quel's readers seem to be disappointed with the crackdown. In the letters to the editor section, one Mustafa Laafoui of Kenitra writes in to ask some tough questions about Mohamed Naciri. In one quote highlighted by Tel Quel, he says:
Why didn't the honorable Mr. Naciri oppose the expulsion of the supposed evangelists? Why didn't he insist that these individuals be judged according to the laws set in place?
Other media critical of the government have been shut down recently. And the same could happen to Tel Quel. But as long as they are still around, there will be at least some debate and critical thinking about current events.
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One of the rudimentary things that the above news dispatch does not refer to is that most of these Moroccan converts are not highly educated in the secular sense and not proficient in Islam. They have been dogmatically lured into Christianity--this is now well documented--by the prospects of money, visas and immigration to the West. Evangelists, as in their recent scandals in Morocco, exploited the poverty which is rampant in many parts of the country, especially rural ones, to proselytize. They have lost ground in the West, particulary as a result of the scandals of the papacy and the paedophelia of priests, and now they want o compensate for that in the Muslim world. Also, why should the writer of the dispatch fuss about figures? Certainly, the number of these Moroccan converts constitutes a very small fraction in comparison with that of the highly educated Christians who revert to Islam, and who do so out of conviction, not brainwashing.
ReplyDeleteJamal
ejayinternational@yahoo.com
Thank you for your comment Jamal. A few thoughts:
ReplyDeleteI think the numbers issue is important. When you are being told by the media that a large percentage of the people around you are leaving your religion for another, and that this is happening secretly out of the public eye, it can be very scary. It's even more scary when some commentators saying that all foreigners in the country are likely "evangelists or pedophiles". Then the people you thought you knew might not just be fake Muslims but also very close friends with sexual predators. This is a typical media tactic: scare and sell. I've seen it in the United States and now I've seen it Morocco too.
The difference between the reported figure and the real figure is the difference between everyone around you possibly being a fake Muslim (the 150,000 figure) and maybe a few people in a few cities but no one you really know (the real figure). One is threatening and scary; the other is a concern but not a big deal.
As for your insinuation that most intelligent people convert to Islam but only stupid people convert to Christianity: such a chauvinist and ignorant comment shouldn't require a response. But since you probably really believe it, then I will answer.
I lived in West Philadelphia for two years and most if not all of the converts to Islam there are lower class with little education beyond high school. I'm sure it parallels what is happening in Morocco. The fact is both intelligent and less intelligent people convert to both religions depending on the circumstances. Both religions have long intellectual traditions and both also have fundamentalist, anti-intellectual movements.
One difference I do see is that in the West, a convert to Islam need not fear persecution or violence. In the Islamic world, a convert to Christianity often does.
Thanks schaefer for the response to my comments. Numbers do really matter and Islam is definitely the fastest growing religion in the world. You complain about freedom of speech and the media in Morocco, but you seem to ignore the fact that the US, where you come from, is becoming one of the most extremely intolerant countries in the world vis-a-vis Islam and Muslims. Persecution, surveillance, discrimination, etc. are the rule there. At least you can come and settle freely in Morocco, but if I want to go to the US and honestly write on my visa application `The purpose of my visit is to prosyletize,` I am sure you know the outcome of my application. On the other hand, dubbing my description of those who convert to Christianity as `ignorant` and `chauvinistic` smacks of red herring and ad hominem. The facts on the ground do prove that most of them do convert, or pretend to, in the hope of improving their lot in the West. The visa lure and the promise of an eldorado are all now well documented reasons (watch Al Jazeera). The Moroccans cited in the media do not even understand Islam well to venture into Christianity, whereas the Christian scholars--google or youtube them--know whey Islam makes more sense to them than the religion they spent a lifetime preaching. The examples you have given from Philadelphia cannot reverse the rule that most of the reverts to Islam are highly educated and cannot be compared to the average Moroccan. I have travelled in many countries in the world and met reverts of a high caliber that you cannot lure with a visa and a life of material prosperity. You can do a quick google search to read about the personal stories of such renowned figures as Marmaduke Pickthall, Malcolm X, Murad Hoffman, Yusef Estes, Yvonne Ridley, etc.
ReplyDeleteHi Jamal.
ReplyDeleteSo you make two points I clearly agree with. The first is that there are high-profile, intelligent converts to Islam. The second is that some of the Moroccans who converted to Christianity did so because of "visa lure and the promise of an eldorado"--monetary and material rather than spiritual reasons.
But then you take those established facts and extend them into a generalization that is just not tenable. You make an argument about the absolute number of converts between religions, their intelligence and their motivation.
My point was that you can't make a claim like that. First of all, go read the Tel Quel article I mentioned in this post. It focuses on the Moroccans who want to stay in Morocco and be loyal subjects under the king. That means: they are not converting for material reasons. They are enduring the broken family bonds, harassment and social disdain because of something deeper than merely a desire to get a visa. They really believe in the Christian message. I can't speak for their knowledge of Islam or their intelligence and I don't think you can either. But we can observe that they are not converting for a visa.
I also want to reiterate my earlier point that converts from Islam to Christianity can not be high-profile in their own countries because of the persecution and violence they will face. Again, go read the Tel Quel article about Brother Rachid. He must live in secrecy because of his conversion. This fact will skew any figures you try to collect on the number of converts and their societal profile and intelligence.
That's why I really don't think you can make the sort of general claims you are making based on the very specific examples you are giving. I didn't call you ignorant or chauvinistic--I personally find ad hominem attacks very repulsive and counterproductive. But your claims were ignorant because they relied on flawed logic (inductively moving from specific circumstances to general principles while ignoring key nuances) and were chauvinistic (showing a biased devotion to your own cause while ignoring counter examples).
A few other points:
I don't know what you mean by 'revert', but I think you mean 'convert'. A 'revert' would be someone who was a Muslim, flirted with another religion and then came back.
You are actually quite wrong about American visa rules. There is actually a program that allows religious workers to enter the United States: https://www.usimmigrationsupport.org/r1-religious-work-visa.html .
As for other Muslims in the US, certain Muslims are under surveillance and there have been some unfortunate events since 9/11 against Muslims. Calling persecution, surveillance, and discrimination "the rule" seems a bit strong to me. There are a number of high profile Muslims in the US--we even have a Muslim congressman. Also, in my time in West Philly I never saw any persecution of Muslims. I did however see a Muslim verbally abuse an Orthodox Jew. My point in all this is that things are much more complicated than you are making them out to be.
I have, indeed, read the Tel Quel article in its original French version, which is--as typical of the magazine--inspired by the sensational journalistic practice. The problem of persecution or fear of it is a common phenomenon in religious as well as secular discourse. I lived in North America among former Christians who embraced Islam and who were disowned by their families. In the best scenario, it took their families years to come to terms with their sons or daughters` new faith. Blame it on the media (Fox, Evangelical media, the New Yorker, think tanks, Jihad Watch, among thousands of Islamophobic outlets, and, perhaps you might not appreciate it, the `ignorance`of the average American about what Islam is all about. In the early days of the Internet, there were several newgroups created by the new converts to support each other, and now there are several blogs devoted to the issue. There is no need to inundate raeders with the harrowing experiences and tribulations of the converts to islam.
ReplyDeleteWhen I used the word `revert`I meant the same concept as `convert.` Muslims prefer to use the term `revert` more than `convert` to refer to those who accept Islam.
Hi Jamal and Dispatcher,
ReplyDeleteI’ve just read your discussion and I have a few comments 1) on the kind of converts, 2) on the number of converts, 3) on conversion itself, and finally 4) on apostasy.
1) Even in Jesus’ days on earth, it was the poor and disadvantaged who accepted him gladly. It was to those who became as little children that he promised the kingdom of God. It was the pure in heart, not the great in intellect or social standing, that He said would see God. It was a mark of honour for the early Christians to be regarded as weak and foolish, for God was pleased to choose the weak and foolish to confound the mighty ones of the earth. Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, that you have hidden those things from the wise and intelligent and revealed them to babies.”
Some of Europe’s intellectuals became infatuated with the Marxist ideal after the Bolshevik Revolution but never personally lived in a Marxist state. Similarly some western intellectuals today have embraced the ideal of Islam as something new and exotic, but how many have chosen to come and live in one of the world’s Islamic states where Sharia law is ideally implemented? In my many years in Dar Islam, I can count on one hand the western Muslims I have known who have made a lifelong commitment to living under Islamic rule.
2) God actually punished the Prophet David for counting the people – they were not to rely on numbers but on God Himself. Jesus reinforces this by saying that the path and gate that lead to eternal life are narrow and only a few go in by that gate, but the path and gate to hell and destruction are broad and wide and the majority choose that way. Jesus also says He calls many to follow him but few are chosen.
3) Talking about “former Christians who embraced Islam” shows misunderstanding of the word “Christian”. Christians are people whom Christ has chosen, not people who think they have chosen Christ. Jesus said clearly, “You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you”. Even more dramatically, believers were “chosen in Christ before the creation of the world for His glory”. So there is no way in which we can then be “unchosen” – no-one can take us out of His hand.
Jesus also describes believers as being “born again”. No-one who has been born can then just simply decide to be unborn. Either you are alive in God or you were never spiritually alive in the first place. Jesus said that many think they are His followers but do not have his life in them. “Many will come to me on that day and say to me, ‘Lord, Lord’. But I will say to them, ‘Depart from me, I never knew you.’”
4) Whether the command to execute apostates originated with the Prophet of Islam himself or was a later development, many Muslim purists seem to feel that the apostate should die. This is probably why Muslim states, like Morocco, take such a hard line with Muslims who meet the living Christ and begin to follow Him.
By contrast, when great crowds came to see Jesus’ miracles and hear Him teach with authority, he explained how hard it was to follow Him and “many of his disciples turned back and walked with him no more.” Did He rant against them as apostates and say they should die? No, he simply let them go, respecting their freedom to choose. He then turned to his nearest disciples and asked them, “Will you also go away and leave me?” This is the living Christ I love and follow.
He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
Muneer