One Swede’s story of converting to Islam
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How does a 34-year-old Swedish music teacher become the focus of recent post on a blog connected to the Los Angeles Times newspaper focusing on “observations from Iraq, Iran, Israel, the Arab world, and beyond”?
By telling a story–referred to in the blog as “intriguing, and perhaps a bit puzzling”–about how an unassuming Swede named Malcolm found his spiritual home with Islam.
“I feel very comfortable as a Muslim…. We’re social creatures and we want to feel a sense of belonging,” he said. “If it’s not a clan it’s a nation or a soccer team. For me it’s nice to have a belonging which is not a nation or a football team.”
He explains that the day he “officially” became a Muslim at the Mosque in Stockholm:
The room became quiet as the blond-haired, blue-eyed Swede got up from his seat and started to read out the text alongside the imam in Arabic. From a stand above in the women’s section, his Muslim wife was watching him.
Malcolm summed up the occasion thusly: ” It felt big”.
November 5th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
How touching!
The blond-haired, blue-eyed Swede got up from his seat and started to read out the text alongside the imam in Arabic.
His muslim wife was watching from the Women’s section!
I thought that women were human beings, at least they have the right to stand together with the men.
But in the perverted world of muslims they are regarded as animals and have to be kept separately.
Hopefully, he will go to Iran or Iraq to learn more muslim culture. And if returns from there with his head on the shoulders, he will compose better music than Mozart did
November 5th, 2010 at 2:36 pm
What is the name of male babies born in Europe this year? Mohammad, you don’t have to convert to be taken over by Muslins!
November 5th, 2010 at 5:30 pm
This man is demented, period. He has just contributed to the downfall of his own culture and country. He should be tried as a traitor, frankly, and anyone who would marry a Muslim woman has mental problems to begin with, because he will also marry her father, brothers and uncles, who will probably “honor kill” her for having anything to do with a filthy infidel.
SICK.
November 5th, 2010 at 5:49 pm
@ Yoman
Your ignorance is blinding you – Stop the hate !!!
http://www.themuslimwoman.com/herrights/womensrights.htm
Best wishes
November 5th, 2010 at 11:01 pm
Welcome to Islam Malcolm, it always feel good to see and hear from the chosen ones.
November 6th, 2010 at 7:52 pm
Great to hear this, but really it does’nt matter if your jewish christian or muslim (or any other faith) as long as you believe in not harming others and following the due legal process of the country I think we can all get along with each other!
Peace from Pakistan
November 7th, 2010 at 8:50 am
yoman, I can feel that you are uneducated and don’t know how to read which is the reason that you know nothing about ISLAM, I suggest you read some unbiased materials hopefully you will gain some knowledge and understand of the difference between how MUSLIMS treat their women and how you treat them and find that you are the animal and you treat your wife worse than a DOG.
Cheers
November 7th, 2010 at 4:31 pm
I think that all converts to Islam just have to be mentally ill. The Charles Manson figure who Muslims refer to as the Perfect Man (the Prophet Mohammad) – someone they are urged to emulate – was quite evidently a murderer, a rapist and a robber. Why would anyone in their right mind want to be like him?
November 7th, 2010 at 4:33 pm
@ Yoman
what a pathetic ignorant creature your are!, before attaching someone’s religion try to understand what are the basis of this religion
it is a shame that racist ppl like u, do still exist on our planet
November 21st, 2010 at 4:42 am
I marvel that any ‘right-minded’ person, born and raised in the West, would willingly choose to follow the teachings of Islam. Or Christianity for that matter, why can a person not just live their lives decently without a pathological need to believe in something?
Christianity has proven, in recent history, to be the far less violent of the two faiths, and it seems to be the dominant religion in countries that seem to prosper the most, (e.g. the West). But, violence aside, religions are just so full of hypocracies and historical innaccuracy, that any rational person must flee from, nor give any ‘intellectual respect’ to borrow a phrase, to any other person who professess to believe in a faith.
If you wish to believe in out-dated fairy tales because you can’t accept that death really just is the end, that’s your business, but religious practitioners, (mostly Islam), are responsible for so much current misery.
I suggest we believe in something that can be measured with our senses, and what is in the here and now, and the hope for what may be the future, based on an acceptance of Science as the pre-eminent ‘faith’. Coupled with common sense and compassion, we may hope this to be the future for everyone but for out-moded/anachronistic ways of thinking, (i.e. fervent useless adoration of 1400 yr. old document or 2000 yr. old document, that requires constant apologetics to remain current).
The overall message of religion is that we should be nice to one another, but that has always been so and religion cannot claim decency as it’s sole domain. Else how is it possible for an atheist to do a kind act?
Personally, I hope for a day when we have taken just the ‘be nice towards each other’ part from religion, and lose the rest. But I think Churchill was right in saying that Islam is the most retrogressive force in the world. You only get to blame the West for so much evil in this world, and when you take that in to consideration, Islam is and will always be, truly backward. Muslims fight each other just as much as with the infidel, however unpleasant a fact that is to hear for some.
If this man wants to lead this sort of life for himself, that’s his right, but I wonder what his brand of Islam is, and what it means to him, beyond belonging to an international/interacial club?
November 22nd, 2010 at 10:17 am
Just let the others alone, those are just their custom. It’s not being ignorant.
December 5th, 2010 at 9:13 am
Rana Says:
November 7th, 2010 at 4:33 pm
@ Yoman
what a pathetic ignorant creature your are!, before attaching someone’s religion try to understand what are the basis of this religion
it is a shame that racist ppl like u, do still exist on our planet
WOW if i had a dime for every time a muslim told me to ‘understand it first, before you speak’ Id be a millionaire
ALSO ISLAM IS NOT A RACE and it IS a shame that hateful racist muslims who declare swedish and white women are whores, exist.
December 5th, 2010 at 8:11 pm
I am at a loss as to some of the comments here. The West was not, and is not, so wonderful. Historically, the Catholic Church has caused far more misery to Europe, The Americas and the Middle East (than Islam) – the Crusades – and nearer home the Albigensian Crusades, the Holy & Spanish Inquisitions, the burning of heretics, so called witches and these dark ages went on well into the 16th century, and all done in the name of the West’s religion. Today, the Catholic Church’s attitude to women hasn’t changed? And the priests who committed crimes against children and then protected by the Church – Christians? And even in the Anglican Church those who oppose women joining the Clergy are heading for Rome. In the Jewish faith women are separated from their men in the synagogue, so I think playing the “poor women” card to get at this convert falls on very weak ground. As for the West, our treatment of other people, races and groups should not make us feel superior or proud. The American Indians, The South American Indians, the Aborigine people, Africans and the slave trade, the Jews of WW2; these were not crimes committed by Islam, but by so called civilized people? More recent history – how about apartheid? Not so long ago! What I glean from some of the comments is that the actions and the history of the West are ignored, but the actions of extremists leads to hate against all Muslims? And the problems that are relevant to Muslims in some parts of the world – are born of poverty, lack of education and ignorance – when you cure those ills you will cure much else as well. But the ignorance and poverty of some of the comments here from well off, educated people? well you have to wonder.
December 7th, 2010 at 11:02 am
Idot understand where from people get their data about islam.i am so proud to be blessed by creator .i have seen all those poor western girls wearing nothing just to get some complement,have to work so hard just to show they are independent,will do whatever some guy want her to do and even after all this he wil kick her up and go after some male. Ifeel pity for those gals lying in the snow drunk and begging her boyfriend not to leave her,we are the most lucky on earth ,we are treated as precious as diamonds so kept with great care. we have to cover our self so not every eye can enjoy except the one we choose our partner.islam is for all those who want serenity and peace with self with nature and with CREATOR .if anyone want to know about woman in islam go and see AYSHA KHADEJAH AND FATMAH TU ZAHRAH.the role models for us,try to look into the Prophet MUHAMMAD (PBUH)house and his family .
my sincere advice for all those who want to know teh woman in islam Read 4 chapter of Quran thats will give glimpse of woman in islam
.may ALLAH make the path easy for our brother in islam
AMEEN
December 18th, 2010 at 2:02 pm
Respect and tolerance begin when difference is perceived as a diversity and not as a threat. Often people define their identity in binary-opposition to the Other: “I am what the Other is not” and this seems not to be the path to the peace most people aspire to in this world.
What is the solution? It is knowledge because “a little learning is a dangerous thing; drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: there shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, and drinking largely sobers us again.” (Alexander Pope).
Even when one thinks s/he knows, s/he has to seek for the truth in what s/he knows and that’s the way to have an insight and wisdom to avoid being a puppet in the hand of other people who got an agenda: “Truth, like gold, is to be obtained not by its growth, but by washing away from it all that is not gold.” (Leo Tolstoy)
S. Huntington & Co. call it “Clash of Civilizations” while E. Said & Co. call it “Clash of ignorance”. It is a matter of one’s way of seeing. The issue is not in Islam, it is in our reading of Islam, and our way of reading is shaped by the psycho-socio-cultural-political-economic products we are or we choose to become.
December 19th, 2010 at 11:00 am
Malcolm is merely following in the footsteps of
1) Lord Headley (1st President of teh Institute of Electrical Engineers)
2) Lady Evelyn Cobbold ( from the Charles Hambro Banking dynasty)
3) Leopold Weiss ( from a distinguished family of Rabbis)
4) Sir Archibald Hamilton ( Soldier and Politician)
and others, who embraced Islam in the early part of the last century because they found peace and contentment in Islam, none of the above needed to become Muslims, they were wealthy, highly educated and socially recognised within their own society and certainly did not need to choose a “backward religon” practiced by colonial natives” to enhance themselves.
December 31st, 2010 at 8:44 pm
Since when is “Malcolm” a Swedish name?
January 10th, 2011 at 12:50 pm
People can believe what they want. If he has fallen in love with a Muslim women and decided to follow the same religion as her so what. But do we really need all these stories about religion reported and hyped up?
I suppose it would be a bit boring if they reported on what is probably the most common event…
“HEADLINE: MAN CONVERTS TO ATHEISM… Today in Malmö a man who had been indoctrinated from birth with the holy truth that there was an all powerful, unknowable man/woman/god in the sky/heaven decided on balance that due to the state of the world, wars, scientific evidence, disease and wild inconsistencies in the holy word of god book that god did not actually exist after. He still is attending church/masjid/temple/synagogue though as that is what his family expects.”
February 4th, 2011 at 7:04 pm
Great he just went to a religion that says its impossible for salted water to be mixed with “sweet” water.
I personally have problems against any and all religions.
Not that i only target islam, christians and anyother religion by definition are but a syndrome of being scared of whats under the bed.
If people believe in creationism that means the system failed to educated them or society has failed to arrest the parents who brainwash their kids into this type of irrational thinking.
Also radicalization of religion comes from any religion using evangelical ,convert or die /our way or no way, line of thoughts.
How can people believe in books written in a time when 90% of earths population couldnt read, and thought the earth was flat.
If some find happiness in religion then the least they can do is keep it to themselves.
And lastly this is not islam this is europe and we have the freedom to criticize ANY religion we want!
What i fail to understand is why , when someone exercises their freedom to criticize a religion must they fear persecution and death threats while those who threaten walk free.
Saying somethign against islam is quite different than saying “i will kill you if you say anything bad about mohamed.”
Those people are the ones who should indeed be booted out of everywhere for not integrating in a free society.
Its already enough the U.N wont do shit to help oppressed people throughout the world specially women in islamic countries,
but wants to pass laws that put people in jail for saying religions are stupid.
March 14th, 2011 at 5:39 pm
Many Swedish people are realizing the emptiness in thier daily lives. Islam can be a source of removing that emptiness. Many people in Sweden just hear the media hype around Muslims being ruthless, barbaric people. I wish they could mingle with the general Islamic society and see the beauty of Islam.
For starters Muhammad(Peace be upon him) brought light into the lives of the ignorant Arabs of his times who used to bury their daughters alive.
I never hear the Western media or the Swedish media talking about this.
March 23rd, 2011 at 4:46 am
It’s nice to see that a man is so in love with a woman that he willingly converts to her religion and accepts its obligations as well as what it promises. His obligations include supporting her and providing for her and any children they may have. As for most of the comments on this article, they’re so laughably hysterical, bigoted and selective in what they say that they reveal more about the intelligence of the people who posted them than any facts about Islam, Christianity or Judaism.
March 31st, 2011 at 6:29 pm
it is true that many here write things based on racism and misinformation, but having lived in Muslim countries I can attest that there is much of Islam that is theocratic and fails to honor basic human values. For example, Arabs have basically turned their version of Islam into a mid 6th century comedy, where women are veiled in black, day and night. This because women are dirty, unclean, and cannot be trusted to keep their hands off of other men, thus they must be locked in the trappings of cloth and marginality.
My fear is that Islam, like Christianity, and Judaism, continues to foster division amongst Muslims, the end result being that women continue to suffer, are forbidden to question their teachers, etc., much like all Abrahamic religions.
This man, however, wanted to convert because his wife is Muslim, and the fact is that he probably could not have married her if he did not convert, and that is a real problem. If he has half a brain, he will read into the Koran and see the violence that Mohammad himself levied against his foes.
I’ve seen the totalitarian beliefs in Malaysia, where Muslims are not allowed to attend Christian or Buddhist events. This indoctrination and a belief in invisible gods is a sad thing, whether they are Islamic, Christian, etc. Far from being open to other traditions, if one doesn’t believe in a God, they pretty much see you as sinner, for the most part.
We need to use our common sense, and we need to be honest about this particular religion. We don’t have to resort to hateful words to show that there is much about this tradition that threatens real democracy around the planet.
April 13th, 2011 at 7:32 pm
Man is so intelligent he knows each and every cell of his body,he try to know from nanometer to light year but still he is so unfortunate he does,t know who created him and why???????.the day we know this fact,that will be the day of true success .
May 29th, 2011 at 2:09 am
What does ‘belief’ really mean. Humans have this capacity to ‘believe’ in anything. The problem is, belief does not necessarily equate to truth. The truth, no matter how you apply or define it, exists without definition. I may call it havet, you may call it ocean, but it doesn’t care what it’s called – it is what it is no matter how it’s defined. In fact, it can’t be defined!
There is only our natural world. There is no god, there are no angels, there is no devil, there is no hell – there is only our natural world. You can try to replace unaswerable questions, as frustrating as that may seem, by creating ‘beliefs’, some of which are so bizarre as to defly any logic or rationale, at which point most believers say – you see – you don’t know the truth – and the discussion progresses ad infinitum. Well, think again, belief does not equate to the truth – the truth does not require belief, again – it is what it is, no matter what one thinks..
Islam, another super-imaginary belief system, when diagnosed, is the worst cancer to attack humanity and our world since the dawn of mankind. We humans are not inherently peaceful, just look at the principals of life – eat or be eaten. It’s tough, but who needs this absurd and ruthless belief poised to plunge the world into a return to something far worse that ‘the dark ages’.
We must wake up, stop all the fantasy and be free from religion, a dispicable from of mind control in any of its myriad forms, which has been used to subjugate our hearts & minds and force us to behave with malice against anyone not wishing to join ‘our fantasty’ whatever that may be.
Don’t do it, don’t fall for it, do not join any ‘belief’ and be strong and courageous by taking personal responsibility for your lives. Here’s a concept you can relate to – ‘What happens when we die’? – Answer – go look at a dead person. Anything beyond that is wishful thinking and fantasy. Wishing you all the best, M
June 8th, 2011 at 12:42 pm
@Rana, What you call racism is as result of other cultures/religions not respecting the religion/culture of the country that adopted them, as simple as that.
June 8th, 2011 at 12:59 pm
Some muslims (not all) are very hypocrite, they act according to the beliefs in front of others but behind they are just hypocrite people. why I say this? Many years ago I worked in two 5 stars hotels in London, guess what? Every time we have a muslim guest, after they checked out we had to check behind cupboard and all corner as they left behind porno movies, they manager/supervisors were worried to be found by other guess and complain :) well, not nice for a 5 star hotel to leave the surprise to the next guest. That is it well known. Also, I know some muslims who drink, and do other things that according to their beliefs they shouldn’t. So, don’t picture yourself like the perfect ones, because none is perfect, some of you just play it. God bless you.
June 16th, 2011 at 6:24 am
Agree with most everyone. The man is a free thinker. In light of the new restrictions on immigration into Sweden, I think it would be a good idea for Swedes to be offered dual citizenship in Middle Eastern countries. There is everything to gain including ending the war, improving the economic opportunities and bringing new ideas, that would be done in a way that respects values i.e. before the world becomes a giant Walmart no offense to people who shop there and work there. I think its pretty neat when Muslim people welcome others into the belief system and also when outsiders defend it. I agree with Youman, the experience to Iran/Iraq would open the ‘Gota Kula’ the ventricles in the brain that can be stimulated to create better music than Amadeus Mozart.
July 30th, 2011 at 2:57 pm
I thought that alI needed to know about Islam, I had learnt on 9/11. I am still learning from Iran, Egypt, Syria, Libya, Lebanon,Afghanistan,Pakistan etc.
August 6th, 2011 at 4:09 pm
I’ve read these comments and have found myself giggling. The obvious Christian and Muslim comments accuse the other of being racists. Is that used to justify the argument? Does that justify the oppositional comments?
It is times like this that I see no improvement in humans, looking back four thousand years. Collectively we are still squatting in the dirt picking fleas.