Becoming Muslim Western Women's Conversions to Islam [Hardcover]

While Islam has become a controversial topic in the West, a growing number of Westerners find powerful meaning in Islam. Becoming Muslim is an ethnographic study based on in-depth interviews with Swedish and American women who have converted to Islam.PART I: THE INDIVIDUAL CONVERSION Conversion and Transformation of Identity A Step Toward the Unknown The Conversion Narrative PART II: PERSONAL WORLDS Personal Models of Spirituality and Social Conscience Personal Models of Gender and Alternative Femininities PART III: ENCOUNTERS Looping Effects of Meaning Family, Work, Sisterhood Personal Versions of Islam

'Becoming Muslim is a fresh and fascinating and study of American and Swedish converts to Islam. Mansson McGinty provides an original and insightful analysis of diverse conversion experiences, their spiritual dimension and the interaction of faith and identity in the ongoing process of identity construction.' - John L. Esposito is University Professor, Georgetown University; Author of What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam and Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam

'Becoming Muslim is essential reading for anyone interested in conversion processes, contemporary Islam, and the intricate dynamics of human change. Through in-depth interviews with nine remarkable women (six Swedish and three American), anthropologist Mansson McGinty takes us into the worlds of these diverse women as they share their fascinating, complex journeys to Islam. Given the troubled history of Christianity and Islam and the after effects of September 11, 2001, many stereotypes and hostilities distort our understanding of one another. In addition, seeing Muslim women wearing veils conjures images of submissive, denigrated women. Some are outraged and perplexed by the idea that any woman could voluntarily become a Muslim. If, however, one reads Mansson McGinty's excellent book, one can gain a deeper understanding of the multifaceted, ongoing pilgrimage of how and why thl“Õ