Watan-The Egyptian journalist and renowned host on Al Jazeera channel, Ahmed Mansour, published an article on his website confirming that the events in Gaza have presented a bright and vivid image of Islam, both in terms of adhering to ethical principles and fundamentals of war, as well as in dealing with prisoners.
In the article, which was reviewed by (Watan), Ahmed Mansour emphasized that despite the Israeli occupation and the West’s expenditure of billions, along with extensive campaigns to instill fear of the religion and tarnish its image through Islamophobia, the people of Gaza managed to erase all of that and played a role in reshaping the positive perception of the religion.
Mansour recounted experiences during his travels with Abdullah bin Mansour, the head of the Union of Islamic Organizations in Europe, who was a guest on his program “Without Limits,” which he presented on the Qatari channel. Bin Mansour has made a notable contribution to Islamic work within European countries.
Islam is embraced by 400 French individuals daily
Mansour mentioned, “Abdullah bin Mansour informed me about legislations enacted in France that criminalize anything related to Palestine, starting from raising the flag, and even uttering the name of the Hamas movement. In the midst of the occupation’s crimes, everything changes rapidly.”
According to Mansour’s account, the head of the Union of Islamic Organizations in Europe explained, “France has not witnessed such an interest in converting to Islam in 40 years, as it did after the Gaza war, where the official numbers of new Muslims rose from 80 per day to 400 at times currently.”
He continued, “The number of daily converts to Islam is no less than three hundred new French Muslims, meaning that the number of those who embraced Islam in France alone, at a minimum estimate, since the outbreak of the Al-Aqsa storm and over nearly two months, is around 20,000 individuals, mostly young people,” according to Ahmed Mansour’s analysis.
Gaza reflects a bright and vivid image of Islam
Mansour attributed this to the people of Gaza showcasing a bright image of Islam through translated videos in many languages worldwide, as they “endure with patience, certainty, and satisfaction what has happened to them in the eyes of Allah.”
Additionally, the resilience of Gaza residents presented an unprecedented image of dealing with Israeli prisoners, astonishing the world.
This prompted many Westerners to explore Islam, read the Quran, and subsequently embrace the religion in large numbers. According to Ahmed Mansour’s article, those entering Islam express that witnessing the patience, satisfaction, certainty, and a sense of tranquility and security from the people of Gaza, despite their tragic experiences and loss of families, homes, and possessions, compelled them to seek the truth in Islam.
Mansour described the events in Gaza as “enormous cosmic changes.” He praised the steadfast and patient people of Gaza, stating that their intelligent souls and precious blood will not be in vain, emphasizing the sanctity of a believer’s blood in the eyes of Allah.
The global sympathy for Palestine and Gaza led the United States and the European Union to impose strict restrictions on the use of TikTok, with American legislators calling for its ban. Reports in publications like the New York Times highlighted that the best-selling books in the United States were about Islam, the Quran, and Palestine.
Mansour pointed out that the difference between September 11, 2001, and October 7, 2023, is that the former was used to vilify Islam and criminalize Muslims, while the latter successfully prompted the world to seek authentic Islam, dispelling the distorted image of Muslims as a Western-Zionist fabrication.
He concluded by stating that the images of the patient people of Gaza bidding farewell to their loved ones and the Israeli prisoners thanking and expressing gratitude to Hamas fighters have played a crucial role in altering perceptions of Islam. Mansour anticipates that October 7 will become a prominent turning point in history, similar to September 11, and encourages readers in Western countries, especially the United States, to contribute more documented information in this regard.