Why do more people convert to Islam?

Submitted by Prashant (United States), Oct 12, 2012 at 01:08

Dear Dr Pipes:

Your reader who names himself atheist asks a very sensible question. He asked why so many people convert to Islam? By asking this question athiest is implying that there is something inherently good in Islam because of which so many people convert to Islam. He might be right. But he might be wrong too. I will tell him the reason why he could be wrong. Religious conversions result from many things. First, if a religion does not actively try to convert others, it will get very few converts. Second, if a religion does not openly invite the converts to declare their new faith formally (as Islam does), no one will know if people are converting to it. Third, if a religion does not insist that new converts use very explicit outwardly signs of their new faith (as Islam does --hijab, beard-- etc), no one will know about the conversion. But these are all minor reasons.

I will now give the most prominent reason: If all people are left free to choose, a lot of people will convert from one religion to another. Unfortunately, most religions give far more freedom to their followers than Islam does. If Islam extends as much freedom to its followers to convert, you will hear many more stories of muslims converting out of Islam than you do.

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