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Saudis report increase in Islamic conversions
Saudi Arabia reports that the Kingdom's missionary activities have led to a sharp increase in Islamic conversions in the wake of the Sept. 11 Islamic suicide attacks on New York and Washington. Saudi authorities said more than 700 foreigners were converted to Islam after Sept. 11. They said the lion's share of converts came from the Philippines. Saudi Arabia and Gulf Cooperation Council regularly report figures on the conversion of expatriates to Islam. Several GCC countries, including Qatar, reported an increase in conversions since Sept. 11. Saudi Islamic Affairs Minister Saleh Al Sheik said 942 people from 19 countries converted to Islam in 2001, 709 of them after the Sept. 11 attacks. Officials said the Western backlash against Islam in wake of the suicide attacks increased interest in the religion.Didn't we get one of those converts last month? Yup. I think we did, though he wasn't from the post-911 batch. Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2002-06-11 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=5070 |