A French woman brought her son to an Islamic center in France, wanting him to convert to Islam. They arrived at the center, and the son met with the director. The son said, “My mother wants me to become a Muslim.” The director asked, “Do you want to accept Islam?” The son replied, “I haven’t thought about it yet, but my mother really wants me to become a Muslim.”
The director was surprised and asked, “Is your mother a Muslim?” The son said, “No, she’s not.” The director then asked, “Why does she want you to become a Muslim?” The son didn’t know.
The director asked to speak with the mother. When she arrived, the director asked, “Is it true you’re not a Muslim but want your son to become one?” She confirmed this. The director was puzzled and asked, “Why?”
The mother explained, “I live in an apartment in Paris, and opposite me lives a Muslim family with two university-aged children. Whenever they enter or leave their home, they kiss their mother’s forehead and hands, showing great respect. I’ve always thought,
‘I wish my son would do the same for me.’ As I grow older, I fear he might put me in a nursing home. I want him to become a Muslim so he’ll treat me with the same respect those Muslim children show their mother.”
The director was taken aback by her response.
