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Magdi Christian Allam, a
contested conversion
 The
Catholic baptism of the well known journalist, Magdi Allam,
Egyptian and non practicing Muslim, has been criticized and
despised by the Islamic world. Added to this, is the
embarrassment in Christian quarters, of those fearful of
seeing a new crusade being launched by Benedict XVI and the
Church. Instead, just as with the Regensburg address, this
baptism is a message in defense of religious freedom, of
evangelisation and of co-existence between religions.
Beirut (AsiaNews) – Every year, during the
Easter Vigil in St Peter’s basilica, the pope baptizes a group
of adults drawn from the various continents. On the feast of
the baptism of Jesus, meanwhile, the pope traditionally baptizes
small children.
This year’s vigil saw 7 people baptised. One
of them was a Muslim, well known in Italy and abroad: Magdi
Allam, deputy editor ad personam of the leading Italian
daily newspaper Corriere della Sera.
A. The baptized Magdi
1.
Magdi Allam and the evolution of Egyptian society.
Magdi Allam, born in Cairo (Egypt) in 1952,
comes from a Muslim family. His mother was a devout women, his
father more secularized. He was educated by Italian Salesians,
who run Cairo’s most famous technical school.
Arriving in Italy in ’72, he continued his
studies at Rome’s La Sapienza University. Following his degree,
he embarked on his career in journalism, working first for La
Republica, then for Corriere della Sera.
Increasingly Magdi Allam specialized in the
phenomenon of radical Islam, above all in the aftermath of
September 11th 2001. His staunch opposition to this form of
Islam which portrays itself as violent, radical, intolerant and
invasive grew . As the violence of this Islam became blinder and
more widespread, to touch the entire Islamic world, Arab and non
Arab alike, his opposition intensified.
It must be remembered that this form of
radical Islam was born in the early ‘70’s in Egypt; in the
undercurrents of the Muslim Brotherhood – founded in Cairo in
’28 – and that it strengthened itself thanks to the ideological
and financial aid of Saudi Arabia and the Wahhabita School.
Egypt has radically changed in these past 30 years. And Magdi
has taken note of this: all of the radio and television
programmes have been islamified; Egyptian cinema, the most
famous throughout the Arab world, has become puritanical and
Islamic; not even the merest of negative allusions to Islam is
accepted; films can no longer be made about the prophets from
the Old Testament; religious television now concerns itself with
all areas of life; mosques are multiplying at an amazing rate;
the veil has now become all but compulsory; the niqab – which
corresponds to the Afghan burka, covering the woman’s entire
body except for her eyes – is increasingly becoming the norm.
In 2006 the Egyptian Minister for Culture
Faruk Hosni afforded himself the luxury of alluding to the
widespread use of the veil, saying that “I no longer recognize
my country, it has become so similar to Saudi Arabia”: in
parliament deputies linked to the Muslim Brotherhood demand his
resignation based on the constitution (inspired by Islamic
sharia law). Crumbling to pressure, his ruling party invited
him to resign. Faruk was saved at the last moment by the First
Lady, Sawsan Mubarak.
All of this contributed to consolidating
Magdi Allam’s opposition to this radical form of Islam. It is
rooted in the Koran and in the attitude of the prophet Muhammad,
but it does not correspond to the vision of the greater Muslim
majority. These, however, are used to bending to the orders
emitted by the imam, and accept this situation lying face down.
2. From Islamist violence to the non
violence of the Gospel
This perhaps rienforced Magdi Allam’s
distancing himself from his experiences of Islam, while leading
him to the conclusion that the seeds of this violence are
present in the Koran and in the tradtion of Mohammad’s sayings.
Some suspect that his choice was motivated by
political ends, but I prefer to follow the principle set out by
Saint Ignatius Loyola in his Spiritual Exercises, where he says
that one must always attribute best intentions, the so called “presupponendum”,
to the other person, even one’s enemy.
In his Easter Homily, the pope as the
foremost representative of the Catholic Church, underlined that
every person who has undertaken a spiritual journey and has been
helped by a Christian community to verify his own reasons for
his choice, must be welcomed into the Church.
The day after his baptism, Magdi Allam wrote
a letter to his paper explaining the reasons for his choice, why
he was baptised by the pope, etc... Some people’s reaction was
to declare that baptism is a personal choice and as such should
not be exposed in public. In his position, I perhaps would not
have chosen to do so, but it is not incorrect to have done as he
did.
What is for me somewhat disjoined is that he
chose the moment of his baptism to continue his analysis of
Islamic fundamentalism. That was the precise moment in which
Magdi could have communicated how Christianity is the fulfilling
of Islam’s religious leanings. This too would have been of
worth: contemporary Islam is heading full speed towards an
intransigent integralism of vast proportions; contemporary
Christianity on the other hand, is moving towards increased
openness. Thus his choice would gain increased understanding.
Moreover, conversion is not simply a break
with the past (in this case with Islam). It is also a
projection towards the new and the future. This other more
intimate dimension, the discovery of Christianity and of a
strengthening bond to Christ, Allam does not speak of. If he
did, perhaps he would risk becoming the target of criticism from
those who maintain that conversion is a private and personal
matter. But it would be truly wonderful to discover his
personal reasons for this choice.
The way in which he wrote his letter, leaves
open space to an interpretation that sees conflict between
Christianity and Islam, given it's political, ideological and
cultural form. But this is only one point in time. Christianity
is the fulfilment of all that is spiritual and good in this
world. I have had diverse occasions to follow young Egyptian,
Lebanese and Iranian Muslims who wanted to convert to
Christianity. In many cases, the journey begins with their
desire to contrast the violence of modern day Islam; then they
discover that Christianity means peace and love. What strikes
most about the figure of Christ is the element of love, the
gifting of himself even in the passion and on the cross, which
supersedes the Koran’s vision, in which Jesus escapes martyrdom.
Certainly Magdi Allam was not a practising
Muslim; as such his journey lent more towards the political and
cultural. However to say that it is not authentic is a step too
far… which nothing can justify!
B. The absolute value of religious
freedom
1. The freedom to abandon Islam and
convert
His baptism however affirms the legitimacy of
conversion. I believe this is why he wished to draw greater
attention to his conversion: to affirm what is denied by the
Muslim world.
Allam has written extensively regarding the
case of the Afghan convert Abdul Rahman, taking staunch
positions and affirming the right to convert. Magdi wants to
lend his support to a civilisation of human rights, represented
first and foremost by Christian civilisation.
In Rome I know a few Muslim converts, who
however, hide their conversion, without ever denying it. Magdi,
being a public figure, felt the need to proclaim that he was
Muslim and now he has become Christian. Tarek Ramadan even
arrived at accusing him of being a Copt who passed himself off
as Muslim.
According to Muslims, if you are born Muslim
you remain Muslim, even if you distance yourself from the
practise of the faith. This is why it is impossible to convert
to another religion. Having reached perfection with the practise
of Islam, the fullness of divine revelation given by God to the
heart of Adam, but developed and culminating in the Koran, you
cannot turn back. In the Koran, even Adam is Muslim.
This is how I understand the reaction of a
person dear to me and published in the newspaper Repubblica
March 23: “there was no need to reject the love and
faith for the prophet Mohammad in order to demonstrate love for
Jesus. Within their doctrine, Muslims recognise the figure of
Christ and the Virgin Mary”. “This is why I fail to understand
the choice to reject the tradition of the Islamic message: any
form of apostasy is seriously perplexing”.
Instead I say: you cannot be Christian and
Muslim at the same time, because there are irreconcilable points
which divide them, at a level of dogma (be that Christ is the
last revelation of God, or that Muhammad is the “Seal of the
Prophets” who brought the last message to humanity); at an
ethical level (be that the duty to forgive and love your enemy:
or the non duty to do so etc.); at a historic level (be that
Christ died on the cross; or that he did not die and is still
alive). Muslims may have the ‘highest regard for Christ and the
Virgin Mary” but the Christ of the Koran (however wonderful he
may be) is not the Christ of the Gospel.
In the same way Abu Muhammad, commenting on
Magdi’s baptism, writes from Gaza: “Islam is a great tent which
gathers beneath it all religions and Celestial Books. We
believe in all of God’s messengers and in all Books. We have a
wide vision and an open spirit. Even the apostate must be
criticised so he may recognise true from false and discover that
which he chooses to ignore”.
The same rebuke was voiced by the UCOII:
“There is no Jesus-Mohammad contrast”. Yet the contrast in
reality exists! Everyone is free to prefer one or the other.
But the facts cannot be ignored.
Instead along comes Magdi, to affirm through
his conversion, that his preference is Christianity.
These are some of the polite responses from
Muslims. But if one visits a Muslim website in Arabic, such as
“islamonline”, there are many insults. Badr refers to him as a
“dog”; Metwalli says: “from communism to the crusades to the
fires of geenna”; Chérif calls him” vile” and scornfully
congratulates him on becoming a Catholic; another writes “if God
so desires he will die a non believer (kâfir) and so he will go
to hell!”; “you have loved those who killed the prophets and the
polytheists, so go to them!”. Ahmad writes: “Go to hell!” and
Umm Ahmad writes from France: “Lets do our research: surely he
is an Zionist Jew, or at most without origins!”. Abu Muhammad
form Gaza invokes God to send him painful torture”. The litany
is unending.
2. Freedom to convert even in a
secularised world
Conversion and religion are also treated with
distrust by the western secularized world. It is enough to
consider the scandal which erupted in the wake of French
President Nicolas Sarkozy’s recent comments on Europe’s
Christian roots and the need to rely on religions in order to
regain lost secular values. Secularists claim that it was
secular enlightenment which brought values to the world and not
religion.
Benedict XVI’s Regensburg address aimed to
complete the conquests of the enlightenment by opening up its
reasoning to the religious dimension. However he also added:
this does not mean returning to the situation preceding the
enlightenment; his proposal is not a return to the past but a
step forward [1].
Those non believers, who do not allow society
to believe anymore, are against human rights. Therefore, while
there is a totalitarianism of Islamic stamp present in today’s
world, there is also a totalitarianism of an atheist secular
nature too.
If the religious dimension is not respected
than there is the risk of leaning towards a political or
ideological interpretation of religion. Magdi Allam has often
been criticized by western secular intellectuals as someone who
aims to provoke a clash of civilizations, either in favor of an
Italian political party, or in favors of a foreign one.
Personally, even if I do not share all his opinions, such as
for example his reading of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I
do not believe that he is seeking a clash of civilizations. He
is fighting against violence when it hides behind religion, such
as violence in the name of Islam, but in this case those who
fight in the name of Judaism or the Gospel should also be added.
C. Benedict XVI: The duty to evangelize
with respect, Reciprocity in mission
1. Benedict XVI: Christianity is for
everyone
The fact that Benedict XVI accepted to
personally celebrate the baptism of Magdi Allam is surprising.
It must also be said that he did so without ostentation, giving
the same importance to all 7 baptised, and not giving precedence
to the Muslim convert. This emphasis on the Islamic convert is
the work of the press, overly used to attributing political
meanings.
But Benedict XVI wanted to underline that
everyone, Muslim, Atheist, Christians who have abandoned the
faith, are all called to the faith. He wanted to affirm the
universality of the Christian calling, not because we Christians
are the largest group, but to underline that every human being
is called by Jesus. Everyone has the right to
know Christ. No-one is excluded.
Of course, the presence of a Muslim among the
catechumens is a sign for the Islamic world. It is the most
recalcitrant group to recognize this step. The pope, without
violence or acridity seems to be saying: You too are called to
discover Christ and to enter into the Church, if you so desire.
2. Personal experience
For my part, I have experienced tragedy.
Years ago I was in Morocco. A 35 year old Moroccan teacher of
Arab tongue came to visit me, to speak with me about the Gospel
and Christ. No more than half an hour had passed when I told
him of my stupor before his knowledge of Christian themes. He
replied that he had been seeking baptism for over 14 years.
Initially I thought that he had mistaken expression. Hours
later I met with the bishop and a small community of priests and
I told them of my encounter and I told them that this Muslim had
been asking to be baptised for over 14 years and that the
priests had refused him. One of the priests stood up and
reprimanded me: “It is right to refuse him baptism. We don’t
want to make any martyrs” [2].
After having revealed his reasons for caution, the priest
berated me on how I had not understood the Second Vatican
council according to which everyone can be saved, even within
their own religion etc…..
I replied that the priest had no right to
refuse baptism. If the Muslim seeks baptism, he can be warned
of the risks he is running, he can be put on his guard, but he
cannot be refused because he has been called by the Holy Spirit
and he is free, the choice is his.
On leaving, the bishop thanked me for having
clarified the matter.
The very next day I travelled to Marrakesh
and meeting with the small community of friars and nuns who live
there, I described the episode to them and my conclusions, those
being that you cannot refuse a person baptism, even if he is
Muslim. All of them greeted my words with applause, cries of
joy and shouts! And they revealed that for years they had been
forbidden to draw close to Muslims and that the priests have
continued to refuse baptism to those who desire it. Their
“prudence” is explained in their fear that out of revenge the
Muslims have Christian schools closed down, thus throwing the
organization of mission into crises.
On another occasion, after having concluded
Holy Friday ceremonies, I was about to close the Church door,
when three young Muslims between 20-25 years of age asked me if
they could enter to visit the church. Their curiosity urged
them on to ask me many questions regarding the building, the
covered cross and Christianity. At a certain point the parish
priest arrived and immediately chased the young men away,
saying: “We have no right to speak to them of the Christian
faith”. All of this points to a very grave fact, because beyond
highlighting the censorship in Muslim countries of the Christian
mission, it also shows how Christians censor themselves, which
is what Magdi Allam spoke about in his letter.
I therefore think that the pope’s gesture
means this: the Churches mission is universal, even towards
Muslims and it must be explicit.
On other occasions the Christian mission is
halted in its tracks by “opportunists”. For example, non
Christians are advised not to seek baptism in order to act as a
bridge between cultures. Even Cardinal Newman, when he was
Anglican, thought so. But the point is that once the person in
question feels duty bound to take the step towards complete and
explicit belonging to the Church, he must take the step that his
inner self suggests.
3. Benedict XVI: Reciprocity and
mission
The final aspect is that of reciprocity in
the duty to evangelize. The pope and many Vatican documents
underline that we Christians have the duty to announce the
Gospel to everyone, and that everyone is free to accept it or
refuse it.
How can we maintain the personal obligation
to announce the Gospel while respecting the freedom of the
other? The Church resolves this apparent contradiction by
clearly stating that no one can be forced to convert. As early
as the 8th century Arab Christian intellectuals wrote treatise
underlining that not only is violence forbidden in calling
someone to the faith, but that moral and spiritual pressure is
also forbidden. And they were only too familiar with the
financial, moral and physical pressures that they were subjected
too in order to keep their faith!
Freedom to evangelise (tabshîr), and
freedom to islamify (da’wa) must be guaranteed.
Christianity, for me, is the most beautiful and perfect
religion, and Islam, despite its many beautiful traits, is not
the fulfillment of the divine project for man, it is not the
appeal to humanism. At the same time I admit that the Muslim is
convinced of the contrary and it is his right, rather his duty
to be so! This is true reciprocal respect: each person follows
his conscience and increasingly tries to enlighten the other.
The pope does not hide his certainty that
Muslims still need one more step to reach the perfection of
truth. But despite this he neither attacks nor slanders
Muslims. And when a Muslim says to me “it is a shame you are
not Muslim!” I understand that he holds me in deep respect. And
my feelings towards him are the same.
This reciprocal respect is fundamental in
order to build a peaceful coexistence between religions, but
also with the atheist and secularist: a society in which each
person is convinced of the truth of his position, but in which
he is also convinced of the others right to live this certainty
and live it with me.
Conclusion: the minimum common
denominator remains human rights
In order for this to happen then a minimum
common denominator is required: human rights. To give up on
human rights is an error. This is why the Vatican continues,
relentlessly, to seek reciprocity of worship. Just as Muslims
enjoy full religious freedom in European societies, Christians
wish to be able to express their faith in freedom in Islamic
nations.
And just as Muslims can call Christians to
become Muslim in the West (and they do) Christians must be free
to call Muslims to become Christians in Islamic nations.
Instead, many Muslim countries have reinforced their punishment
of those who announce the Gospel; news from Algeria reminds us
of this on a daily basis.
The pope’s baptism of Magdi Allam is not an
act of aggression, but an exigency of reciprocity. It is a calm
provocation that serves to make us sit up and think. Each one of
us must live as a missionary, attempting to offer to the other
the best of what one has encountered and understood.
When I discover a good “product” it gives me
joy to pass on the information to my friends. It is not an act
of commercial propaganda, but of esteem and affection. Thus,
the Muslim invites me with great simplicity to become Muslim and
I invite him with simplicity to become Christian.
Two years ago two Iranian students who
studied Arabic in Beirut came to ask me to explain Christianity
to them; in turn I asked them about Islam. Then, at a certain
point the told me : “Professor, we have very little time before
we have to return to Iran, please let us content ourselves to
speak only of Christianity”.
Benedict XVI’s gesture is a great leap for
coexistence between peoples. Above and beyond this complete
identity witnessed in freedom, there is only the disdain of
those who think differently to me or the relativism of those
who are without certainties – and which is often expressed in
great intolerance.
[1]
Islam too is in need of a movement of enlightenment, which
existed in the IX-X century, only to be submerged under a
current of religious traditionalism.
[2]
The reference here is to the risk of being killed for “apostasy
to Islam”, as happens in many Muslim nations.
Photo: CPP
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