Should Muslims be Celebrating the Conversion of Andrew Tate?
By
Arshad Alam, New Age Islam
26 October
2022
Islamists
Are Going Berserk While Some Muslims Are Extremely Troubled
Main
Points:
1. Andrew Tate,
the social media star, has converted to Islam
2. He is known
for his misogynist views and is on record saying that women are the property of
men
3. Some
Muslims, especially women are troubled by his inclusion in the Islamic faith
4. Western
Islamists are urging Muslims to embrace this new brother and forget his past
utterances.
5. They are
reminding the Ummah that even Umar, the second caliph of Islam, had lots of
faults before he became a Muslim.
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The controversial British-American kick boxer and internet personality
Andrew Tate praying (Salah) at a mosque in Dubai
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Celebrities Like Tate And Jordan Peterson Are A
Product Of Crisis Of Masculinity That The West Is Currently Experiencing. The Trans
Movement, The Ways In Which It Is Positioning Man-Woman Relations Is Making A
Lot Of Young People, Especially Men, Insecure.
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The social
media sensation, Andrew Tate has converted to Islam. Residing in Romania, Tate
became a social media sensation by telling young people how to make “fast
money” and “escape the matrix”. Over the years, the former kick boxer has
courted controversy regarding his views about women and people of alternative
sexual orientations. He has infamously called women as ‘property’, and has
advocated that gay and Trans people should be dealt with sternly for their
‘anti-human’ behaviour. He prophesizes that the western civilization is doomed
because its people do not take a tough stand against such tendencies. Even when
he was a believing Christian, he had argued that Christianity had lost all
moral ground to be called a religion because it no longer had any boundaries.
He was incensed that the Catholic Church was okay with gay priests despite
there being clear injunctions against it in the sacred scriptures. Despite
being Christian, he had been advocating that it was only Islam which could stem
the tide of ‘toxic feminism’ and ‘transgender agenda’ which he argued was
designed to break the family as an institution. In his opinion, once the family
breaks down, then the society as a whole will be torn asunder. Only Islam, in
his opinion, had the courage to proclaim that this was all wrong; only Muslims
respected religious boundaries and did not tolerate its transgressions. He said
that he respected Islam and Muslims because they kept their women in check and
did not tolerate any affront on their religion. In the eyes of Andrew Tate,
Muslims need to be respected because they are even ready to kill for protecting
the honour of their religion.
It is not
surprising therefore that he has finally converted to the religion that he
respects the most. But it is precisely the reasons for his conversion that
makes many, including some Muslims, uncomfortable. Ex Muslims have been quick
to point out that since Islam is a misogynist religion, it is natural that
people like Andrew Tate will gravitate towards it. They quote passages from the
Quran and numerous Hadis which underlines the secondary status of Muslim women
and argue that Tate is absolutely right in his claim that most religions,
including Islam, treat women like mere chattel.
However,
his conversion has left many Muslims, particularly women, uncomfortable too.
They have pointed out the blatantly misogynist views of Tate and have asked
what does the inclusion of such a person do to the image and broader
acceptability of Islam. Some have even announced that they are leaving the
religion simply because it has made space for a person like Tate; that they
will explain their apostasy when they finally meet the Maker!
But his
conversion has been a source of joy for many Islamists, particularly those
located in the West. They think that Tate, with his fan following across
countries will infuse Islam with energy and enthusiasm and that they would be
able to do Dawah with renewed vigour. Despite the criticism from some
Muslim quarters, Islamists have embraced Tate by citing previous such
conversions such as that of Mike Tyson. But what is worrying is the Islamist
argument that once a person embraces Islam, his past actions are all wiped out
and he can begin with a clean slate. They give the example of Umar, the second
caliph of Islam. Before he became a Muslim, he was predisposed to violent behaviour
and even wanted to kill the prophet Muhammad. But once he converted to Islam,
the prophet forgave all his sins; he became a fellow Muslim and people were
asked to forget what he had done in the past. Similarly, the Islamists want
Muslims to embrace Tate and forget what he might have said in the past. Going
by this logic, suppose if those convicted for the brutality of Bilkis Bano
convert to Islam, then Muslims should forgive all of them and forget what they
did in their past.
And what is
the signal that these Islamists are giving to the world? That no matter what
you did, how many people you hurt, once you become a Muslim, all of it will be
forgotten. Can there be a better deal for people like Andrew Tate? He has been
de-platformed from all media because of his misogynist views. Companies are
pulling out of advertisement contracts. By becoming Muslim, he will be gaining
new followers and that will put pressure on social media companies to take him
back. This is brilliant strategy; one in which Tate is taking a whole religion
for a ride. Only time will tell whether he genuinely feels for Islam but as of
now it appears that Tate seems to gain more from this conversion rather than
the other way round. And why only Tate.
Celebrities
like Tate and Jordan Peterson are a product of crisis of masculinity that the
West is currently experiencing. The Trans movement, the ways in which it is
positioning man-woman relations is making a lot of young people, especially
men, insecure. But the way to deal with it is to have an open and sensible
debate about its effects rather then become misogynists and hanker after
whichever religion protects the most virulent of such views. Muslims need to
think whether or not by celebrating such a conversion, they are willingly
giving out a negative image of their religion.
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A
regular contributor to NewAgeIslam.com, Arshad Alam is a writer and researcher
on Islam and Muslims in South Asia.
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-society/muslims-celebrating-conversion-andrew-tate/d/128272
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