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The Journey from the Secular to the Sacred: Experiences of Native British Converts to Islam

Based on interviews with a sample of native British converts to Islam, this article attempts to identify the major factors involved in their conversions and to explain why they chose Islam rather than any other religion. The converts had become strongly critical both of their childhood religion, Christianity, and of the society they grew up in, Britain. They found Christianity too morally permissive and society too secularized. In other words, they were upset at how marginalized religion had become both in their own lives and in society. Choosing Islam enabled them to more easily orient their everyday lives towards God since Islam offers many practical ways to lead a meaningful and good private and social life. The author concludes that it was the dynamics of their own lives and thoughts that led them to convert. They wanted a more religiously oriented community and life.