The Story of the Famous Journalist Who Converted To Islam! ‪@laurenboothUK

Towards Etirnity

 Hello friends, today Lauren Booth tells us a different story of her journey to Islam. She talks about her travels to Palestine and her journalism experiences. Learning is just a click away from you   Intro   Who is Lauren Booth   How did you first hear about Islam?   We know that as a journalist you have been in Palestine many times. Why did you first decide to go there?   Can you tell us about your experience in Palestine?   Did you have any prejudice against Islam?   Do you have any memory that you cannot forget?   And what was the most surprising event in Palestine?   When did you really feel the attraction towards Islam?   You said that they give you the Quran and then what happened?   id you get da’wah from Muslims?   What was your last step towards accepting Islam?   How did the people around you react?   How was your family’s reaction?   At that time you were working in an English news channel, what happened there?   Was there someone that met Islam and changed their life in your circle?   Can you tell us about your projects you did and future projects?   If you had a chance to speak to all the non-Muslims in the world, what would you like to say if you had just one minute?  #FamousJournalist #ConvertedToIslam #IslamJourney #JournalismStory #InspiringStories #FaithTransformation #MuslimStories #ConversionToIslam #DiscoverIslam #CulturalJourney #JournalistLife #SpiritualAwakening #ReligiousConversion #NarrativeJournalism #PersonalTransformation #IslamicFaith #TruthSeeker #LifeChangingJourney #InspirationToday #HumanInterestStory

Transcript

00:00how did you first hear about Islam what was your last step towards accepting Islam and how was your

00:09family's reaction I was in an elevator going oh god big Arab man with a gun bigger Arab man with

00:16a gun kill the white woman later and the translation that my mind gave me will kill the

00:22white woman later and I said no there's no way I can be Muslim no way not me and I closed the

00:30Quran and I thought oh my god nice people crazy book

00:34Asalaamu Alaikum Sister Lauren thank you for accepting our invitation we are very happy to

00:40have you with us I want to start with who is Lauren Booth can you briefly introduce yourself

00:45My name is Lauren Booth I am a journalist and a writer and an actor so I was born in 1967

00:56in Hampstead North London my mom was a model my dad was an actor and I stayed in London until I was 20

01:03I was studying acting that was my big dream I wanted to go to Hollywood so after acting for seven years

01:11I retrained as a journalist in 1997 and I do a lot of TV as well so I appeared on Sky News

01:17I was in mainstream journalism I was working for people like the Daily Mail don't judge me

01:23Mail on Sunday I did stuff for the BBC and Channel 5 hosted lots of TV shows Alhamdulillah radio shows

01:29so in 2010 I accepted Islam and this was after a series of journeys to Palestine

01:36meeting the people there going first as a journalist and then as an activist

01:41How did you first hear about Islam?

01:43I guess the first time I really took notice of Islam was in 2001 after 9-11

01:49I remember watching the footage seeming to show planes go into the Twin Towers and I was sitting

01:56with a young child thinking what poor country is going to be made to pay for this

02:01and in my mind I was a socialist and a leftist and I understood the West has a war with certain

02:06people for power I'm like some poor country with nothing to do with this is going to be

02:10made to pay in order for America to feel good about itself again bingo Afghanistan

02:14If Islam was a threat to the West it'd been around for 1400 years and billions of people

02:19followed it they could have just taken the West or done awful things so one act does not mean

02:24the whole of the Muslim world is responsible for one act by a small group of people

02:28What is that? It's a political decision to impact and inflict upon Muslim people and I didn't get behind that

02:34I couldn't in my heart get behind that

02:36We know that as a journalist you have been in Palestine many times

02:39Why did you first decide to go there?

02:41I felt a hand an invisible hand on my back propelling me towards Palestine

02:46I have no explanation for it

02:49I didn't speak Arabic

02:50I didn't know any Palestinians but I honestly felt absolutely a hand on my back going

02:56Go to Palestine, go to Palestine, go to Palestine

02:58So and I found myself in the West Bank on my own with no training

03:01Can you tell us about your experience in Palestine?

03:04I think it's really important to understand that I went to the Holy Land as a Christian

03:08but I was super excited to walk in the steps of Jesus Christ

03:12That to me I was like on a pilgrimage

03:14Everywhere it was like oh my god Jesus might have been here

03:17It was amazing I never expected to go to Jerusalem where he dragged the cross

03:22and to go to the Holy Sepulchre and oh my god Jesus was here

03:26This is amazing it really happened

03:28But everywhere that I started to go in the Middle East

03:31it was the Muslims who were looking after the Christian sites

03:34and that really confused me

03:35So for example the place where Jesus peace be upon him cured the lepers

03:39is a cave in Lebanon

03:41and attached to the cave is a church

03:43and the man who opens it is a Muslim

03:46and I said okay why do you have the keys to this

03:49He said it's been in my family for generations

03:50and I said can I ask you something

03:52He said yes

03:52I said did your family steal them from the Christians

03:55maybe they killed the Christians to get them

03:57He's like you really don't know much about this

03:59No the Christians trust us with these because we care about Jesus too

04:03and I was like that was the first time I'm like Jesus is your prophet

04:06Okay and the Muslims seem to know a lot more about him as well

04:10Muslims seem to know a lot about Jesus

04:12You know I had an incredible journey for two weeks

04:15and I was shocked that this is the world that we live in

04:18that everything I thought I knew about the Middle East was a lie

04:21Did you have any prejudice against Islam

04:23and if you had any how did it go away

04:25When I was going to meet Mahmoud Abbas

04:27So there's me Western journalist who usually writes about parties

04:31going oh god big Arab man with a gun

04:34bigger Arab man with a gun

04:35and then I remember that I was in an elevator

04:37and one of the Arab guards went

04:39you know

04:40That's how it entered my ears

04:44and the translation that my mind gave me

04:46in big letters was

04:47we'll kill the white woman later

04:49right

04:50and I realised oh my god

04:53I've taken it all in

04:54I'm not a fair person to come here

04:56I have absolute prejudice

04:57I'm more afraid of a Palestinian with a gun than an Israeli with a gun

05:01Why is that? I don't know either of them

05:02So I had to kind of acknowledge my own prejudice

05:05But here's the miracle

05:06After 72 hours on my own in the West Bank

05:09I would have died protecting any woman or child

05:12or man for that matter

05:13because of the love that they showed

05:15and the kindness

05:16and just the whole atmosphere

05:18that I came to realise was their religion

05:20Do you have any memory that you cannot forget?

05:23On the trip in 2005

05:25At the end of the trip

05:26I had all the bags and bags of souvenirs

05:28and I asked the young man who was shopping with me

05:30Can you please find me a Quran in English?

05:33And he looked like

05:33Okay

05:34I'm like

05:34I didn't think one had been written

05:36I mean why would anybody translate a small Middle Eastern religion?

05:40Why would they bother translating it into English?

05:41So I didn't expect him to find one

05:43So he goes

05:44You know

05:44Quran in English

05:45Quran in English

05:46And he comes back

05:47and he's got the Quran in English

05:48And I'm like

05:48Okay great

05:49And then I look at it

05:50and it's like 600 pages

05:51I'm like

05:52I'm never going to read this

05:53And then I remember

05:54I asked this young Shabab

05:56from Jerusalem

05:57How much do I owe you?

05:58Because he's been shopping with me

06:00So he goes like this

06:01Well it's 150

06:03I'm 406

06:04And I'm like

06:05I'm going to get fleeced here

06:06I'm going to get done

06:07And then he does this

06:07He goes

06:08Ah forget it

06:11You don't tell us anything

06:12What?

06:13He said

06:13The only thing I'm going to ask you

06:15is don't forget Palestine

06:16when you go

06:17Don't forget about us

06:18Yeah

06:18Subhanallah

06:19That's really impressive

06:21And what was the most surprising event

06:23in Palestine?

06:24For example

06:25I was

06:25It was January

06:26and I didn't know

06:26it got cold in the Middle East

06:27So I didn't have a coat

06:29and I remember walking down

06:30the street in Ramallah

06:30and an old lady

06:31in a hijab

06:32looks at me

06:33and she says

06:33something in Arabic

06:34and then she grabs me by the arm

06:36and I'm like

06:36Okay

06:36Is this a granny kidnapping?

06:38Is this how it happens?

06:39And she looked me up and down

06:41and then she took me to her bedroom

06:42opened a wardrobe

06:43took out a big overcoat

06:45put it on me

06:45and said yalla

06:46and I'm like

06:47Well what?

06:47She wrote down her number

06:48and said there you go

06:49and I'm like

06:49What?

06:50I could just walk off

06:51with this coat

06:51She could not bear

06:53for a stranger

06:54to be in her town

06:55and cold

06:56while she had a coat

06:57in her cupboard

06:58Do you get what I'm saying?

06:59Allahu Akbar

07:00And everywhere I went

07:01there was such a softness

07:03such an ability

07:04to make the best of things

07:06What really struck me

07:07was that at the time

07:08I had a French farmhouse

07:10a French barn being built

07:11I had a swimming pool

07:13I had a one acre garden

07:14I had beautiful children

07:16and a great husband

07:17and everything

07:18and but if one thing went wrong

07:20I would be internally disturbed

07:22so like if the editor

07:24wasn't happy with the job

07:25oh the whole house

07:26was in uproar

07:27oh my god I'm under stress

07:28I'm under stress

07:29you know one tiny thing

07:30everything needed to be perfect

07:31or I was not in a calm place

07:33and these people

07:34children killed by the army

07:36homes taken by occupiers

07:38just the daily neglect of their areas

07:41and the oppression

07:42and they were like

07:42Salaam

07:43peace

07:44how are you?

07:44have some of our food

07:45you know

07:46sahtan

07:47they had this

07:48and I asked them

07:51why are you so generous?

07:52why are you okay with this?

07:54and they said

07:54it's that book

07:55it's the Quran

07:56Allah will make things okay

07:57so when did you really feel

07:59the attraction towards Islam?

08:01I remember in 2008

08:02as a non-Muslim

08:03I was stranded in Gaza

08:04under siege

08:05with those people

08:06who are still under siege

08:08to this day

08:08and it was Ramadan

08:10and I saw that the people

08:12were doing kind deeds

08:13for each other

08:13even though they were poor

08:14so I thought one day

08:15let me do a kind deed

08:16and take some lamb

08:17to a family

08:18in Rafa refugee camp

08:20so I took this food

08:20to a Muslim family

08:22in a refugee camp

08:23the mother opened the door

08:24tafadal

08:24salaam alaykum

08:25so full of light and noor

08:27and she was living in a cell

08:28nothing to eat

08:29nothing to drink

08:29and I said to her

08:30why are you fasting?

08:31I said

08:32I don't think your God loves you

08:33I'm sorry to say it

08:34I don't think he does

08:35why does he make you

08:36a Gazan

08:37thirsty for 30 days

08:38when on day 31

08:39do you have water?

08:40she's like

08:40no we don't have water

08:41I'm like

08:41well so what then?

08:42on day 30 days

08:43you in Gaza

08:44you're going without food

08:45day 31

08:46is your fridge going to be full?

08:47she said

08:47no it will not be full

08:48I said

08:48well then

08:49your God doesn't love you

08:50you know

08:50give me one good reason

08:51why you're fasting

08:51and she said

08:53in a room of nothing

08:55I fast in Ramadan

08:57to remember the poor

08:58and that

09:00I thought at that moment

09:02if this is Islam

09:03let me be Muslim

09:04because if there is a faith

09:06where you can believe in God

09:08and be grateful

09:09when he's given you nothing

09:10that day

09:11if there is a faith

09:12where you have one bowl of food

09:13and you give it to a stranger

09:15oh my God

09:16wow

09:17this must be it

09:19this must be it

09:20assalamu alaikum brothers and sisters

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09:43and let's together walk

09:44towards eternity

09:46you said that

09:47they gave you the Quran

09:48and then what happened

09:49did you read it?

09:51so I had this Holy Quran

09:52given to me

09:53as a gift

09:54and I opened it one day

09:55when my children were at work

09:56and I thought

09:57okay I'll wash my hands

09:58I know they wash their hands

09:59and this is a very serious book

10:00I took it seriously

10:01it wasn't my scripture

10:02but it was a scripture

10:03it might be a real scripture

10:05so let me read it with respect

10:06so I read Al-Fatiha

10:08and I thought

10:08okay

10:09that's like the Lord's Prayer

10:10same thing

10:11worship God alone

10:12ask Him alone

10:13thank Him alone

10:14don't be evil

10:15do good

10:15I'm fine

10:16so Surah Al-Fatiha

10:18was fine

10:18it was in line

10:19with my Christian beliefs

10:20but then came Surah Baqarah

10:21and you get to

10:22before it says

10:23there are those

10:24who say that

10:25they are believers

10:26but in their heart

10:27is hypocrisy

10:28and you know

10:29they know they're not

10:30telling the truth

10:31and Allah hates the liars

10:33I mean basically

10:33it was calling me out

10:34on my hypocrisy

10:35and telling me

10:36that I was going to go

10:37to the hellfire

10:37because I believed in God

10:38but I wasn't doing

10:39anything about it

10:40and I was making

10:41bad decisions

10:42and not being a good person

10:43and not worshipping

10:44and not bothered about it

10:45and I was lying

10:46and I closed the Quran

10:48and I thought

10:48oh my God

10:49I had this cold feeling

10:51it was a hot day

10:52but absolute terror

10:53and for me

10:54the Quran was terrifying

10:55so I took it

10:56and I put it on a high shelf

10:57and I thought

10:57wow

10:58nice people

10:59crazy book

10:59because I'd never

11:00seen God so angry before

11:02and He was angry at me

11:03did you get dawah

11:04from Muslims

11:04I did get dawah

11:06actually from one place

11:07during my journey

11:08there was one group

11:09of people

11:09who were very specific

11:10with me

11:11do you know who they were

11:11Somali taxi drivers

11:13they don't mess

11:14they don't give like

11:15la la la la la

11:15and I found them

11:17giving me dawah

11:17so I would say

11:18assalamualaikum

11:19because I'd been to

11:20Palestine

11:21and I thought

11:22that meant hello

11:22they say

11:23walaikum salam

11:24are you Muslim

11:24no but I'm interested

11:25oh boy

11:26be careful

11:27because you are going to get

11:28you're going to get

11:28a durse right there

11:29you're going to get

11:30a khutbah

11:30from your driver

11:31and I really enjoyed them

11:32and so they would say

11:33well as the prophet

11:33peace be upon him

11:34said to Aisha

11:35da da da da

11:35and I was learning

11:37about this amazing

11:38this wonderful man

11:39who'd lived 1400 years ago

11:41in an Arabian desert

11:43and couldn't read or write

11:44but taught people

11:45to change themselves

11:47and change the world

11:48and I fell in love

11:49with Muhammad

11:49peace be upon him

11:50what was your last step

11:52towards accepting Islam

11:54I got offered a job

11:55at the Islam Channel

11:56around 2007

11:57because I was advocating

11:59for Palestinian justice

12:01and also for the people

12:02of Iraq

12:02and Muhammad Ali

12:04of the Islam Channel

12:05offered me the job

12:06and I said

12:06I have a couple of conditions

12:07number one

12:08don't talk to me

12:09about Islam

12:10because I think

12:11it's very nice

12:12and I think you people

12:13are very nice

12:13but it's not for me

12:14and number two

12:15I won't wear hijab

12:16on your TV station

12:17because I think

12:18it denigrates

12:19and it controls women

12:21and I don't want

12:22to be a hypocrite

12:22and he said

12:23Allah will decide

12:24whether or not

12:25you're going to be a Muslim

12:26that's not in my hands

12:27and I said no

12:28there's no way

12:28I can be Muslim

12:29no way

12:29not me

12:30and Muhammad Ali said

12:32you might be a Muslim

12:33I said

12:33I am not going to be

12:34he said

12:35well Allah knows

12:36I said alright

12:36I said what about hijab

12:37he said okay

12:38don't wear hijab

12:39but please dress

12:40as modestly as you can

12:41and we'll accept that

12:42and so that meant

12:43that I started

12:44travelling the world

12:44interviewing speakers

12:46sheikhs

12:47having access

12:47to more Muslims

12:48and more people

12:49speaking about Islam

12:51and I went to Iran

12:52in 2010

12:53and I went to

12:54as a journalist

12:54as a correspondent

12:56to report

12:57on the Al-Qudsday rally

12:58it was always about

12:59Palestine for me

13:00so I was in Iran

13:01and it was

13:02we reached Qom

13:03we were having a trip away

13:05and it was Ramadan

13:06and I went into this mosque

13:07and when I went into the mosque

13:08I thought okay

13:09I think I might have

13:10done a full wudhu

13:11but I definitely

13:12yeah I think I did wudhu

13:13with my friend

13:13who I was travelling with

13:14and when I crossed the threshold

13:15I made a dua

13:16and I said to Allah

13:18thank you for everything

13:18you've given me

13:19and I'm not going to ask you

13:20for anything else

13:21because you've given me so much

13:22but please bless Palestine

13:23and then I went

13:24to look around

13:24and I went to report

13:26secretly

13:26I had an iPhone with me

13:28and I thought

13:28wow this is an exclusive

13:30you're in an Iranian shrine

13:32in Ramadan

13:33you've got a great story

13:34you can sell it around the world

13:35that was

13:36I was not in a religious

13:37state of mind

13:38I was not

13:38oh I want to be Muslim

13:39I went in to be nosy

13:42and to maybe

13:42take some secret pictures

13:44but when we got

13:44to the main area

13:45I sat down

13:46and it was just like

13:47I was sitting under

13:48a waterfall of peace

13:49it was like

13:50every worry

13:51I'd ever had

13:52left me

13:52my heart was

13:53completely at peace

13:54I didn't even know

13:55my own name

13:56I was completely not

13:57Lauren Booth

13:58whatever that creation

13:59self-creation

14:00self-esteem nonsense

14:02whatever that was

14:03is

14:04it was gone

14:05it was the best feeling

14:06and I didn't want to move

14:07and so I slept the night

14:08in the mosque

14:09in the morning

14:09I made Wudu

14:10and I prayed Fajr

14:11and I knew

14:12I knew in my heart

14:13at that point

14:14I was Muslim

14:15at that point

14:15I knew God was one

14:16and the Prophet Muhammad

14:17were 100%

14:19100%

14:20and then what happened

14:21how did the people

14:22around you react

14:23I didn't want to get

14:24on a plane

14:25back to London

14:25without taking my shahada

14:26but I couldn't find anyone

14:28because my flight

14:29was 6 o'clock

14:29in the morning

14:30so I went into

14:31a mosque in London

14:32you know what

14:32subhanAllah

14:33when I said the shahada

14:35I shahadu

14:35boof

14:36it was like

14:38cement slabs

14:39falling from my mouth

14:40it was like

14:41gold bars

14:42leaving my tongue

14:42I shahadu

14:43Allah ilaha illallah

14:44doof

14:45it was like

14:46there was an earthquake

14:47I shahadu

14:48ana Muhammadin

14:48abduhu rasoolu

14:49doof

14:50and it fell to the ground

14:52wow

14:53it was monumental

14:54and I felt

14:55like I was

14:56suddenly

14:56in a big cotton wool ball

14:58it was like

14:58being in cotton wool

14:59it was like

15:00just fluffy

15:01and everything

15:01kind of went distant

15:03the next day

15:04when I was taking

15:04my kids to school

15:05they ran off

15:06in front of me

15:07and I left the house

15:08and I thought

15:09you haven't got

15:09your hijab on

15:10and I'm like

15:11oh come on

15:12you're not in Iran now

15:13you haven't got

15:13your hijab on

15:14you haven't got

15:14your hijab on

15:15you're naked

15:15and I could not

15:16leave the front door

15:17of my house

15:18I had to go and find

15:19the one scarf

15:20that somebody had gave me

15:21and kind of pull it on

15:22in some weird

15:23really awkward way

15:24and walk the girls

15:25to school

15:25in the scarf

15:26and they said

15:27mum why are you

15:28wearing hijab

15:29I said it's cold

15:29they said it's hot

15:30I said whatever

15:31just go and play

15:31walk in the woods

15:32and when I got to school

15:34one of the dads

15:35worked for the Jewish

15:36Chronicle

15:37and he kind of

15:38looked like

15:39oh this is big news

15:40and I'm like

15:40oh man I'm in so much

15:42trouble now

15:42he was like

15:43yes

15:44like all his Christmases

15:45had come at once

15:46but I didn't care

15:47I went home

15:48and for the next

15:49seven days

15:49everything was changed

15:50I wanted to pray

15:52I wanted to cry

15:53to Allah

15:53I put my head

15:54to the ground

15:55like I'd seen

15:55the Muslims do

15:56and I said two things

15:57over and over again

15:58I just said

15:58thank you

15:59and I said sorry

16:00I said thank you

16:01for giving me this life

16:03for giving me

16:03all the love

16:04that I've had

16:05everything

16:05that I haven't

16:06recognised

16:07you know

16:07beautiful daughters

16:08I've known love

16:09I've had opportunity

16:10had a good family

16:11and I know you

16:12and thank you

16:13and then I said sorry

16:14just a lot of sorry

16:16and I cried a lot

16:16for about a week

16:17but then I had to

16:19pick up the Quran again

16:20and that was scary

16:21so I took my shahada

16:23on a Friday

16:23and my children

16:24with their father

16:25we were divorced

16:26or separated

16:27and that Friday night

16:28I'm like

16:28okay great

16:29the kids

16:29I took my shahada

16:30I go home

16:31and I sit there

16:32and I'm like

16:32right Friday night

16:33let me call

16:34a male friend

16:35oh you can't really do that

16:36let me have a cigarette

16:38I don't really want

16:39to have a cigarette

16:40when I know

16:40I'm going to pray

16:41and say Allah's name

16:42so then I went to

16:43my fridge

16:43and there was a bottle

16:44of wine

16:44and I went

16:44okay

16:45this is going to be

16:46a boring life

16:47so there was literally

16:48nothing to do

16:48so I picked the Quran up again

16:50and I was like

16:50oh God

16:51ya Allah

16:51please let this have

16:52a good ending

16:53please let this not be

16:54I'm now going to hell

16:55don't let me have got this wrong

16:56I trust you

16:57and the Quran just said

16:58welcome

16:59where have you been

17:00God loves you

17:00you've made the right choice

17:02and everything's going to be okay

17:03amazing really

17:04and how was your family's reaction

17:06so I thought it would be a big deal

17:08when my family found out

17:09I was Muslim

17:10my mum was very sarcastic

17:11said you've joined the lunatics

17:13you've joined the crazy

17:14people

17:14are you going to be a terrorist

17:16she had a lot of fear

17:17but I became a better daughter

17:19inshallah

17:20I worked really hard

17:21at loving her

17:22for the last years of her life

17:23and putting things right

17:25my dad was just afraid

17:27why as a free woman

17:28would you be dressed like this

17:30why would you let a man

17:32put that on you

17:32because God doesn't want you to wear it

17:34men have told you to wear this

17:35I'm like well I'm wearing this for God

17:37alright

17:37and he's like

17:38but you can go to God anyway

17:40you don't have to go like this

17:42so he was worried about

17:43any marriage that I had

17:44are you going to be servile

17:45you know are you going to be a servant

17:46he said all my daughters

17:47are strong women

17:48and I'm like you don't get it

17:49but subhanAllah

17:50I got to have a discussion

17:52with my dad on his deathbed

17:53subhanAllah

17:54and I got to read him

17:55al-fatihah

17:55and I got to hold his hand

17:57and look deep into his eyes

17:59and share spirituality

18:00and love for God with him

18:02and he said that God is one

18:04and the prophet Muhammad

18:04is the last prophet

18:05and Jesus is a prophet

18:06so Allah knows best

18:08he didn't say it in Arabic

18:09and I didn't push it

18:10but he had always said to me

18:12there's one God

18:13Jesus is a prophet

18:14and I said the prophet Muhammad

18:15was a great man

18:16who was a prophet

18:16he said okay

18:17I believe that he was a prophet

18:18and I had a lovely dream about him

18:20after he passed

18:21that he was being washed

18:22by three imams

18:23and full of light

18:24so inshaAllah

18:25at that time

18:26you were working

18:27in an English news channel

18:28what happened there?

18:29so

18:30and the first morning

18:31I went into Sky News

18:32in a hijab

18:32was hilarious

18:33because you know

18:34they're all trained

18:34to be very cool customers

18:36whatever walks into the studio

18:37you're like

18:38but you could see everyone going

18:39oh my God

18:40have you seen

18:41you know

18:41as you walked past

18:43it was like

18:43hi Lauren

18:44you know

18:45I could just see

18:46what was happening behind me

18:47two days later

18:48I got a call saying

18:49Lauren we're jiggling things around

18:50we won't be needing you anymore

18:51cut

18:52they didn't use me anymore

18:53ever again

18:54now

18:55are there hijabis

18:56on Sky News

18:57yes

18:57mashallah

18:58are there hijabis

18:58in the news world

18:59yes

18:59have you ever seen

19:00a convert hijabi

19:02who's in news

19:02name one

19:03now

19:03this is a struggle

19:04that the mainstream world has

19:06because

19:06if you accept

19:08that Islam

19:08is your faith

19:09Allah is your lord

19:11then by the media standards

19:13you've either had

19:14a nervous breakdown

19:15or

19:15you've had a nervous breakdown

19:16I don't think there even is a B

19:18how can they present you

19:20as a thinking

19:20intelligent

19:21credible person

19:22who

19:23in the middle of their life

19:24says

19:24morning everybody

19:25my name is Lauren Booth

19:26by the way

19:26I believe Allah is God

19:27and Prophet Muhammad

19:28was the last prophet

19:29now to weather

19:30you know

19:30we can't do that

19:33they can have brown people on

19:34who have hijab

19:35because

19:36oh that's their weird

19:36that little thing

19:37but if you're from the mainstream

19:39how can that be normalized

19:41without having a conversation

19:42about God

19:43and about Islam

19:43and about what we do to Muslims

19:45and how we treat the Muslim world

19:46I come with that conversation now

19:48and I embrace it

19:49alhamdulillah

19:49I embrace it

19:50was there someone

19:51that met Islam

19:52and changed their life

19:53in your circle

19:53I was on a plane

19:54a few years ago

19:55coming back from Qatar

19:56and the man in front of me

19:58was a British man

19:59in a vest

20:00smelling of alcohol

20:01and he was a skinhead

20:02and I'm like

20:03please God

20:04I don't want to sit next to him

20:05for four hours

20:06and so my ticket is 21G

20:08he's 21F

20:09so we go and sit down

20:10and I have to get over him

20:11and he looks at me

20:12like I'm absolute dirt

20:14he looks at me like

20:15ugh

20:15so the food comes

20:17and he's like

20:17yeah I'll have a vodka

20:18and I'll have a beer

20:19and I'm like

20:20ugh

20:20so I'm just having a drink of water

20:22going

20:22oh Allah forgive me

20:23this is the worst flight ever

20:24and then he says

20:25would you like the water

20:27as if I can't speak English

20:28and I'm like

20:29oh thank you very much

20:30so I'm like

20:30okay I have to do a good deed now

20:32I'll give him something

20:32would you like my cheese

20:34he's like

20:34thank you very much

20:35and he says

20:35where are you from

20:37mate I'm from London

20:38where are you from

20:39he's like

20:39what

20:39you

20:40dressed like this

20:41from London

20:42and he looks away

20:43and he does something really strange

20:44he starts sitting there

20:45and he's going

20:46I'm sorry

20:48and I look at him

20:49and I'm like

20:49you okay

20:50he's like

20:50yeah but I was thinking

20:51horrible things about you

20:52and I'm sorry

20:53and I said to him

20:53you didn't say them

20:55okay

20:55so it's okay

20:56don't worry

20:56long story short

20:57over four hours

20:58we get speaking

20:59I find out

21:00he tells me

21:01that he's depressed

21:01he doesn't want to live

21:03he's a bad man

21:04and I said to him

21:04you know

21:05everybody can have these moments

21:06but we pray to God

21:08who do you pray to

21:09who do you reach out to

21:10he said

21:10I don't believe in any of that

21:11I said

21:12there's somebody

21:12there's something

21:13that you go to

21:14when you're in the state

21:15he said

21:15well I have a picture

21:16of my mum

21:17and sometimes I cry to her

21:19and say mum help me

21:20it's a 40 year old man

21:21in pain

21:22I said to him

21:22okay

21:23was your mum religious

21:24he said yeah

21:25she used to pray a lot

21:26I said who did

21:27your mum used to pray to

21:28he said God

21:29I said

21:29how about next time

21:30you feel like this

21:31you pray to the one

21:32your mum prayed to

21:34and it was like

21:34a light bulb went on

21:35yeah

21:36you're right

21:37okay

21:38and I had a Quran

21:38in English in my bag

21:40by the grace of Allah

21:41and I gave it to him

21:42and this big guy

21:43you know

21:43big British guy

21:44was getting off the plane

21:45going

21:45thank you

21:46thank you

21:47so subhanAllah

21:49people need help

21:50we have to be access points

21:51inshallah

21:52and so I'm devoted

21:53to creating that

21:54to crafting output

21:55looks after our young Muslims

21:56gives us places

21:57to feel proud of our heritage

21:59to look forward

22:00to what we can do with it

22:01and also for non-Muslims

22:02and people who are doubting

22:03to ask their questions

22:04inshallah

22:05and that's a good cause

22:06can you tell us

22:07can you tell us about

22:07your projects you did

22:08and future projects

22:09you know

22:10my big project

22:11is to reveal

22:12how the Muslim attitude

22:13to this world

22:14what is Tayyip

22:15what is the goodness

22:16how do we revive it now

22:17and how do we live it

22:18in our lives

22:19alhamdulillah

22:19I think one of the big projects

22:21that really moves me

22:22is to speak to the Muslims

22:24about how great

22:25our heritage is

22:26and how we can reflect

22:28on that

22:28and be great again

22:29alhamdulillah

22:30I wrote a book

22:31called

22:31In Search of a Holy Land

22:32I made it also

22:33by the grace of Allah

22:34into an audio book

22:36so people can listen to it

22:37that's online

22:38and so I worked

22:39with a producer

22:40to create my book

22:40into a play

22:41and we've performed it

22:42it's called

22:42Accidentally Muslim

22:43we played to 900

22:45mostly non-Muslims

22:46at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival

22:47you know

22:48I love to show Islam

22:49as it truly is

22:51an impact on the heart

22:52and a positive impact

22:53on society

22:54if you had a chance

22:55to speak to all

22:56the non-Muslims

22:57in the world

22:57what would you like to say

22:59if you had just

23:00one minute

23:00oh you sitting

23:08at home now

23:09you have times

23:09when you don't know

23:10why you're alive

23:11you have times

23:12of sadness

23:12and loss and grief

23:13and the fun

23:14just isn't working

23:15the way it used to

23:16you have pain

23:17and maybe sometimes

23:18you don't know

23:18why you're alive

23:19and you want to ask

23:20somebody to help you

23:21but you don't know

23:22how to ask

23:22and everything feels

23:23like it's strange

23:24and unreal

23:25God is one

23:26when you feel like this

23:27look at a rose

23:28in the garden

23:28and think that it

23:29makes sense for us

23:30when you feel like this

23:31look at the bees

23:31and just think

23:32how amazing that honey

23:33is so tasty

23:34and it's also a healing

23:36we give it for sore throats

23:37just think about

23:38how nature is there for us

23:40and how beautiful it is

23:41that the rain goes

23:41into the ground

23:42into the roots of the trees

23:43and then the trees grow

23:44a leaf or a flower

23:46and then that flower

23:47becomes fruit

23:47that we can just eat

23:49and it has goodness for us

23:50and feel the loving

23:52and benevolent presence

23:53of your Lord

23:54thank you sister Lauren

23:55for being with us

23:56hope we will meet

23:57in other projects too

23:58insha'Allah

23:59Salaam alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

24:00Salaam alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

24:02Salaam alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

24:03Salaam alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

24:05Salaam alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

24:07Salaam alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

24:09Salaam alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

24:10Salaam alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

24:11Salaam alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

24:12Salaam alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

24:13Salaam alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

24:14Salaam alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

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