※Translated with Notion AI. (Plus version)
In Japan, prejudice and misunderstandings about Islam still persist.
However, the number of Muslim followers has reached 2 billion, which is about 25% of the world’s population, and it is expected that Islam will soon surpass Christianity to become the world’s largest religion.
We asked a former executive of a Japanese megabank who converted to Islam about the basic knowledge of Islam. This article has not been edited according to the provider’s intention.
I was born and raised in Setagaya, Tokyo, and lived as an ordinary Japanese.
After one year of preparation, I entered Keio University and had an enriching student life.
After graduation, I got a job at a major Japanese bank and was sent to a graduate school in the United States. Subsequently,
I had expatriate experiences in New York, Chicago, and London.
If I hadn’t thought too deeply, I could have held a decent position within the bank and led a stable life with my wife on a corporate pension after retirement.
However, my experience in London made me think about the “purpose and meaning of life“.
The trigger was the feeling that, despite being Japan’s largest bank, its presence in the international financial market was too small.
I thought this was because we did not fully understand the world’s politics, cultures, and business practices and were simply following the lead of Western financial institutions.
Later, I got involved in Islamic finance and had close contact with Muslims for two years.
During that time, I noticed the difference in life perspectives between myself and them.
My life consisted of school, work, and time with friends, while they lived centered around family.
The core of their family was the couple, and work, school, and friends were secondary.
I felt ashamed of myself for being unfaithful and engaging in prostitution without hesitation.
