Luai Ahmed appropriately compared the UCLA & other university students praying to Allah during the protests to being a South Park episode!
(Click image to link to Luai’s post.)
There were suggestions that through their participation in the prayers, the students had converted to Islam. This similar post from Oli London on Twi𝕏 had millions of views.
(Click image to link to Twix)
The question about conversion is relevant!
To explain: when praying the ritual prayer — Salah — Muslims recite the Shahada. This is the attestation committing a person to Islam.
Conversion to Islam
Unlike many religions, conversion to Islam is very easy. A convert must just say the “Shahada” which is a one-line attestation:
أشهدُ أنْ لا إلهَ إلاَّ اللهُ وأشهدُ أنَّ محمّداً رسولُ الله
“Ash-hadu an la ilaha illa Allah, Wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan Rasulu-Allah.”
“I bear witness that there is no God but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.”
The Shahada can be fully valid, even when said privately!
To be accepted into the Muslim Ummah (congregation) a convert will normally say the Shahada in the Mosque before 2 witnesses. The additional requirements are for the attestation to be said with full knowledge and full sincerity. As the UCLA morons haven’t the first clue about the Shahada or Islam, this should get them off the hook!
The Crux
Most moderate Muslims follow the moderate Hanafi school of Sharia Law, but there are 4 other stricter interpretations of the Law. [Sunni schools: Hanbali, Maliki, Shafi’i & Hanafi, and the Shia school, Jaafari.] If one of the stricter interpretations accepts the UCLA student’s Shahada as being valid, Sharia is very clear: once Muslim, always a Muslim and the penalty for renouncing Islam is DEATH.
The Taliban use Sharia Law to impose:
Afghan girls do not go to school past 12-years old, never mind the ridiculous idea of women going to College!!
Perhaps UCLA students should be a tad more cautious before reciting the Shahada!
Kevin Hay
You can follow Kevin on 𝕏 / Twi𝕏 / Twitter @kevinhay77