Islam as Development, Conversion as Enlightenment

The conversion as enlightenment trajectory constitutes the classical case of “religious seeking” defined by Wiktorowicz as a process in which an individual finds their current religious views (or lack of thereof) unsatisfactory and inadequate and therefore searches for an appropriate religion to abate existential anxiety.143 _{Concrete interactions with others or their representations absorbed via books and}

other media, attending lectures or other formal group meetings, participating in official religious rituals and less formal interactions with group members especially following social leads through pre-existing or emerging friendships are often instrumental. This type of conversion “includes introspection as well as interaction”144 _{and the impulses for engagement in a given religious group however recurrent are}

nonetheless varied and idiosyncratic and might lead to a selectivist attitude especially when the perceived inconsistency of religious precepts or its limitations lead the potential convert to the conviction that the given denomination is not applicable to an individual’s specific situation (pick and choose attitude). Only after exploring alternative identity choices will the final decision be made and thus the

shahada is seen as a final act of enlightenment, a culminating point in spiritual development.

Regarding the security perspective, it needs to be underlined that religious seeking typical for this trajectory is potentially dangerous as the complexities of Islamic jurisprudence are so complicated that even nominal Muslims born and bred into the religion are very often not knowledgeable enough to discern between competing interpretations, then what about converts who can easily be convinced that a given thing is just and right and truly Islamic? Considering that there is nothing to force a Muslim to follow one rather than the other imam or teaching, how is a convert to ascertain the authenticity of the given interpretation and how can the convert evaluate the credibility of the preacher or group? This is especially true when these conversions take place over a very short period of time and when the convert having had no prior knowledge about Islam acts on a simple impulse which is recognised as a divine manifestation – God’s calling. The spiritual aspect of conversion is very pronounced in Enlightenment conversion trajectory. After combing through the alternative choices and possible avenues of spiritual development, “chance encounters, mass media and any other available sources of information, looking for lead to prospective means of help”145 _{the future convert is suddenly stopped in}

their course of searching. The epiphany, the understanding that one is called to become a Muslim, is the only precondition that is sufficient to make the individual to convert, while adhering to a specific “radical”

143 _{Wiktorowicz, Q. (2005). Radical Islam Rising: Muslim Extremism in the West. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers,} Inc., p. 23.

144 _{Cited in Wiktorowicz, Q. (2005). Op.cit., p. 24.} 145 _{Straus, R. A. (1979). Op.cit., p. 162.}

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strand is in fact quite accidental and relies to a large extent on chance encounters. Limited knowledge to assess competing perspectives also makes the convert vulnerable to those who prey on newcomers and their “converts’ zeal”, and seduce them to practice “real” Islam. How are converts to determine what “real” Islam is? Moreover, this is also when the lethality of radical imams comes into full force; these eloquent and charismatic leaders have no problem in winning “the hearts and minds” of European converts who are unable to understand the context and likely to be impressed by individuals who present themselves as respected and well educated Islamic scholars, particularly when they speak Arabic.146 _{Such imams, especially when they are converts themselves like Abdul Jabbar van de Ven,}

who did not hide his deficiencies in knowledge professing that “in the land of the blind, the one-eyed is king,”147 _{are an excellent example of this dangerous trend. Even when the convert’s knowledge is}

profound he will credit an imam who is a convert himself with greater credibility since such person understands their predicaments better and is therefore able to respond to the specific needs of new European Muslims. The influence of such imams is profound and can potentially be toxic when opinions espoused by them are radical or contradict mainstream interpretations.

This trajectory is perhaps best represented by David Myatt or David Wulstan Myatt formerly known as Abdul Aziz ibn Myatt, founder and first leader of the British National Socialist Movement, who until the 1990s was involved in neo-Nazi organisations such as Column 88 and Combat 18.148 _Before

becoming Muslim, Myatt not only was active in neo-Nazi movements, but in his religious quest, he also studied Taoism, spent time in Buddhist and Christian monasteries, and also explored paganism and the occult societies. Myatt converted to Islam in 1998 and was greatly impressed by the violent Muslim groups with whom he believed to share common enemies, i.e. the capitalist and consumerist West.149

As a Muslim Myatt was a staunch proponent of jihad and verbally supported Osama bin Laden, condoning the killings of civilians and non-combatants; he also denied the Holocaust.150 _{Interestingly,}

Myatt did not stop his religious quest with Islam and in 2010 he moved away from this religion only to form his own spiritual movement called the Numinous Way.151

146 _{The International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence (2006).Recruitment and Mobilisation for the} Islamist Movement in Europe. London: King’s College London, p. 45.

147 _{Lofland, J. & Skonovd, N. (1981).Conversion motifs. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 20, pp. 373-385.}

148 _{Langenohl, A. & Westphal, K. (Eds.).Comparing and Inter-Relating the European Union and the Russian Federation.} Zentrumfürinternationale Entwicklungs - und Umweltforschung der Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, November 2006, p.84; Barnett, A. Right here, right now. The Observer, February 9, 2003. http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2003/feb/09/society.politics (accessed May 30, 2010).

149 _{Michael, G. (2006). The Enemy of My Enemy: The Alarming Convergence of Militant Islam and the Extreme Right.} Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, p. 144.

150 _{Woolcock, N. & Kennedy, D. What the Neo-Nazi Fanatic Did Next: Switched to Islam. The Times, April 24, 2006.} 151 _{Myatt, D. (2010). Myngath - Some Recollections of the Wyrdful Life of David Myatt, Thormynd Press, 2010 [Eleventh} revised edition, November 2011, issued as a pdf e-text.]

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