Lauren Booth and Her Journey to Islam
By Dr A. Khan
Chicago, IL
Lauren Booth, journalist, broadcaster, documentary film maker, and former British Prime Minister's sister-in-law, made headlines around the globe when she accepted Islam in 2010. She was the keynote speaker at the Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA) fund rasining dinner at Islamic Foundation, Villa Park, IL, on June 8, 2012. She shared her story of embracing Islam with the Chicagoland audience.
Lauren started her address by thanking MFLA for providing an opportunity to speak and share her thoughts with people in Chicago. Recalling her early childhood, she said that she was born in 1970s in London, her father was a Catholic and mother was just superstitious and hung crosses in the house to ward off evil. As a child she did not learn any specific prayers, but she remembers praying to God to take her sister away just for 48 hours. Her knowledge of Islam and exposure to Muslims was minimal. At school she knew just few things about Muslims girls: they all had long hair; they were good in math; they became doctors and dentists, and they never dated boys. This was all she knew until 9/11. But then everything changed.
She talked of the photos in the media that stopped the world; the little girl running away from the Napalm bombings in Vietnam; a boy named Faris Odeh with a stone in his hand standing in front of an Israeli tank.
In 2008 she traveled to Gaza, along with other activists, by ship to exhibit her support to the Palestinian people who were suffering from Israel’s blockage. Her planned stay of five days turned into a month long trip because Israel and Egypt denied her exit through their borders.
She reminisced about her trip to Rafa, one of the poorest refugee camps in the poorest areas of Palestine. She talked about a mother living with her children in a garage. She invited Lauren for Iftar and placed the Iftar items in front of her – the meal she prepared for her kids. Remembering the warmth of her affection, Lauren said, “She welcomed and greeted me with such affection as if she was welcoming me to the Taj Mahal.”
Lauren said that she felt anger and wondered why people fast during Ramadan: there was already a shortage of food and water. She asked the mother, “Why are you doing this? Why does your God make you fast?” The mother replied, “I fast to remember the poor.” Lauren was moved by the mother’s answer: the poorest woman she ever met was going without food and so she could remain humble. Lauren said, “At that moment I felt as if a key went to my heart…if this is Islam…I am in…but the minute I left her door I forgot everything.”
In 2010, Lauren went to Iran as a journalist to cover Al-Quds Day, when a million Muslims were calling for the freedom of Jerusalem. She talked about her visit to Bibi Fatima Mosque where she offered a simple prayer: “Allah, I do not want to ask for anything because you have given me everything, I have good life, but please remember Palestine.” Lauren said that she felt the greatest feeling of peace in the mosque. Her heart experienced calmness and joy.
Describing her experience of finding peace, she said, “I sat down as if I was sitting beneath a fountain of peace…you know what month it was…it was Ramadan again and I sat down and I expected to see mothers feeding the children…be a tourist…but when I sat down it was… as if I was sitting beneath a fountain of peace… as if a waterfall of absolute calm descended on me...and I could not move …I did not want to move…or did not know how to move… I was aware of my body…I was not aware of being myself… I was just aware of being a part of peace…part of some incredible peace…I knew at that moment that somewhere in the universe it’s like that all the time… I totally understood all that fussing…all worries…all of the anxieties… all the thoughts… you are all having now… none of that matter… somewhere it’s peaceful all the time… and we are making these worries…I sat down…my friend told me that we should go back to the hotel now…I told her I want to sleep on the floor of the mosque… is that OK… she said that’s fine…in the morning I prayed fajr…then went outside and my conscious mind freaked out… all those thoughts have been cleansed …all that peace started to vanish.” She remembered her flying back to London from Tehran; as the plane was about to land all women removed their hijab. Shortly after her return, she accepted Islam at a London Mosque.
Lauren said that prior to accepting Islam, her two daughters who are 8 and 10, and are very practical too, made a list of three questions for her. They said, “Mommy when you become Muslim, would you still be our mommy? She replied when she accepts Islam she would become a better mommy. Her daughters said, “Hooray.” The second question her daughters asked was: “When you become Muslim, would you still drink alcohol?” She told them that when she becomes a Muslim she will never drink alcohol; her daughters said, “Hooray.” And the third question they asked was, “When you become Muslim would you still show your chest? Because when you used to come to our school, your chest was showing and we felt embarrassed.” Lauren replied when she becomes a Muslim she will be modest and cover up her body, and her daughters replied, “We love Islam.”
Lauren also praised London’s Somali Taxi drivers who always tell their riders stories about Prophet Muhammad (SAW). She said that one cannot get into their taxis without hearing Assalamu Alikum, even if he/she is not a Muslim. Lauren concluded her talk by emphasizing the meaning of Alhamdulillah (God be praised, an expression of thankfulness): she presented the example of Muhammad Ajeer, who in spite of losing two legs in Israeli bombing, was thankful to God for two eyes and two hands.
The talk was followed by a Q & A session. In response to the question “Do you plan to publish a book?” Luren replied that she does not plan anything, Allah guides her. Responding to a question about her job as a journalist, Lauren said that when she appeared on her television program wearing hijab her producer quietly asked her to quit. Asked how she felt wearing hijab in London, she said that it was quite safe, and especially if you are a tall white lady no one bothers you.
As for her parents reaction to her conversion to Islam her father said that he always knew that there was only one God and not three gods. However, her mother said that she had joined the nutters.
Asked how did Tony Blair react to her becoming a Muslim, she replied that she had not spoken to Blair since he supported the Iraq invasion. She went on to say that her sister Cherie Blair is a very conscientious person.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back to Pakistanlink Homepage
