The following interview with a liberal-minded Pole who converted to Islam some years ago was published recently at EuroIslam.pl. Some excerpts:

We Are Afraid Modernity Might Kill Allah: Interview With Polish Muslim Liberal

An interview with Ibrahim Kalwas, Polish Muslim liberal living in Egypt, writer and journalist.

Let’s start by asking how a guy like you — quite a partygoer — becomes a Polish Muslim?

Not so long ago, on the gate of a Swiss embassy I saw posters done by some Swiss artist. One of them showed an image of a rebellious youngster from the 70s — a punk; but a rebellious youngster in the 2000s is a bearded European guy with a gun who converted to Islam, became a Jihadi. Nowadays many people really do convert to Islam to overcome their frustrations. But why others, not just crazies and frustrated people, decide to become Muslim? It’s hard to say, it’s very personal, every religion is. I converted about 16 years ago, for spiritual reasons. My Islam is totally different now than it was at the beginning. I came a long way from a neophyte to a Muslim liberal.

Why don’t you try and convert our readers, tell us what is so cool about Islam, what was it that attracted you? And why Islam and not Buddhism or Catholic Youth movement or yoga?

I never try to convert anyone, proselytism is completely alien to me. Why did I choose Islam? I don’t know. Christianity has always been very strong in my family; it was something that I was forced into and I haven’t got any nice memories from that period — going to church, or being morally oppressed by the religion. I have been keen on various religions since I was a child. I was reading scripture and books and it just clicked. Perhaps it was also because of my frustrations, I needed a religion that would bring order into my life. I was of course drinking and behaving badly, I wasn’t using many drugs, marijuana more so. I felt lost.

If I was to advertise Islam…It’s an all-day, holistic system that totally regulates the life of a person who is serious about it. And converts do treat their new religion really seriously; I was the same. The converts start living in accordance to a certain religious schedule, in accordance to prayers for example. They come in, very strongly into haram and halal zone, that is, into what’s forbidden and what’s not. Many people stop drinking or eating one thing but start eating something else. Touch this, don’t touch that and this puts a person into a rhythm; rhythm of dogmas which in my opinion, calms the new convert a lot. And I think most of them are quite happy with that.

You start with an extreme mess and enter an extreme order?

Yes, it’s putting the feeling of being lost, the chaos, or anarchy in their minds, heart or life, back in order. No other religion, I believe, regulates so much the way people dress, what they eat and how they should have sex. This is something that attracts many people. There’s also the question of power. In this religion, the element of power, certain kind of violence — not only in the negative way but also in a way of reacting to itself, to the believer and to others — is very important. This power, its dynamics is transmitted to the convert. He feels very powerful, feels the backup of the community, which, right now, amounts to about a million and a half; the community where the word of god is preached where it is considered as the only one, the dominant one; the word of god that has been chosen and prophesied to be the future of the world. One feels that one enters a very strong community. Although there is a division in Islam, it is a different kind of community than a Christian one. Christianity, with few exceptions is very smooth, sluggish, liberal and democratic. Islam is like an army, because it’s a religion that is based on battle. This battle, this jihad — in a broad sense — is yet another element which by some people going to Syria is understood only in one way — as killing infidels. However, the battle with oneself, the soft version of jihad, is very important for the converts, and that element isn’t present in Christianity.

Next thing — sex. Many people think that extramarital sex is forbidden in Islam but sex itself is very much present in Islam. It’s hard to grasp it but this domination of man over woman, this patriarchal system which has been present in Islam from its very beginning, it’s very attractive for young, frustrated, often not too handsome guys. I remember that — these were experiences of my fellow converts. There were a lot of guys who struggled with these things. If a guy is unattractive, small and has no girlfriend then if he grows a beard, if he surrounds himself with bunch of other guys who constantly say that a woman is inferior, that she’s weaker and needs to be dominated, this builds him up. Some neophytes who wish to go to Syria are lured by the vision of getting sex slaves and concubines, and all those women they will rule over, as it says in the Quran. Also, it’s hard not to underestimate the vision of constant afterlife of sexual pleasures with beautiful virgins, after all it’s something that God has promised.

What in this case attracts women?

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