DAVIS (G.B.) Why did they become Muslim?

 

DAVIS (G.B.)



I was born in 1931, and began to go to elementary school when
I was six years old. Completing my elementary education after
seven years, I attended a junior high school. My family raised
me in a Catholic system of education. Afterwards, I joined the
Anglican church. Finally, I became an Anglo-Catholic. During all
these conversions, I observed the same thing. Christianity had
dissociated itself from man's normal daily life long ago, and
had become reminiscent of an attirement that was worn only on
Sundays and kept in a wooden case only for this purpose. People
could not find what they were looking for in the Christian religion.
The Christian religion was trying to attach people to the church
by means of lights of various colours, images, smells of incense,
pleasant music, and a variety of glorious ceremonies and litanies
performed for saints. Yet all these efforts fell short of attracting
people. For the Christian religion concerned itself only with
legendary subjects and therefore evinced no interest in what was
going on without the church. Consequently, I developed a profound
hatred towards Christianity, and finally decided to give a test
to Communism and Fascism each, which were being propagated with
sequinned advertisements.



When I attempted Communism I was happy because I believed that
it rejected class differences. As time went by, I faced the awful
truth: let alone rejecting class differences, Communism was a
totalitarian regime wherein people led a life of slavery, a small
minority inflicted all sorts of cruelty and brutality on the others,
no one had the right to protest, and any sort of objection, rightful
as it might be, would incur a penalty, which meant, more often
than not, being sentenced to death. Stalin is a good example concerning
the real face of Communism. Upon this, I shifted from Communism
to Fascism.



My first impression in Fascism was its discipline and order, which
I liked very much. However, Fascists were self-conceited people.
They despised all people and all races outside of their community.
Here, too, cruelty, suffering, injustice and oppression prevailed.
A couple of months sufficed to make me loathe Fascism intensely.
For Sir Oswald Mosley (1896-1980), British right wing politician,
an MP from 1918 to 1931, and the founder of the British Union
of Fascists.], in Britain, Adolf Hitler (1889-1945), the leader
of German Nazi Party. He was born in Austria. His ideal was to
develop a pure German race.], in Germany, and Benito Mussolini
(1883-1945), (known as II Duce), Italian Fascist Dictator. After
the Second World War, he was killed by the Italians.], in Italy,
were the exemplary models of stark terror and ruthless and despotic
cruelty. Nevertheless, I could not give up Fascism, for there
was no other alternative left.



I was desperately writhing in a state of distress, when I came
across a periodical captioned The Islamic Review in a bookstore.
I scanned the book. I still cannot understand why I bought that
book, which cost me two shillings and six pennies [Until 1971,
British coin, worth one-twentieth a pound, or twelve old pennies;
five pennies as of today.] and was too expensive for me. I thought,
"I have wasted my money. Perhaps the contents of this book
are mere twaddles that would not be worth a penny, like those
Communist and Fascist follies." Yet, as I read on, it began
to capture my attention, which soon developed into utter amazement.
I read the magazine once again, and again. So Islam was a perfect
religion which accumulated in itself all the best aspects of Christianity
and of the other ideologies ending in 'ism'. Despite my poverty,
I subscribed to the periodical. A couple of months later I decided
to embrace Islam. Since that day I have held fast to my new religion
with my both hands.



I hope to begin studying Arabic as soon as I enter university.
For the time being I am studying Latin, French and Spanish, and
reading 'The Islamic Review'.