French Sister Marie Therese
(Hajja Mariam)
● I was fond of looking for knowledge and truth; I felt I had before me a goal that I had to pursue.
● When hijab and job conflicted, I preferred to quit the work and maintain hijab to be in harmony with my principle and creed.
Marie Therese Chambordone (Hajja Mariam) is a lady who has been guided to Islam in the wake of a meeting that took place in the French University of Poitiers with a law student who later became a well know lawyer. Poitiers, that old city, is the first Gallic town at which the Arab conquerors arrived after landing in Andalusia (history says a decisive battle between Arabs and Franks, led by Charles Martel, took place there at a site called the Land of Martyrs - Marbre des Martyres - and Arabs had to retreat from Poitiers). It is the city that resisted the Arabs.
Conquered, Marie’s heart responded to the invitation of Islam, the faith in which there is no compulsion. If the sword could not penetrate through that town, the calm logic and the disputation in the best manner managed to get through the doors of the spirit, thought, and heart of a French young woman that was an Education student.
In her house in a quiet district of Beirut’s suburbs where she lives with her husband lawyer Samih Hamdan,Noor Al-Islam met her and had this interview.
A. I was born in Poitiers, a French town that is around 350 km to the southwest of Paris, to Catholic parents. My father was a clerk in a factory. After I finished my basic schooling, I went to the Education College and I graduated as a teacher; I taught for a few years in France before I came to Lebanon.
During my childhood, I got some religious education. At that time, students in France received religious education, but that was not compulsory; it rather had to do with the parents’ choice. A priest or a vicar was entrusted with teaching children of ages between 7 and 12.
I liked those lessons, especially the morals which urged us to behave well. These lessons guided my life; for instance, we were taught not to lie, to be kind and tolerant, not to harm anyone, besides what is stated in the Ten Commandments such as prohibition of adultery, killing, theft, etc.
When I came of age, I felt that my feelings and thoughts were drawn to what is absolute and true. I was fond of looking for knowledge and truth. I felt as if I had something missing and that I had a goal that I needed to pursue.
A: Before Islam was introduced to me, I used to feel that Allah was always there, in my entity. When I felt happy, I thanked Him. As if I was waiting for that change that has filled my entity with the gifts of the True Religion.
I was sitting in the college cafeteria and the student who later became my husband was sitting close to me. It was a coincidence that we met in that scientific atmosphere that was open to dialogue and questions.
When the waiter served food made of pork, Samih said he could not have such food because it isHaram (prohibited) inSharia and according to medicine. Instead, he ordered Halal meat or a vegetarian meal. When he was asked about that, he answered briefly. Here I intervened because I wanted to know about that issue. He told me that that meat was not good for eating according to theSharia teachings and to medicine, for when Allah prohibited eating it, that was due to His wisdom and benignancy. I accepted his reply. When we met later, I ordered a Halal meal or, if that was not available, a vegetarian one.
Afterwards, I started asking questions about the facts of this religion that prohibited eating pork.
(Noor Al-Islam reporter drew Mrs. Hamdan’s attention to the fact that pork was prohibited in Christianity as well, and Roman emperors used to force some of the early Christians to eat it and threaten to kill them if they did not.)
After that meeting, I was able to obtain a copy of The Holy Quran interpreted into French by a Moroccan and a Frenchman; the translation was not good. Today I have two other translations, one Saudi and the other Iranian.
I met my husband in France but did not know the truth about Islam. However, when I moved to Beirut my understanding of things became deeper. When I had my children, they are five, the eldest, Shadi, wanted to studySharia at the Islamic University; he helped me understand the principles and teachings of Islam. As soon as I arrived in Beirut, I started performing the duties, such as praying and fasting, and Allah has presented me with the gift of going to Hajj. I also accepted wearingHijab , which I preferred to maintaining my job as a teacher in a French school in Lebanon. Therefore, as soon as I finished my contract with the French state, I rendered my resignation to the College Protestants, because whenhijab and job conflicted, I preferred to quit the work and maintainhijab to be in harmony with my principle and creed.
A: If I have the right to classify others - because I do not attribute purity to my soul, as Allah, be He exalted, says in The Holy Quran{ Do not attribute purity to your souls; He knows him best who guards (against evil) } -, Muslims, in my opinion, are divided into four categories:
- Those born as Muslims but do not hold the Islamic creed: They do not know about the rules of the True Religion. In fact, they know nothing about wajibs (duties). These include the women not observinghijab , nor wearing decent clothes, and thus spreading trial and temptation:
- Those born as Muslims with creed but without education: These love Allah (s.w.t.), the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) and the Imams (a.s.). However, theyare not well-educated when it comes to Islamic education. They usually do not differentiate between customs and myths, such as superstition about the number 13, and they think this is religion. There arewajib acts that these people neglect, but they perform things not related to religion thinking otherwise.
- Those born as Muslims with creed and education: Those are the ones who had studied Islam and are able to teach it to others. They have the ability to persuade; however, they believe in Islam theoretically. Some of them lie, cheat, dissemble, backbite, slander, act arrogantly, and do not show tolerance.
- Muslims in birth, creed, education and action: These do exist, although they are few. They spread in the earth a lovely air. When one sees them, one smiles and is pleased. They are the ones described by the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) when he says:« The closest of you to me on Judgment Day are those with the best ethics, those who smile and are kind to others. » They are the humble who like others and are liked by others. They are the ones who seek to live a pure Islamic life throughout every moment of their days. They are tolerant and humble, they assist others and are models to those who know them, and they only say what is necessary for them to say; they live as strangers in their communities.
A: The woman is included in the aforementioned categories. Women frequently make mistakes such as appearing in public with make up that makes them source of trial, temptation and seduction; this is a result of poor house education and the influence of the milieu, school, and the media (newspapers, magazines, television, and cinema). All that may lead the woman to blindly imitate the westerners and ignore the values of the True Religion.
A believer woman does not believe in parts of the Book and disbelieves in other parts. On the contrary, she commits herself to The Holy Quran and its instructions and she sees in the Sura of an-Noor (Light) and the Verse ofHijab (Veil) instructors and guides.
I have observedhijab and wore it since I understood that it is a Divine order. Being a believer means nothing other than being obedient to Allah’s orders. If I didn’t do so, it means that I’m placing my will and desire above the Creator’s will.
A:Hijab is something that protects and maintains the woman and the man alike. It tells the woman to be decent in the way she moves and speaks, and makes her safe from others’ mentioning the details of her body and spares her backbiting, becausehijab prevents others from seeing the details of her body. Besides, it bars her from talking about fashion which wastes time uselessly.Hijab makes me monitor myself and my movements, behave well, and talk to others in chastity as I am wearing this outfit which is imposed by Islam. When I first wore it, I felt gratitude to The Creator Who has guided me to the blessing of the True Religion. When a girl wearshijab this means she knows a lot about Islam, for it is a position, an opinion, and a commitment.
A: When I look at the westerners objectively, I see that they have a lot of defects and types of corruption and debauchery. However, they have also some virtues such as honesty, cooperation, respect of others, respect of others’ freedoms, and precision in dealing with one another.
I feel regret for the westerners’ ignorance of Islam although they have many virtues and traits that Islam commends and urges its followers to observe.
A: I have nothing to add other than reminding that a Muslim should feel his duty towards his fellow Muslim. They should not neglect guiding and advising one another. I also urge Muslims to narrow the gap between thought and practice, between theory and application.