Ismail Kamdar – My Thoughts on Andrew Tate converting

			Bring up and that's the conversion of Andrew Tate.
		

			So I sincerely hope, no, I pray to Allah subhanaw taala that, that there's no factions that, that
are created out of this out of this conversion because the my take on it was that you have, I guess,
you know, I know the extreme of the progressive leftist saying, you know, that Andrews, you know,
like statements towards women and, and are misogynistic and that he should be, you know, we
shouldn't give him a platform, even as a as a convert to Islam.
		

			And then the other the other take on it is that, you know, we actually should, you know, like, you
know, like, given this huge piles, because he has so much influence, and he's going to, you know,
many people are going to convert to Islam, because of him. So, I had my take on it that we shouldn't
give, we should accept this conversion 100 ly converted to Islam, but he's not an island and he's
not definitely haven't even taken it as, you know, Islam one on one course up to this point. So I
think that, you know, he should just spend some time off of social media and just, you know, kind of
learn the deen properly before you know, Muslims actually give them a platform. So having said that,
		

			what's your take on it? Sheikh Ismail, what's your advice to brother Andrew? Okay, so hamdulillah
Firstly, we welcome for the entry to Islam and as you would any convert, and we ask Allah to make
him steadfast to guide him to the best understanding of Islam and to make him an asset for this,
Omar.
		

			This is a very strange point in our history, right to be seeing Kancil culture and conversion to
Islam mixing for the first time. Like, for the past 100 years, whenever a celebrity converted to
Islam, it was a big deal. Everybody was on board with it, right? When we talking about Cat Stevens
or Muhammad Ali or Mike Tyson, Dave Chappelle, you know, there's always this excitement that you
know, celebrities become a Muslim. This is the first time we've seen such a visceral, angry reaction
where people are actually trying to push him back into apostasy. They're like, we don't want you in
our religion. I've never seen this before.
		

			Now, I understand that there's two sides here that are very, very against any issue. There's two
sides that get extreme. But it's the first time I'm seeing this type of reaction where people seem
to think that if someone said something
		

			wrong before Islam, especially in certain areas, that is like an unforgivable sin. Now, it's as if
it's worse than
		

			when you convert to Islam, all of your past sins are forgiven. But I'm seeing people saying stuff
that are what he said is irredeemable. There's no way he can change, you know, it's impossible for
him to change. Who are you to see that? Have you not seen how Islam transforms the hearts of
humanity? I mean, I feel like this is the first generation I've seen where people don't understand
what Dawa is they don't understand what conversion is, they don't understand the transformational
impact that Islam can have on the hearts of a person. So my position is very simple. We welcome him
to Islam, we make dua for you. We give him advice, we give him Naseeha, we set up a curriculum for
		

			him to study, we give him time to adjust to change to the other religion, I would have, my initial
advice was that he should not be speaking in public, you know, until his knowledge of the religion.
But I feel this is not realistic for a guy whose whole career is built around being in the public
eye. So what I would say instead is, maybe you should talk about why he converted to Islam, you
know, that he just didn't do your job that was brilliant. And talk about those topics. But don't go
into anything beyond the NIC. He himself said that, you know, I'm not a scholar and have too much to
learn for us. And he actually said that in interviews, that that's good to hear
		

			what we should be doing with anyone who converts to Islam, right, a few things we should be doing.
Number one, welcome them. Number two, make dua for them. Number three, honestly, give them the
resources to learn the religion properly, instead of assuming that you're going to run it the wrong
way that people are so worried that he's going to end up in an extremist understanding of Islam. Why
are you not reaching out to him with the right books with the right videos with the right online
courses and saying, study this, this is a good understanding of Islam. Why is automatically jumping
to the idea that he's going to be an extremist? It's a very bizarre stance to be my position,
		

			obviously, isn't anyone convert to Islam? You give them the resources. The other thing is people are
expecting overnight change. Right? I agree. This has always been a problem. For any contract. I'm
sure you experienced this yourself that when you convert to Islam, people expect you to know
everything and to practice everything the next day. And this is ridiculous. It's absolutely
ridiculous. We all have our sins. We all have our struggles, right? Someone who just converted
yesterday still doesn't know how to pray salah. He might not even though certain things are
hierarchy. You have to give them education. You have to give them time. You have to help them get
		

			closer to Allah push them away from Allah. And we do this for any corporate right and people
		

			I say Oh, would you welcome you know, a prostitute who converted to Islam. Of course we that we've
done that 1000s of times throughout our history. Anyone, anyone who is converted to Islam to other
history, no matter what background they come from, we welcome them. Because we believe Islam is the
way of salvation. We believe Islam is the way to Paradise. We want this for all of humanity. And,
you know, we get happy for anyone who finds true. And so this is our approach to any convert,
regardless of their background, you know, someone saying, Oh, would you be happy if Donald Trump
converted to Islam? Of course, I make dua for that all the time. I will be so happy to jump
		

			converted to Islam, not happy for me happy for him, that he saves his soul in his 70s Under the law,
that will be amazing. 70 years of sins wiped out, you don't Inshallah, you know, we make dua for
everyone, we want goodness for everyone. Why is it that people have such a hatred for for others
today that they don't want the person to be saved? They don't want the person sins to be forgiven.
They don't want them to go to gender? No, it's like, we become so consumed by identity politics,
that it has taken over the fact that Islam is our religion. Yeah, it was like we don't want to be
have the same identity as someone that we don't like that. That's not how a Muslim should behave.
		

			You should behave from a position of Dawa of wanting what's best for humanity, and being a means of
guidance for others never a means of pushing anyone away. And we know the dua of Rasulullah slowly
said that he thought wow, we already know and he was Allahu hardier, but all other makers guided and
Amido guidance gods, that is the dua, because guided Allah means apply to others. Right? We're
supposed to be guiding people towards Islam, not saying oh, I don't want you to follow my religion
because I don't like it. I mean, can you imagine if Rasulullah sallallahu took that type of position
towards the people who buried their daughters alive for the people who kill the sahaba. You know,
		

			that was the Quraysh than somebody who has so many converts used to be the total enemies of Islam
who ended up what she had had killed the prophets uncle hint had mutilated the uncles body, but
these are all people who died upon Islam. Yeah, they all welcome to defeat eventually. Well, I
think, no, no, I agree with everything. You said that Ismail I think, you know, I've tried to get
Andrews detractors on on my show, I said, Look, and even the madman, Luke's is like, you know, we're
more than welcome to have them on if they want to give their point of view. And I think it's not so
much that they don't accept the fact that Andrew is converted to Islam, I think their fear is that,
		

			you know, like people who think like him are going to convert to Islam as a group. And, you know,
start saying that what he's saying about women and things, you know, how Islam treats women, is
acceptable. And I think, you know, like, you know, Islam, and, you know, gender relations is far
more complex than, you know, the way that Andrew today was talking about women before he converted
to Islam. I gotta give, like, you know, an example of my own Ismail, because, you know, we're Islam
for Europeans. And, you know, you know, you may have people who are former white nationalists who
convert to Islam as well. And that's extremely, you know, I can understand why a lot of Muslims
		

			would be, would be, have a lot of cause for concern, like, for example of Richard Spencer, David
duco, converted to Islam. But you know, the way that we handle it is at Islam for Europeans. First
of all, if we were to interview these people directly, or talk to them directly, we would be
cancelled right away. But I mean, that's why we sent out our Declaration, which you can read on our
website, that lays it out very clear that we do not support
		

			Muslims being oppressed, either in the non Muslim world, in the western world or in Muslim lands as
well. Nor do we support non Muslims being oppressed or abused by abused as well. So we're very clear
on that, you know, we, you know, like, we want to make it clear that, you know, this is, this is
what we support and it's, it's in line with a Quran and Sunnah. But for Andrew, it's a little bit
different, because he's only he's only one person, like, you know, you know, you talked about the,
in our last podcast, the Zulus, who converted to Islam as a group, you know, they had like, a crew
around them, where they could, you know, like, show that, you know, Zulu culture is adaptable to a
		

			slap, but then it needs to be seen at the group level. But what do you do about someone like Andrew,
where he's just kind of like, you know, he's, he's a billionaire, and, you know, he's got his own
crew and everything. You know, like, I think, you know, what you said is true that he needs Islamic
education and he's to stay off social media, but I think that's one piece of the puzzle but I think
also on top of that is having a crew of Muslims who are around him who can be a good influence
because I think, you know, your standard Moscow or in Bucharest, Romania is not going to be able to
hang with with Andrew Tate. So what do you think about that smell? I know he has tam con and aside
		

			but I mean, do you think he's needs to have more people who are Muslim or kind of like on the same
day
		

			You know, like level is him to like, you know, hanging out with him. That's a very good point. And
I've actually been thinking about that all week that how do we get him into good company? Right?
Because if people are worried that he's going to bring some of his Jackie Leah into Islam, the
solution that is converted, getting good teachers get into a company within two or three years, his
views will be reformed to be in line with Quran and Sunnah. Right? And we still angry once he's
preaching Quran and Sunnah, then the problem is not with him, the problem is with you.
		

			So yeah, because some people on the other extreme, right, they are people on the other extreme, when
it comes to these issues as well. So how do we get him to get good companies? I mean, maybe you and
I may not have influence in this area. But someone who does should find ways, you know, like, for
example, maybe other MMA fights, maybe some other hobby would be a good influence on him, in order
to get him into contact with people like that.
		

			Get him into contact with other Muslim sports personalities, with some entrepreneurs who are
multimillionaires. I think that I think that's one of the main reasons he's in Dubai, right meeting
those kinds of Muslims. Because what they will show him, I think one of the most important things he
needs to learn, and that he can learn from a Muslim multimillionaire is how to live in Islamic
lifestyle by wealthy, right, without flaunting that wealth, the importance of Zakkai or cough and
sadaqa, you know, humility, that you can't learn from a book that you have to learn from your
friends, you have to learn from being around people like that. I think that might be the biggest
		

			adjustment for him, as he grows into Islam is learning the Islamic lifestyle of a wealthy person
that we don't show up our wealth, we don't flaunt it, you know. So, I'm hoping that those are the
type of people he meets, I'm hoping that's the kind of
		

			message he learns. I don't know, if you and I have the ability to reach out to him and help him. I'm
trying to find a way I realized, you know, networking, always one or two degrees of separation away
from everybody. So just trying to find the shortest, you know, chain to him so I can get in contact
and help him. But those who are in contact with him the job in them, I hope that they are putting
him in contact with such people. He himself said earlier to the podcast that you are the five people
you're closest to right that their personalities affect you. So I hope he he said that himself. I
hope you realize that also includes his understanding of his of Islam, will be based on the five
		

			wisdoms he spends the most time with. So definitely need. It's a unique challenge, because most
people I know who convert to Islam don't come from wealthy backgrounds.
		

			That's a very, very
		

			unique position to come from today.
		

			But even giving him the biographies of other people like Muhammad Ali, maybe getting to the Muhammad
Ali's biography, see what he did with his wealth. I mean, he spent his wealth feasibly the law, you
know, building up centers all over the US, these can be things that could be inspirational for him.
		

			By the end of the day, you know, this is a problem that those who are close to him will have to
solve. It's definitely a real problem. I think people who have who have one who's gonna be taken off
takes for granted, we don't realize the challenges that come with being a conflict. Yeah, it's a
it's a unique set of challenges. And we don't we, as Congress don't understand the challenges of of
born Muslims. Yeah. I mean, it's, they're totally different situations. I mean, there's some
overlap. But that doesn't mean that we can't support one another. I just think that these tasks need
to be a bit more specialized. Like, you know, like, sometimes they'll take the convert to Islam at a
		

			mosque and say, you know, you need to lead our community now, or he'll take it upon himself to say,
you know, this is what the Muslim community needs to do. And it ends up being cringed because he
really doesn't understand this perspective of a foreign Muslims living in the West.
		

			So, yeah, if I really believe convert need to be in the beginning, students and followers, right, as
you and you've convert to Islam, you have to be a student and a father and you need to be humble
about it. And inshallah some converts that hamdulillah we've seen from Hamza Yusuf to Dr. Bill
Phillips to search for Hajj, some converts go on to become a lama. Right? That is possible, but the
journey takes a long time, right? We talked to people who converted in the 60s, we all Mr. By the
90s Well, yeah, a lot of people never ever reach that. I mean, it's only a thin slice of Congress
when they're making it exact level, but it is possible, but people now expect the problem is people
		

			expected Columbo to have that level of knowledge within the year it's like ridiculous expectations
that people have. Yeah, I think you know, like for religious, you know, Muslims who are from a born
Muslim background, they see their own societies and they lament the fact that that the that all of
the other community members are not are not practicing at the level that they should be and you
know, they have every right to feel to feel sad about that. But I think you know, it's kind of this
like, hockey dad mentality where they get this new Congress, they think, you know, if you know, the
West converts to Islam on math, like they're all going to be super pious, which I don't
		

			I think it's true. I mean, you know, like, I think if we convert it to Islam and groups that these
barriers are removed to actually convert to Islam, you would see a range of different levels of
religiousness that would be
		

			amongst one looseness or similar to born Muslims. That's exactly what I'm saying.
		

			Even at a conference, we know today, Dave Chappelle, Mike Tyson, they're not pious, but hamdulillah
the Muslims at least they have to eat they have Imam right and, you know, David die upon him and you
can make dua to Allah to forgive them for their sins. I mean, being on that level is still better
than rejecting the message when you know it is true. Yeah. And Dave, you know, was very smart about
it. You know, when when Dave Letterman asked Dave Chappelle, like, Are you a Muslim? Dave Chappelle
was like, Yes, but I'm not good at it. And that level of honesty and humility is is something that's
praiseworthy is something that Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So yeah, so this was a great conversation.