It’s been interesting watching the hullabaloo in the media surrounding Lauren Booth’s recent conversion to Islam.
She’s been criticized, disparaged, condemned and laughed at for her decision, her motives and sanity questioned ad nauseam. And yet, only she – and God, if you’re that way inclined – knows what her motives are. It’s really nobody else’s business. She has said she experienced spiritual enlightenment while in Iran… surely it’s a little repellant for people to believe they have the right to question this. And why is it so hard for people to swallow?
In contrast, her brother-in-law Tony Blair’s official conversion to Catholicism soon after leaving office was widely reported in the media in a rather matter-of-fact manner, with gentle, almost lilting references to his “spiritual journey”. And yet Lauren Booth’s spiritual journey, it seems, does not deserve the same respect from much of the world’s media, with derisive comments and “analysis” of her actions being bandied around more liberally than chicken salt on hot chips.
Some Lilliputian journalists and their readers have been at best sarcastic and at worst gratuitously vitriolic in their response to her announcement. It’s more than a little irritating and, quite frankly, insulting to any woman who has ever felt strongly about something that others may not agree with or understand.
One comment that summed it up was from a guy who asked: “Why is this front page headline news? I’ve just cooked lunch. Does that count as headline news?”
I don’t know much about Lauren Booth. Maybe she is as batty as some people are saying. Maybe she does crave media attention. Or maybe she’s just telling the truth as she sees it. But this is all beside the point. The danger lies not in her conversion to Islam, but in people’s reaction to it, because fear coupled with lack of knowledge and empathy is a perilous road on which to travel.
As a mother, I am tempted to say that I would be far more worried about leaving my children with a Catholic priest than with a swarthy bearded man or a headscarf-wearing woman who speaks Arabic. But that would just be stereotyping Catholic priests – and we all know it’s wrong to do that.
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I think Islam is 'sensational' in the media's eyes. Islam has received a lot of press in recent years, for good or for ill. I hate to knock-down this woman's conversion, but I do feel like conversions to Islam are flavour of the month. Wait 10 years...it will likely be another faith in its place.
ReplyDeleteAs for headscarf-wearing men who speak Arabic, tragically 2 little boys (sons of converts) living in Dubai and sent to Quran memorisation school were found to be sexually abused by their teacher. It happens everywhere. I just think that the Catholic church has done a bang-up job of systematically covering it up.
Hey Susan,
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with you about conversions being flavour of the month, although they are increasing, but I sure do agree with you about sexual abuse happening everywhere. You can't be too careful with your kids. Ahmed has had contact with pedophiles through his work and a friend of ours asked him how to spot a pedophile and how to protect her kids. Sadly, the only advice he could give was: "The only way you can truly protect your kids is to be with them 100% of the time."