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Islamic cultural awareness week held at UCC

Lynda Foley

As part of UCC’s Islamic Cultural Awareness Week, 25 year old Igor Riabtchuck, a recent convert to Islam, gave a first person account of his decision to reject Christianity, namely Russian Orthodoxy, and to live his life as Muslim last Sunday. Apporximately 20 people spent a portion of their afternoon in the Kane Building to listen to Riabtchuck give his unique perspective on Islam.
Riabtchuck’s Muslim name is Abdul Hafiz which in Arabic means Slave to the Guardian. He was born in Moscow to a Jewish father and a devoutly Christian mother, but at the age of fifteen he moved to Great Britain to study and avoid conscription into the Russian army. He studied Finance at the University of Manchester and is currently doing a Masters degree in law in London. He currently lives in there with his Moroccan wife, Loubna Bijdiguen, who is also a Muslim.
Riabtchuck, or Hafiz, began by saying that he never doubted the existence of God but doubted the way in which he was worshiped. He was always some what disenchanted by what he deemed the “blind belief” of Russian Orthodoxy. However it was not until he moved to Britain that he really began to question his beliefs. At the age of 15, Hafiz found himself living in a house with several Arabic people. Initially he was terrified, because he was aware of the tension between Russian Christians and Czechnian Muslims. Still, it didn’t take long for his prejudices of Islam to evaporate, and by 1999 he had become a full convert to the Islam religion. “My Muslim brothers helped me to discover many errors and contradictions in the bible and I was quite astonished by my findings.”
Hafiz continued by claiming that there are simply too many versions of the Bible to know for sure which is the true word of God. The various Christian denominations also proved a problem for Igor.
“All claim inspiration from God, but which one is correct?” he asked. “The divisions made it extremely difficult to come to terms with Christianity as a real way to worship God.”
Again with regard to the Christian method of the forgiveness of sins, Hafiz was very sceptical “With issues such as child abuse and homo-sexuality, can a priest forgive his own sins, aswel as mine?”
Hafiz also spoke of Practical issues including finance and divorce, on both counts rejecting Christian concepts in favour of Muslim Methods “The New Testament offers no practical guide for life. However I can relate every aspect of my life to the Koran and that helps me a lot”
When asked if there were any aspects of Islam he disapproved of, Hafiz replied, “The western world often has difficulty in distinguishing between Islam and Muslim culture. I am unhappy with soma aspects of Muslim culture, for example the treatment of women in Afghanistan is highly questionable; however there is no aspect of Islam itself that I disagree with. Nonetheless, there are some elements I do no understand! I believe Islam is perfect. Islam is the best religion for everybody all over the world, it is applicable to all times and places and accommodates different cultural practises. Its flexibility is inherent in its perfection…When I was a Christian I was full of doubt and had no certain knowledge, now I have no doubt.”
Hafiz did cite his parents’ reactions to his conversion as one negative aspect of becoming a Muslim. Both found it extremely difficult to terms with his decision. He said his mother asked him “how he could join this alien culture”. His Jewish father was horrified that he would accept the religion of his people’s enemies. Hafiz stated that their reaction led to a distancing and worsening of relations, but in the end he felt that he must follow his own path.
“I am worried about my own soul, and this must take priority over pleasing my parents.”
Another negative impact he talked about was dealing with prejudice in Britain. For job interviews Hafiz adopts western dress in order to avoid stereotyping. He describes society’s attitude towards Muslims as “a bit worrying, but the sort of thing you can cope with.”
Hafiz also spoke out against homosexuality, which is strongly forbidden by Islam. “Homosexuality is immoral and unnatural. If God says it’s a sin, it is a sin. I would not be willing to bend from God for society; society does not offer me paradise. I have to account to my god. I believe [homosexuality] is a test from God. One must refrain from that which displeases him. Submission is a major aspect of Islam” He continued to say that he strongly opposes the adoption of children by homosexual couples. Homosexuals adopting children is like serial killers adopting children, he explained, because the world view the child would form would be very problematic.
Hafiz spoke at length about many of the religious, social, and practical issues involved with being a Muslim in an attempt to paint an all encompassing picture of his experience with the Islamic religion.
At the end of the talk, a male Islamic student hinted at his concern that some aspects of Hafiz’s talk could give outsiders an unfavourable impression of Islam by saying “it is very difficult to understand every thing in an hour and a half.”