When Jemima Goldsmith, the 21-year-olddaughter of billionaire Sir James, married Imran Khan she embraced not only theworld’s most handsome sportsman but also the Muslim faith, taking the name Haiqa.Here, in an exclusive account, she tells how she journeyed from the glamoroussociety of London to the austere religion of Lahore
THE media present me as a naive, besotted21-year-old who has made a hasty decision without really considering theconsequences – thus effectively condemning herself to a life of interminablesubservience, misery and isolation. Although I must confess I have ratherenjoyed the various depictions of a veiled and miserable “Haiqa Khan”incarcerated in chains, the reality is somewhat different. Contrary to currentopinion, my decision to convert to Islam was entirely my own choice and in noway hurried. Whilst the act of conversion itself is surprisingly quick -entailing the simple assertion that “there is only one God and Mohammed isHis Prophet” – the preparation is not necessarily so speedy a process. Inmy case, this began last July, whilst the actual conversion took place in earlyFebruary – three months before the Nikkah in Paris.
During that time, I studied in depth both the Quran and the works of variousIslamic scholars (Gai Eaton, the Bosnian president Alia Izetbegovic, MuhammadAsad) , thus giving me ample time to reflect before making my decision. Whatbegan as intellectual curiosity slowly ripened into a dawning realization of theuniversal and eternal truth that is Islam. In the statement given out a weekago, I particularly stressed that I had converted to Islam entirely”through my own convictions”. The significance of this has beenlargely ignored by the press. The point is that my conversion was not, as somany have assumed, a pre-requisite to my marriage. It was entirely my ownchoice. Religiously speaking, there was absolutely no compulsion for me toconvert prior to my marriage. As it explicitly states in the Quran, a Muslim ispermitted to marry from “the People of the Book” – in other words,either a Christian or a Jew. Indeed, the Sunnah – which describes the life ofthe Prophet – shows that the messenger of Islam himself married both a Christianand a Jew during his lifetime.
I believe that much of this hostility towards my marriage and conversion stemsfrom widespread misconceptions about an alien culture and religion. Not only isthere a huge gulf between the Western view of Islam and the reality, but thereis in some cases also a significant distinction between Islam based directly onthe Quran and the Sunnah and that practiced by some Islamic societies. Duringthe last year I have had the opportunity to visit Pakistan on three separateoccasions and have observed Islamic family life in practice. Thus, to someextent I now feel qualified to judge for myself the true role and position ofwomen in the religion. At the risk of sounding defensive, I would like to pointout that Islam is not a religion which subjugates women whilst elevating men tothe status of mini-dictators in their own homes.
I was able to see this first-hand when I met Imran’s sisters in Lahore: they areall highly educated professional women. His oldest sister, Robina, is an alumnusof the LSE and holds a senior position in the United Nations in New York.Another sister, Aleema, has a master’s degree in business administration andruns a successful business; Uzma is a highly qualified surgeon working in aLahore hospital, whilst Rani is a university graduate who co-ordinates charitywork. They can hardly be seen as “women in chains” dominated bytyrannical husbands. On the contrary, they are strong-minded independent women -yet at the same time they remain deeply committed both to their families andtheir religion. Thus, I was able to see – in theory and in practice – how Islampromotes the essential notion of the family unit without subjugating its femalemembers.I am nevertheless fully aware that women are sometimes exploited and oppressedin Islamic societies, as in other parts of the world. Judging by some of thearticles which have appeared in the press, it would seem that a Western woman’shappiness hinges largely upon her access to nightclubs, alcohol and revealingclothes; and the absence of such apparent freedom and luxuries in Islamicsocieties is seen as an infringement of her basic rights. However, as we allknow, such superficialities have very little to do with true happiness. Besides,without in any way wishing to disparage the culture of the Western world, intowhich I was born, I am more than willing to forego the transient pleasuresderived from alcohol and nightclubs; and as for the clothes I will be wearing, Ifind the traditional shalwar kameez (tunic and trousers) worn by most Pakistaniwomen far more elegant and feminine than anything in my wardrobe.
Finally, it seems futile to speculate on my chances of marital success.Marriage, as Imran’s father has been quoted as saying, is indeed “agamble”. However, when I see that in a society based on family life thedivorce rate is just a fraction of that in European or American society, Icannot see that my chances of success are any less than if I had chosen to marrya Westerner. I am all too aware of the enormous task of adapting to a new andradically different culture. But with the love of my husband and the support ofhis family I look forward to the challenge wholeheartedly, and would like tofeel that people wish me well. Whilst I do appreciate the genuine concerns ofmany, I must confess to feeling somewhat bewildered by all of the commotion.