Maybe You Have to Be Disagreeable to Convert
Muslim converts tend to be <em>less </em>religious than their non-convert peers. So what explains their overrepresentation among jihadists?
The invitation to convert to Islam comes frequently if you travel in the Muslim world and are not visibly Muslim. Parts of the United States are similar——although in countries such as Pakistan or Bangladesh or Sudan, the question arrives with even less preamble than its Christian equivalent in the Bible Belt. I have heard the entreaty from strangers on buses, and from shopkeepers craning their neck out their window. It is nearly always friendly, and “no” is an acceptable answer but sometimes elicits dismay and a short lecture. I take no position here on how you should answer, but if your sole purpose is to end the missionary
