Conversion to Islam

Rating:
Summary: An excellent ethnography of conversion to Islam.
Review: Conversion to Islam by Dr. Ali KOSE is an original piece of work which deals with why and how non-Muslims embrace Islam in an age of secularism which presupposes that religion will lose its influnce in modern society. This book is a rare example of an ethnographic study which fills a significant gap especially in the fields of psychology and socilology of religions with special reference to Islam. An important value of the book is its innovative interdisciplinary method comprising participant observation, depht interviews and an insighful analysis of ethnographic findings in the light of growing theoretical works on the psychology and sociology of conversion.

The book is written with a non-specialised language which makes it readable not only by the acedemic community but also by the general reader. Conversion to Islam is based on the experiences of British converts who embraced Islam. The author argues that a number of motives stimulated the informants of this research who were coming mainly from Catholic and Protestant religious backgrounds to chose Islam. He found that intellectual and spiritual search for meaning in life were the primary motives for conversion. The book not only concentartes on conversion experience but also provides important analysis of pre- and post-conversion processes while taking into account the works of grand theorists such as Freud and Jung as well as contemporary writers on conversion.

Conversion to Islam is well a researched and balanced book. Is must be recommended to graduate and post-graduate students in the fields of psychology and sociology of religion.

Reviewed by Dr. Talip Kucukcan, Research Fellow, Centre for Research in Ethnic Relations, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom