The Personalities Who have Converted to Islam in France

Every day in France a number of women and men by western culture and Christian religion are being freely converted to the religion of Islam and among the huge masses who every day gather around one another to perform their praying we can witness the presence of a great number of people who perform their prayer along side the other Muslims in the regular lines. Every day considerable number of the French come to the great bureau of the Grand Mosque of Paris while calling the phrases of “there is no God except Allah” and “Mohammad is the holy prophet and messenger of Allah” are being converted into Islam as well as every day the New Muslim are being taught the teachings of holy Quran and they complete their awareness with regard to the religion of Islam.
It could be said that since today the world of west particularly France have never been so much the scene of inclination towards Islam. The new Muslim women of France have become duty-bound to the ideals of Islam with the purpose of seeking purity and neatness as well as the complete performance of the instructions and teachings of holy Quran mentally and spiritually. In the meantime they have completely turned away from the corruptions prevailing in the world of west.
It seems that in Paris every day 10 persons are being converted into Islam. So far at least 400/000 people there have been converted into Islam in France. One of the reasons of the infatuation of the French to Islam is moral seeking against fall of the western values, because Islam bestows a sacred meaning to the daily life and emerges such as a light of guidance.
Even though the French Muslims are in the minority but they have plentiful attractions so far a great number of the Christians there have been converted into Islam. The official number of the Christian that merely in France have been converted into Islam is estimated as 100/000 people.
The presence and the communication of the youths who are residing in the suburbs of the big cities and towns who most of them are Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, African and Laotians in the mosques and getting married with the Muslims is a reason of increasing the number of the French Muslims. In the meantime more important than all is their association and communication with the Muslim youths hence they become more inclined to Islam. Even though the French youth\'s inclination towards islam is owing to their social experiences but the role of the propagation organizations such as, the “Propagation Community” is very important.
It could be said that one of the most important Islamic influential personalities in France is Dalil Abubakr, head of the Islamic Institute as well as the Grand Mosque of Paris. He is the son of Hamzah Abubakr the famous Algerian Jurist who due to the Islamic activities also Translated the holy Quran into French language has acquired plentiful reputation.
Abubakr himself is physician as well as member of the Physicians Association of that country. Of course his political stance is the presentation of a kind of Islam on the basis of leniency that is acceptable and confirmed by French government and the west.
He says he will attempt to take away the Islamic Institute and the grand mosque of Paris from the influence of Algerian government and he has begun many activities in line with expansion of the opinions of Al-Azhar University particularly its Sheikh who in supporting the antiveil activities of French government against the Muslims does not have a clear record or evidence. In this respect he has had various visits with the dean of the university. Dalil Abubakr has French nationality.
One of the other great Islamic personalities in France is Roujé Garoudi who due to his Lectures and his scientific activities is famous and renowned among the French people and the world Muslims. This French thinker a few years ago established a great institute of Islamology in Spain and has concentrated his ministries there.
Roujé Garoudi was one of the members of the French Communist Party as well one of the most famous personalities who has been converted to Islam in France. Owing to his criticizing of the leader of the French communist party with respect to his secret support of the aggression of ex- Soviet Union to the ex- Czechoslovakia in 1968, initially at the beginning of 1970 was fired from the central committee of French communist party and after a few months from the party itself. In strife against Existentialism which after the end of the Second World War had taken root in France, Garoudi was the main upholder of the Marxism ideology. At the end of the decade of 1950, particularly with respect to the humanitarian view point in 1950, in the various books he promulgates a kind of the Marxist Humanism that not only allows the association with existentialism but also welcome Lommology as well as Neo-Tamisty Individualism.
After severance from French communist party that had constituted his thought for 3 decades, Garoudi increased much more of his exchange of opinions with the other ideological incidents. In the most of his writings such as the human speeches (1975), the project of hope (1976), and with the subsidiary interest title of the west is an accident (1977), the summon of the alives (1976) Garoudi emphasized upon this point that the west has been converted into a destructive machine that destructs the share of the other civilizations with respect to constructing the humanistic civilization. After wards, in 1981, coincidence with his nomination for the presidency, Garoudi was converted into Islam. This stage of his life has been recounted in the books such as the good news of Islam (1981), Islam embraces our future (1981) and biography of the twentieth century with subsidiary title of "the philosophical will of Roujé Garoudi. After converting of Garoudi to the new religion of Islam, he had been the popular guest of the Islamic countries. In 1983 he was invited to give lecture in the millennium ceremony of Al- Azhar University.
In 1939 he entered in the French military and in 1940 he was arrested by the Nazi soldiers and became captive of them for three years in the Algerian war camps that were under the surveillance of Nazi Forces.
In the years 1945 to 1958 Roujé Garoudi was the deputy of French Assembly and in the years 1952 to 1962 he was senator of French Senate. For a long time he was in the leadership position of French Communist Party. During this period of time Garoudi wrote the books such as the Marxist problems, The theory of Materialism and Lenin studies.
After a number of researches who carried out around Islam and, after many years of experiencing Christianity and Marxism, in the age of 70 he was converted into Islam. That time the Muslims became very happy that he had been converted into Islam, because he was reckoned as one of the distinguished writers, lecturers as well as the philosopher of French communist party.
He was so extravagantly welcomed that after his conversion into Islam no one pondered.
To know his opinions deeply, he wrote a number of books concerning Islam and against the civilization of west that among others he wrote the books such Islam the Future religion as well as Islam and the Future program.
Garoudi has compiled a famous book about usurper regime of Israel under the title of the File of Israel which its dissemination caused the stance taking and hard reaction of the cultural and political circles in Europe and the Zionist circles submitted a complaint to the court against him.
Certainly the trial of the French philosopher in the French court with the accusation of expressing his studies with regular to the commission of anti humanitarian crimes against Jews confirms one point and it means that “Freedom of Expression” when doesn\'t embody the world Zionist interests, is not more than a claim.
Another book of Garoud is "Palestine the land of prophets". Garoudi chose the Islamic title of Rejah for himself and he took a number of trips to the countries such as Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and the other Islamic countries and has rendered lectures in the universities of the mentioned countries. Before and after the glorious Islamic revolution, Garoudi seven times has taken trip to Iran. In his recent trip to Iran he expressed that he wants to present New Face of Islam to the people.
He says that, he has not accepted Islam but he has come towards Islam. He says that by delving upon the verses of holy Quran he has realized that Islam is not a new religion. If Islam was a new religion it was in contradiction with the other religions. Islam was the summary and complementary of the previous religions. Because the principle of the religion is the same and difference existing is relevant to the approach of their presentation by the prophets (AS) to the people. Islam was emerged by Abraham, hence he is the first Muslim. He says: “when I was converted into Islam I started my path from the era of Abraham and used nothing except the Quranic verses. After my personal experience and paving a long way I was inclined towards Islam, I began from absolute philosophy and by passing from Christianity and Marxism I reached to Islam without leaving my previous opinions. My transfer into Islam does not mean that I have left my past but it is in the continuation of it. The religion that today I believe is a mixture of the previous religions. The religion of Abraham in its historical meaning is neither Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism nor Islam. I am also Muslim in its general meaning of the word which it is not in contradiction with my previous religious and philosophical thoughts because Islam invites the entire monotheists and the followers of the other religions to be gathered under its banner.
Professor Vansan Mansour Monti is also recounted as one of the Muslim luminaries in France. In addition there could also be reminded professor Abdul Halim Herbert that the three recent persons with the French origin who have been converted into the true religion of Islam. Among them Professor Abdulhalim Herbert has chosen the Islamic school of thought of Shia. This French professor previously used to teach in the universities of Saint Atin and Lyon as a specialist in the sociology courses who has taken several trips to the I.R of Iran so far.
It is to be mentioned that a group of French luminaries also have been converted into Islam, but owing to the various reasons inducing fear of dismissing there jobs, they don’t reveal their Islamic faith.
The ethos of Mourice Bejar who recently has been converted into Islam in France is that contrary to the most of the people who have been converted into Islam in France as Sunni he has become shia.
Also among the distinguished figures that in France have converted into Islam could be named the personalities such as Cood Kivij managing director of Soy Publication, as well as the translator of religious works of Amir Abdul Qader,or Lady Eva Devitrah Mirovic, the writer of various works in connection with mysticism who is also the professor of philosophy in the University of Sarbon. These two personalities have grown up in a catholic milieu.
Among the other persons who have been concreted into Islam in France, the personalities such as Mr Gharoo Borzh could be named who for many years have been under taking the directorate position of television of France and Mr. Christian Bono who has changed his name to Yahya Bono and he is one of the Muslim thinkers in France. Yahaya Bono has been studying philosophy under the teaching of the professors of Qum Theological Seminary such as Ayatollah Ashtiani, the student of the late Imam Khomeini, the great Founder of I.R of Iran. In the French University of Sorbonne he has gotten his doctorate degree in the field of late Imam Khomeini’s philosophy and mystic. He says: “Before my inverting into Islam even I was not a proper Christian such as those ordinary Europeans that most of them are infidel. I was also superficially a Christian. Even I didn’t know the difference between the mammary Christian religion and the real Christian religion. Among the oriental religions that were prevailing in France, there were much the religions such has Buddhism and Hinduism that when I became Muslim even I did not know what is the difference between Sunni and Shia. At the first year I became familiar with the books of martyr professor Motahhary who was student of Alameh Tabatabaiee that through those books I became familiar with Shia and I confess that at first I was Sunni.
Undoubtedly in France Islam has benefited from curiosity, but becoming a Muslim except in a few exceptions in France could not have been political aspect because inclination towards Islam in the most times has been the cones quince of aspectual research.
For a number of Catholics there exists only a stage of their converting into Islam that owing to it the numbers of Muslims in Europe are rapidly increasing. The main part of this growth is reckoned as the simple cones quince of the International Migration. Due to various reasons the persons come from Islamic countries with a religious background and there is a number of European who convert into the religion of these migrants. Even though they are insignificant in number but this also happen that they (by a curious mind with respect to their new religion) also bring with them the new interpretation of Islam. Thus they co-operate with respect to the constant evolution of Islam and its compatibility with the circumstances of the contemporary face of Europe.
Hence converting into Islam is not a new phenomenon. No one has definite information with respect to the number of Muslims in Europe. But perhaps it is a fact that we say that they constitute a top much more important role that the people imagine. For instance France has more than 6milion Muslims. Thus, if we consider protestant as an independent religion, Islam is recounted as the second religion in France. According to the official speaker of Muslims in Paris, based on the estimation, the number of the people who have converted into Islam are at least 400/000 people.
Even if we take into consideration the least statistics, again it constitutes a considerable number that are increasing extensively. Hence of it the journalists and the researchers have paid more and more attention to this phenomenon. The people who convert into Islam are not merely confined to the intelligentsia chains but Islam attracts its new followers from the entire strata of surety with the various spiritual and practical reasons. These intelligentsias who have been converted into Islam not only are found in France but also in the countries such as Switzerland, England, Belgium and the other points of Europe Continent.
Imam Reza (A.S.) Network