Why the outrage over revert?
Criticism of the BBC’s use of revert in an article about Eid is another example of how Muslims have become a scapegoat in the culture wars
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It is always hard to speak up as a Muslim woman and a convert. Discussing our faith with friends and family who are not Muslim can be challenging. Criticising aspects of the Muslim communities we now belong to in the UK risks a backlash.
So I was pleasantly surprised to read a recent BBC article in which a group of women in Peterborough were interviewed about Eid and spoke frankly about how lonely it can be for those who have chosen Islam as their way of life.
Sadly, it didn’t take long for critics to overlook the emotional testimony of the women interviewed, in favour of creating a furore about the BBC’s use of the word revert, an informal term used to describe someone who now identifies as a Muslim.
“Fury as BBC describe Muslim converts as ‘reverts’ with broadcaster accused of repeating Islamist propaganda,” said the Sun, adding, “It is typically associated with Islamist fundamentalism.”
Elsewhere, in a report in the Daily Telegraph, Tom Tugendhat, the Conservative MP and former security minister, said the use of the term was “sectarianism” and had “no place on the BBC”. “Calling converts ‘reverts’ is ideology, not fact,” he said. “It’s claiming we’re all ‘originally’ Muslim and those who convert are rediscovering their faith. That’s Islamist propaganda and has no place on the BBC.”
Since the backlash, the BBC has changed the word revert to convert throughout the story.
As Hyphen readers will know, Muslim converts are a diverse community who express their faiths in multiple ways. Some people use the term revert as a term of celebration because theologically Muslims believe in fitra, which decrees that all humans are born with an inclination towards recognising the oneness of God and that embracing Islam, choosing it as their way of life, is returning to one’s natural state.
What is disturbing is how the response to the BBC’s article accuses anyone who uses the term revert as an “Islamist” or propagandist. None of this does justice to the myriad experiences of those who have converted to Islam.
I have been a Muslim since the 1990s and when asked, often describe myself as a convert. Or I say Islam is my way of life. I chose not to use revert because I feel that it is confusing for people who are not Muslim. I also extend this courtesy to those of other faiths in a bid to foster good relations between people: for example, I don’t like using the term “non-Muslim”.
But I would defend the right of anyone who describes themselves as a revert. And I take exception to those who have never had a conversation with us about the terms we choose to define ourselves. The journeys of reverts are not dissimilar to those who sometimes call themselves “born-again” Christians. Yet I have never heard politicians or the media characterise converted Christians in the language of extremism or division and nor should they.
Converts to any faith face a number of challenges when navigating their new lives. Isolation from friends and family who do not understand our transition leaves many without their support networks. I have been fortunate from the start — my family has shown me nothing but respect and I have friends I knew from before I became a Muslim. I have found the support I needed when I needed it, but others are not so lucky.
Among those born into Muslim families, there is often great joy when someone chooses Islam, sadly that support and jubilation too often quickly subsides and the day to day needs and realities of converts are not met. This was an important point the BBC article was trying to make. Women especially can find themselves vulnerable and not feeling welcomed in Muslim spaces, similarly ostracised in places where people are not Muslim.
The controversy over the use of the term revert is yet another example of how it sometimes feels like open season for people to say whatever they want about Muslims. Our choice of clothing — headscarves or hijabs — is widely criticised. Our desire to pray in public spaces is decried as evidence of the “Islamicisation” of Britain. Muslims are accused of being unpatriotic when they criticise the government. Last year, Reform MP Lee Anderson claimed “Islamists” controlled London mayor Sadiq Khan.
This toxic brand of anti-Muslim hatred is not for us as Muslims to tackle and solve by ourselves. It is important for all of us to ensure that hate of any kind does not go unchecked.
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