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Swiss theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar was instrumental in helping Ilyas Khan, a British philanthropist and former Muslim, to become Catholic. But so too were many other distinctly Catholic influences, all amounting to a “pull” towards the faith rather than a “push” away from Islam.
Khan, a merchant banker by training and the owner of the Accrington Stanley soccer team, is also chairman of the prominent British charity Leonard Cheshire Disability — the largest organization in the world helping people with disabilities. In a revealing interview with Register Rome correspondent Edward Pentin, Khan explains in more detail what drew him to the Catholic Church in 2009.
What brought you to the faith? Was there anything in Islam, perhaps Muslims’ devotion to Our Lady, which helped you to convert?
Yes and no. Devotion to Our Lady on a personal basis is a big part of my faith, but at the same time, I know it wasn’t anything to do with my upbringing as a Muslim. My first tentative steps towards Catholicism were taken in my very early infancy. My mother was very ill at that time, and I was raised till about the age of 3 or 4 by a grandmother who was determinedly Catholic and Irish. I went to a Church school, and I think that when I started classes I didn’t think of myself as anything other than being Christian.
I also benefited from being brought up in Lancashire, up on the Pennines and close to the Ribble Valley. If there was ever a Catholic heartland in England, that was it — the great stronghold that never really acknowledged the Reformation.
Later on, when I was entering university, divine Providence intervened for a second time, and I stayed at Netherhall House, which is an Opus Dei student hall of residence in London. But, in between, say from the ages of about 4 to 17, I had been raised as a Muslim in a Muslim household. I had gone to mosque, learned the Quran. So, yes, I was raised a Muslim, but I don’t think there was any aspect of Islam that might have nudged me towards becoming a Catholic.
Was that time in Netherhall very influential, in terms of bringing you into the faith?
Very much so, yes. However, at that point in time, I don’t think I had the guts to convert or be received into the Church, or even take formal instruction. Apostasy is something Islam takes very seriously. In the eyes of a great many, Muslims’ apostasy is actually (as opposed to merely theoretically) punishable by death. So Netherhall was absolutely instrumental. I remember very clearly my devotion to prayer was really formed there, surrounded as I was by living examples of a wonderfully spiritual faith.
Would you say you came to the faith almost subconsciously?
Not really. I think I came to my faith wholly consciously. By the age of 18 and 19, I was a reasoning and questioning young adult. And by then I had discovered there was a brilliant person called Hans Urs von Balthasar. There was a library in Netherhall where I started reading theology. That’s where I came across Origen, and, to a very large extent, that’s also where I was able to study and appreciate the work of St. Augustine. So I was very conscious but somewhat apprehensive. Both my parents were still alive at the time, and part of my reticence was my unwillingness to cause them hurt. I don’t know quite how I would have described myself by the time I graduated from university, but probably “a closet Catholic” comes close.
What gave you the courage in the end?
Apart from the Holy Spirit? A culmination of two things: a greater degree of certainty in my own moral compass; and if there was a push away from Islam or a pull, it was much more the pull of Christ. It wasn’t ever in my mind a negative thing [to convert]. The other important factor was my very regular attendance, over a decade prior to my formally being received, at a church — St. Joseph’s in Hong Kong. I went to live in Asia and Hong Kong in my mid-20s, and that’s where I discovered my affinity for traditional Catholicism. The simple acts of faith — ritual, the liturgy and congregational prayer — were the stepping stones.
Did you have a sense, in those years leading up to being received, of a growing sense that the Catholic faith is the truth?
Yes, though that’s perhaps slightly melodramatic. At this stage of my life, when my religion is at the core of what I do, it’s very difficult to differentiate between any actions that might or might not be motivated by faith. I would hope that everything I do in my life is motivated and guided by faith. To answer your question in a slightly different way: I never doubted, from about my mid-20s onwards, that I was a Christian, and my path towards Catholicism, as opposed to Christianity per se, was really quite a quick one. In retrospect, the heart of that journey actually took four or five years and was more academically or intellectually based. I have to say it was Von Balthasar who guided me.
Were Blessed John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI also influential? Both have been described as so-called Balthasarians.
That’s a really good question. I’ve never been asked that question before. Yes, well, Cardinal Ratzinger, the current Pope, definitely qualifies as being “Balthasarian,” and Blessed John Paul II raised Balthasar to becoming a cardinal. Obviously, John Paul II was an influence beyond his regard for Von Balthasar — how could one not be influenced by such a great man? Like a great many people, Balthasar himself was not just a gigantic intellect, but also articulated how the mystery of faith is central to our lives as Christians. And, in that regard, the single most moving moment for me happened when I was in my mid-30s. I was walking past the Pieta in St. Peter’s, and I remember being literally arrested in my tracks by a combination of four or five things all at once. You asked me about my relationship with the Blessed Mother of God — well, that moment in time was really important. That can be described as being the turning point.
Was it the beauty of the Pietà that struck you?
Yes — and the context. This is God, I thought. This really is God. You must remember that one of the big things when we look at traditional Islam is the heresy — in their opinion — of equating the mortal Jesus with God. And if there is ever an obstacle that a Muslim convert has to contend with, intellectually and emotionally, more than anything else, that is it. At that moment, in front of the Pietà, I realized, through sheer emotion, that the truth of our religion is so simple and so direct.
You mean the fact that Jesus is not just a prophet, but God Himself?
Yes, absolutely, and I think at that moment — I remember it distinctly; it still moves me to tears — there was no doubt in my mind. It was so clear. I’m afraid it would be impossible for me to articulate that feeling in mere words. If there was a “before” and an “after,” then that was my point of arrival, so to speak.
In terms of being concerned about the “apostasy” charge from Muslims — is it something that keeps you up at night?
No, not at all. It doesn’t keep me up at night. However, I can tell you where it becomes relevant: In various different forums — in articles, magazines and on radio and once or twice on TV — I have tended to get a fair degree of coverage in Britain, where I’m also well known as the owner of one of our best-known football teams. I get described with a standard tagline saying something like: “The most prominent recent Catholic convert.” Whilst there have been many times when I have been on the receiving end of threats from individual Muslims or Islamic organizations who might read and react to these articles and interviews, I have to say that those occasions have absolutely never kept me up at night. I have received my fair share of hate mail and threats of violence, but I conduct myself with what I hope is a simple dignity and refuse to be drawn into a life governed by fear or undue caution.
Conversely, what I am interested in is where Islam and Catholicism meet; here, there is a degree of commonality. And my attitude is to exhibit for those who are not Catholics the beauty, purity, wonder and the privilege of being a Catholic. I’m just very straightforward and calm about this issue, and that’s a reflection of my faith.
Some prominent converts from Islam can be very negative towards their former religion, but you don’t seem to have that view.
My views have the benefit of being blessedly simple. I don’t think there’s any complexity in my faith, and, as I said earlier, I was pulled towards my Christian faith, not pushed away from Islam.
However, I must admit that I do have a great deal of sadness in my heart when I contemplate people who use Islam to justify their actions. These actions aren’t just un-Islamic — they are inhuman and have nothing to do with my view of Islam as a religion. Sadly, there appear to be a very large number of Muslims for whom anger and violence seem intuitive first responses to anything they don’t agree with. Beyond that, I feel that the two religions, Islam and Christianity, might be described as “distant cousins.” Remember, I was raised a Muslim, and I have been to Medina and Mecca, and I can see some of the inherent qualities. But we must also admit that the point of departure, the difference between the two religions, is vast. So while there are similarities, and I can see them, they don’t count really for very much. … I celebrate the fact that Jesus Christ is love. It’s a simple statement. It is the defining difference.
And it is very simple in its totality.
Yes, it is; but then the thing we call “love,” that we as Christians concern ourselves (with) at the heart of our faith, is a living, real and tangible quality. Jesus is actually with us; we don’t need metaphors or vague conceptual examples of what love “might” be in order to inspire or inform us. We are blessed by the Holy Sacrament and nourished by the direct intercession of Our Lord through his sacrifice. In that regard, Von Balthasar has helped to change the basis of conversation about the relationship between the Church, Christ and the Holy Spirit. He created a new understanding around the semantics of “love” in a religious context. I, therefore, can’t really say much about the contrasts between Catholicism and other religions, be they Islam or Hinduism, for example, but simply affirm the unerring simplicity of my own faith.
Edward Pentin writes from Rome.
John Zmirak: We Are All Islamists Now
Benjamin Wiker: The Church and the (Secular) State
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In the closing scene of DR ZHIVAGO, Alec Guinness, in the role of Yuri’s cousin, looking for Lara’s daughter calls out, “Did your mother teach you to play the Balalaika?” and when she called out, “No!” he responded, “Then it is a gift!” That line comes to mind when I read accounts like this and think of my own faith.
I think many more Muslims would convert to Catholicism if the punishment for conversion wasn’t death! Islam is not a tolerant Religion! I have encouraged a few of my Muslim friends to read the New Testament, because they know only what they have been taught by Islam. Their knowledge of Jesus is grossly inaccurate!
Kudos! I believe that Ilyas has a great gift, the gift of conversion. God is using many figures to show the world the ‘truth’........and, I pray for these new converts, because they were set a part for the world as a light and the world seems to be very critical. Ilyas, keep strong and may God bless you and your family.
A beautiful and movingly simple story of conversion. Thanks for featuring this interview and for highlighting Mr. Kahn’s simple yet compelling journey home.
So beautiful. I am just touched, Jesus is Love.
I think is this a beautiful and remarkable conversion story, one worth sharing with Muslim friends who see conversion as only a negative reaction to Islam. Christianity has never been, and never should be, a mere reaction to another force. It is, we believe, the fulfillment of all of man’s legitimate yearnings for a relationship with the divine.
I (a Catholic) have been a student at a Catholic university in Houston, which has many Muslim who are generally interested in learning about Catholicism, even if it is only out of mere curiosity.
The wonderful miraculous actions of the Holy Spirit that stir hearts to conversion to the richness of our Roman Catholic Faith. Through out the years, with all the assaults to this wealth of faith, from within and outside, it was conversions such as this story in working with new CAtholics that kept me hanging on tight to our cradle Catholicism when all around me spoke out against the journey. Amen to those who continue to build up this wonderful faith by coming “out of the closet” and laying claim to that great love that the secular world seems hell bent on squashing .
What a beautiful witness!
Great interview - very enlightening! I love Christ and his creation. In order for me personally, to grow that love of Christ, I need to learn more about Islam so that I can view Muslims with a more loving eye.
Muslims make the best Catholics. After the crushing, imperious and unloving ‘Allah’ the true God of Love is a spring of water in the desert.
How’s beautiful mediator in our Christian salvation which is our dear Mama Mary through his son Jesus Christ…
May God bless you Mr. Khan…
As one long interested in the Muslim world, I found this account deeply moving. What affects me the most is his view of God—that God is love and that we are surrounded, sustained and upheld by that love. It is up to us to reflect that love in our daily life.
Someone who has the contacts should facilitate Mr. Khan’s appearance on Marcus Grodi’s The Journey Home on EWTN, don’t you think?
I am struck by all the Muslim coversion stories that involve either a powerful life changing dream or some sudden and dramatic insight which opens the eyes of the convert to recognize God in Christ. It so wonderfully testifies to the real work of the Spirit in our world.
I think its especially important to note this evidence of the reality of The Spirit, since Islam claims that John 14:16 predicts the coming of Mohammed instead of descent of the Holy Spirit on the Church. The same verse can’t be true for both in other words. There is ample evidence that the prophecy was fulfilled long before the birth of Islam’s founder. If ever you have the chance to point that out, please do!
Anyway, I got such a thrill from Ilyas account of his moment in front of the Pieta since something similar happened to me. My own conversion was a long and round about one as well, but there was a point where I, like St. Thomas was moved to proclaim in my heart “My Lord, my God!” Attending church in a parish with a true devotion for the Eucharist was, I think, instrumental. Its clear that physical reminders or signs of the spiritual reality often serve as bridges leading to insight and belief. This is not to say that it is impossible for someone to recognize God in Christ from a Protestant perspective stripped of these material reminders but I think it has to be more difficult nonetheless.
Thank God for the beautiful witness of this person! How wonderful and mysterious are the ways of God.
James B., we have a lot of Muslim students at our Catholic universities—CUA being one of them—because being in a faith-filled environment where talking about God is not frowned upon is a comfort to them. Indeed, true conversion is in the heart: not just any possible Muslim-to-Catholic conversions (as has been the case of Mr. Khan), but our ongoing conversions as Catholics and being able to evangelize by providing more effective witness.
Peggy, true devotion for the Eucharist is indeed instrumental, wherein orthodoxy is accompanied by orthopraxis. Once you focus on the Eucharist, then you understand all of the other Sacraments, particularly those that are often disregarded in our modern culture such as the Sacrament of Penance and the Sacrament of Holy Orders, more fully and clearly. You also understand the Mass—the public prayer of the Church—more, and you learn to root yourself in it.
I do agree with you that it is not impossible for someone to recognize God in Christ from a Protestant perspective stripped of these material reminders, but that it is more difficult. Daniel Ali, who did appear on Marcus Grodi’s The Journey Home began as a Protestant convert from Islam upon reading the Bible, but ended up a Catholic due to seeds planted by a little boy and his Baltimore Catechism at the neighborhood non-denominational Bible Study group. So God can and will use anything at all. That said, I also agree with then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in The Spirit of the Liturgy in that a purposeful lack of material reminders of the True Presence is incompatible with professed belief in the Incarnation. We weren’t just given the Word; the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. We are matter and spirit, both, and not just matter or spirit, and my latter comment is more about strengthening Catholic identity for the sake of both new converts to Catholicism and the ongoing conversion of cradle Catholics.
Thank you Mr. Khan for sharing this beautiful testimony with us! God bless you!
My son, age 20, converted to Islam in 2003 and searched for the truth for four months. It was devastating for our Catholic family, but we loved him and we just prayed and prayed. After those months, he came back stronger in his believe that he now wanted to learn more about the Catholic Faith. Today, he is a faithful catholic, loving husband and father, dedicated Youth Minister working for the Church! What a journey!
May the Lord and Mother Mary continue to guide you in yours!
Thanks for the story… but i m the opposite of Mr Khan…i m raised a catholic…strict practising one…but i began to wonder…
if the bible is indeed the word of God…why are there many versions of it…?
why are there christians…catholics and protestants? Why aren’t we one?Why are we differently theologically…
My final question that keeps lingering in my head…how can God have a son?
God is God…so yeah…I’m not looking at other religions per se…I m just questioning my faith so I could rebelieve in it and be a stronger catholic…
What a delightful interview with a sensitive, thoughtful human being.
Bravo, Mr. Pentin.
I agree,this would make a very interesting exchange on video…
Danny, God bless you in your search, because as Catholics, questioning is always healthy, provided that we do it out of humility: we ask questions not only of what we profess to believe and the God in whom we profess to believe, but also of ourselves. We should always seek to grow in our faith, and to treat faith not as solely an intellectual exercise, but as a gift from God that needs to be nourished. Along with reading, an active prayer life is crucial: a stronger faith and the virtues to maintain it are some of the things we need to ask God for regularly in prayer and through receipt of the Sacraments, particularly Confession and Holy Communion. We see not just with the intellect but through the eyes of faith, so the two must complement each other.
As Catholics, we believe that God is the very energy of what it means To Be, for when Moses asked God what name he went by, God answered “I AM.” In the New Testament, Jesus also says the same of himself, and that he and the Father are one: He abides perfectly in the Father, and the Father in Him. The Holy Spirit is that bond between Father and Son. Jesus is the Word of God Made Flesh who came to dwell among us, and so the Word of God does include the Bible, but is not restricted to the Bible alone. Hence apostolic succession with authority stemming from Christ and also Sacred Tradition. The Bible does not interpret itself, and it did not compile itself; the hermeneutic for compiling and interpreting the Scripture is the Church, the Body of Christ, with Christ as the head, and whose authority comes from the Holy Spirit through the charism of St. Peter and his successors.
That’s for starters, for I can say much, much more, but I think the far more helpful thing would be to urge you to dig deep. To learn more in detail, I would suggest reading the following: Catholicism for Dummies (which has an imprimatur, so it is free from error)—a good primer to help you brush up, coupled with Fr. Robert Barron’s Catholicism book and documentary series. In the latter, Barron touches on the basics of Catholic belief and tradition, aiming to whet our appetites as to what a deep and smart tradition it is. And he succeeds.
Then, there’s The Catechism of the Catholic Church, which every Catholic should study. For more in-depth pondering about your Protestantism-related question, read Scott Hahn, Rome, Sweet Home which is not just a conversion story but a story about studying scripture and coming to question both Sola Fides and Sola Scriptura, to say nothing of the Protestant Canon. For the Catholic Mass itself (and a related Sacrament, Holy Orders), read Hahn again re The Lamb’s Supper and Many Are Called (Swear to God, which is about Confession is also good). As a convert from Presbyterianism, Hahn provides the scriptural basis for the Sacraments, thus hoping to engage Protestants and urge them to go further and deeper.
For an in-depth look at the spiritual life and the relationship between God and Man, any of the interviews that Benedict XVI/Joseph Ratzinger did with Peter Seewald will get you in touch with the meatier questions about the faith that people tend to ask (Seewald began the interviews as a lapsed-Catholic agnostic, and ended them a practicing Catholic), and then top it off with Robert Barron, And Now I See: A Theology of Transformation and Joseph Ratzinger, Jesus of Nazareth, parts I & II. In the latter, Ratzinger seeks to get at the question of who Jesus really is through scriptural exegesis.
How wonderful! A true intellect, he embraces Catholicism, converted and yet still appreciates Islam and Muslim. Bless his heart.
I’m glad I took time out of my busy day to read this. It was beautiful; truly worth the stop. I am inspired and re-energized!
In reply to Danny, I would say that WSquared has given some excellent starting points. Let me add one suggestion: Dave Armstrong here: http://socrates58.blogspot.com/2005/03/reply-to-muslim-apologist-concerning.html This is in response to a Muslim who tries (desperately imho) to show that God having a son or becoming incarnate was logically impossible like a square circle. Dave shows why the square circle analogy fails and the Muslim cannot demonstrate that there is something inherently illogical about traditional Trinitarianism.
worship only Jesus Lord and God…Amen
What a powerful witness to our Catholic faith! We must pray for the conversion of our Muslim brothers and sisters to the True Faith.
This conversion story is simple yet so powerful tool for Muslims who wish to convert secretly. Pray to Jesus, the LOVING GOD, then try to read the Christian Scripture, that the Jesus we know is really LOVING, not hating. God bless you brother Ilyas Khan for your courage and zeal of love for God.
I love this man; the simplicity and sincerity with which he shares his testimony, yet with such profound articulation, which he humbly denies. I pray the Lord of lords will continue to guide, sustain, nourish and protect him in his faith journey. May he always possess the abundant life in Christ! Hallelujah!
Can someone throw some light!!!! The Muslims claim Moses as Musa Nabi but they don’t follow any of the 10 commandments given by GOD instead kill humans in the name of Allah. Muslims say God is not Allah but they believe God sent angel Gabriel to Mary and miraculous birth of Jesus (Issa nabi)and Allah sent angel Jibriel to announce the Quran. They ultimately say that one (01) angel messenger to GOD & Allah. Are the Muslim clergy confusing every Muslim.(ref. Genesis 16: v 9-14). If they claim Muhammad as the Holy Spirit soon they claim him as the 3 rd person of the TRINITY.
Interesting story Mr. Khan , I am a convert myself from Islam to Roman Catholicism . my reasons are very different from Khan. I wish to know of Mr Khan is planning or have released a book about himself. I think it’s very nice to see Muslim converts to the one true church, whom saw the light of Jesus Christ , Praise God almighty .
@Raymond: Sorry this is a little late, and I don’t think I can be much help, but one thing you should understand is that Islam is not monlithic and in many ways resmembles the problem of any “Book Alone” religion. They are like roulette wheels: ‘round and ‘round she goes, where she stops nobody knows. So you find yourself asking, “Will the real Islam please stand up?” and when everybody stands up, you are just as confused as ever.
Hello everyone,
I was a muslim, now converted to Catholicism. I just had my baptism a week ago and it was the most wonderful thing I’ve experienced. It just all happened so fast for me. I have always been a spiritual person, since the age of 9 and now I’ve made my faith official.
As a muslim women converting to Catholicism it was not easy, but the easy way is not always the right way. I have no major complaints about Islam, but the culture of Islam never made life for women easy and that was not always fair, especially as a women growing up in New York.
Hi K , Welcome home , I am a convert too . I was mulim and now catholic (I was baptize 7 months ago) . I encourage you to listen to Fr. Barron and watch his series about Catholicism .
Thanks, Michael.
I will definitely check that out.
I wish there was a forum/group for individuals like us, who converted from Islam to Catholicism. It’s good to be able to share these experiences with others, and hear theirs.
...It is truly a thing of joy that our Muslim brother have being called by the Spirit of Truth into the fold of the Universal Church…The Lord is your strenght! Benedicamus Dominum!!!
K , I write in Youtube , and make videos under the name of newtochrist . feel free to contact me for your Idea is a good one , I know many muslims who converted to Christianity , but few who embraced Catholic Christianity ,and in Catholic answers , I know another guy who was a former muslim. so it might be a good idea to get together , and talk about how to share the Catholic message to muslims , because I believe there are many obstacles that blocks muslims from the truth ,we might want to overcome it . and a good thing to begin with is to recognize those obstacles .
if only he knew what he does not know about Islam - Islam is truly a beautiful religionwhich liberates me I believe in 1God which is Allah he is 1 there is no 1 like Him no 1 can be like Him and no one will be like Him Jesus is and will always be a messenger even the new testament refrences him as a Prophet. How can anyone be as equal as their Creater it does not make sense… Islam takes into account every religion of the book but unfortunatly the Bible and the Torah were distorted the Quran is read in Arabic and the obligatory prayers are read in Arabic -why ? So that the Original meaning does not become distorted… Ive read the gospels of Matthew Mark Luke and John which are highly confusing furthermore different accounts of Jesus’ life, which questions its authenticity, the Quran is Allah’s direct words,It states things 1400 years ago which are happening at present times.. a person can not say Islam is etc etc and im sure 90% of people commenting on here havent picked up a copy of the Holy Quran and read it…
In islam, deriding the quran is punishable by life imprisonment while deriding mohammed is punishable by death. Does that mean that for moslems the “messenger” of allah is so much more important than the “word” of allah?
In 1997, at 48, I converted to the Catholic faith. When you realize that Jesus is truly with us in the Eucharist, there really is no other place to be.
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