Why Did They Become Muslims

Christianity lacks democratic spirit. The need to equip that
religion with a democratic aspect has necessitated an increase in
the Christians’ national zeal and the concomitant reforms.”
Prof. ERNEST RENAN:
Now let us make mention of a French man of ideas: Ernest
Renan was born in 1239 [C.E. 1923] in the Treguier city of France.
His father was a captain. He was five years old when he lost his
father. He was raised by his mother and by his elder sister. Because
his mother wanted him to be a man of religion, he was sent to the
church college in his hometown. Here he was given an efficient
religious education. His strong interest in the oriental languages
won him a full command of the Arabic, Hebrew and Syrian
languages. Later he entered the university, where he studied
philosophy. As he made progress in educational areas and carried
on very minute comparative studies on the German philosophy
and the oriental literature, he observed some flaws in Christianity.
By the time he was graduated from the university in 1848, at the
age of twenty-five, he was entirely defiant towards the Christian
religion, and he compiled his thoughts in his book titled ‘The
Future of Knowledge’. Yet, because the book was of a rebellious
nature, no printhouse dared to print it, and it was only forty years
later, in 1890, that the book was printed.
Renan’s primary objection was against the belief that Îsâ
‘alaihis-salâm’ was the ‘Son of God’. When he was appointed as a
professor of philosophy in the university of Versailles, he began to
gradually explain his thoughts on this subject. However, it was not
till after he was appointed as a professor of the Hebrew language
for the university of Collége de France that he voiced his most
vigorous protest. By the time he finished his first class he had had
the courage to say, “Îsâ ‘alaihis-salâm’ was a respectable human
being superior to the other human beings. Yet he was never the
son of Allâhu ta’âlâ.” This statement had the effect of a bomb. All
the Catholics, and especially the Pope, rose up. The Pope officially
excommunicated Renan before the entire world. The French
government had to dismiss him from office. Yet the world was
already resounding with Renan’s statements. Great numbers of
people sided with him. He wrote books, such as ‘Essays on the
History of Religions’, ‘Studies on Criticism and Morals’,
‘Discourses on Philosophy’ and ‘Life of Jesus’, and his books sold
like hot cakes. Upon this the French Academy accepted him as a
member (in 1878). Also, the French government invited him back
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