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Home Page > Blogs > News blogs > Periscope > Liam Neeson has the full right to embrace Islam if he wants -- His wife's death has led to a search for life's meaning

Periscope by Niall O'Dowd

Liam Neeson has the full right to embrace Islam if he wants -- His wife's death has led to a search for life's meaning

Posted on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 10:07 PM

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Liam Neeson's public embrace of Islam has certainly landed him in the middle of a steaming controversy.

The Irish Hollywood star told the London Sun that he was considering adopting the religion because of his experiences in Istanbul while filming where he found the calls to prayer and beauty of its historic mosques very moving.

I know Liam Neeson somewhat as we serve on the American Irish Historical Society board together and we often meet in Irish circles in New York.

He is as normal as a Hollywood superstar could be, courteous and genuine to a fault.

But there is no question that life dealt him a savage blow in March 2009 when his wife Natasha died tragically after a minor ski accident in Canada.

I had last seen them together at the American Ireland Fund dinner in New York where they were such a striking handsome couple and clearly in love.
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The death left him devastated. I remember meeting him long after it had occurred and he still seemed deeply shocked by what had happened.

It is understandable that after such an awful occurrence, which left him a widower with two young kids, Liam Neeson would question life's certainties and the received wisdoms we all take for granted.

His interview with the Sun was also notable for his statement that he was constantly searching for proof of God's existence and seeking out the latest books on religion.

It is clear from his hectic work schedule that he threw himself into his work after his wife's tragic passing. Hardly a month goes by that we don't see him in some movie or other.

But at a deeper level clearly he is searching too which is what he was saying in the Sun interview.

If Islam and its tenets gives him some insight and comfort well then why not embrace it?

The religion gets a bad rap in the west -- there are tens of millions who practice a moderate form of it that is no more militant than Catholicism.

Lest we forget the mote in our own eye let's not forget the crusades where Muslims in massive numbers were put to the sword by invading Catholic armies.

Liam Neeson is still on a quest no doubt, so we should not be surprised when he reaches some different conclusions along the way.

Unless we have walked in his shoes and suffered the unbearable loss he did we are in no position to pass judgement on his choices.

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ciaradexy | Jan 31, 2012, 07:19 PM EST

Jets, and a whole lot of Irish people! This anti church group is only getting bigger!

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eiriamach | Jan 31, 2012, 04:26 PM EST

Ugly comment, jetsnoone.

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jetsnoone | Jan 31, 2012, 11:16 AM EST

Seamus60....... Look who hates the Church: abortionists, homos and heretics (protestants and moslems) Which of those are you?

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ciaradexy | Jan 30, 2012, 04:53 PM EST

It hasnt landed him in controversy in Ireland just in the US!

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stephan1947 | Jan 30, 2012, 02:37 PM EST

Shalom & Boker tov...Mr Neeson is a brilliant artist...and his wife (zikhronah livrakha) his twin-flame...but he is not stupid either. 'Death' is non-existent; we are Spirit beings in incarnate bodies. She is with him. And yet. Yeshua benMiriam was the fabrication of a Graeco-Roman-Egyptian revelatory death cult -- centuries of exterminations leading to the gates of Auschwitz. There was no discipleship, no parthenogenesis, no empty tomb, no 'passion', no 'resurrection'. For Mr Neeson to embrace another death cult (where women and children have NO rights except to breed) -- to me, this is incomprehensible. I can listen to the beauty of Gregorian chants, Tibetan bells, klezmer, Chassidic melodies -- and hear the voices of G-d/dess. Mr Neeson, do not betray yourself, or your wife, by embracing the murderous screeds of 'Islam', the Arab recapitulation of nazism. STEPHAN PICKERING / Chofetz Chayim benAvraham

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PiperMac52 | Jan 30, 2012, 01:56 AM EST

I spent 10 minutes typing a reply to Eieriamch clicked on to "comment" and it disappeared....guess someone at editing didn't like what I had to say. Nothing offensive, just truth.

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ceceann | Jan 29, 2012, 08:47 PM EST

Why are you turning his "full right to embrace Islam if he wants" into more anti-catholic church bashing. If you can remember back to the crusades, you should remember back to the late 1970's when his mother-in-law was in the middle of a steaming controversy over her support of the PLO. Obviously, this family is not out of tune with either controversy or muslims.

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allan07 | Jan 29, 2012, 04:47 PM EST

Eieriamach - wise words indeed. Whats the difference between Gary Glitter and a Roman Catholic priest who has committed paedophile acts. Gary Glitter has never to my knowledge used religion to cover up the illegal acts which he committed. Mr Glitter has not forgiven someone else for committing their sins. How can a Roman Catholic priest forgive you for your sins and then commit illegal acts such as paedophile. To pretend like some catholics do that somehow a special case is given to priests is wrong. What makes the whole situation worse in Londonderry the Roman Catholic Church took 10% of the sunday takings and used it to bribe the families of the victims. Firstly committing illegal acts and then bribing the families for their silence. Hush money. Morally bankrupt. What even makes it worse Pope John Paul 11 knew about it and did nothing and now hes being made a saint. You couldnt make it up. The Roman Catholic Church is corrupt and it has been supported by the Government of the Irish Republic. Thick as thiefs the lot.

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eiriamach | Jan 29, 2012, 04:16 PM EST

PiperMac52, the John Jay Study defined puberty at age 10 or 11, didn't it? A priest who rapes a 12-year-old boy is a PEDOPHILE and a criminal. Face the truth! All of the victims were children or minors, in need of protection by the law: "22% were younger than age 10, 51% were between the ages of 11 and 14, and 27% were between the ages to 15 to 17 years." You cannot rewrite that history, and the world is not likely to forget it. It grows tiresome reading patent misrepresentations like yours of the Catholic Church's sexual predation history. Perhaps you will begin to regain other people's respect when you learn to tell the truth straight out. And the "sin that cries out to heaven" is Catholics' persecutions of gays and women, Catholic discrimination against them, Catholic pressure on governments to deprive these groups of their human rights, and Catholic coverups of sexual exploitations of children. The sin that cries out to heaven is not homosexuality. You cannot scapegoat homosexuals for the sins of that adult priests and nuns committed against children. Nobody is buying that spin. Nowhere does scripture mention abortion, nor will you find the word "homosexual" or "homosexuality" in the 400-year-old KJV English translation of the bible. There's plenty of condemnation of adultery and other forms of sexual immorality, but Jesus said zero words about gays. Why do people flee Christianity? Because of the Pharisaical hypocrisy of Christians trying to excuse the sins of the paradigmatic Christians.

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PiperMac52 | Jan 29, 2012, 08:16 AM EST

The Catholic church has lasted for over 2000 years. It is growing exponentially in Asia and Africa. With all of it's faults it has brought civilization , prosperity and education to most of the free world. It has had to subsist throughout turbulent periods of history where Kings and dictators held sway(and yes influence)but it's precepts handed from Christ to the Apostles have not changed even though some within it's ranks have failed to follow them. That is the nature of fallen man. According to the Jay commission over 80% of the sex abuse cases involved post pubescent males(homosexuality). Michael S. Rose Book "Goodbye Good Men..."was an expose of the Homosexual subculture allowed to fester within since Vatican II and the liberal elements that embrace the culture, even many prelates. It has yielded it's fruit. If you accept sacred scripture as the inspired word Abortion is murder, The Homosexual lifestyle is both disordered and unnatural and a "sin that cries out to heaven". In the larger context(eternity) the Catholic church has not failed. Christ's promise....thow art Peter and upon this rock I will build my church and it shall prevail till the end of time and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 2000 years speaks for itself. Men will always fail, Christ and his church will not.

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allan07 | Jan 29, 2012, 05:19 AM EST

Every person has the right to follow whatever faith they want to or even none if that is what they want. Freedom its called. What makes by blood boil is those of Catholic faith whom try to force feed you Catholicism. Take the popes messages last Christmas when he pointed the finger at groups (Not named) for not listening or not allowing others to speak. He blamed certain groups (Not named) for not allowing people to express themselves. Was he talking about the victims in the sex scandals in the Roman Catholic Church which were ignored and simply ignored. Ther victims were made to sign documents (Gagging orders) not to talk or speak about their ordeals. No he was not. Religion has been used to cover up wrong doing within the Roman Catholic Church for centuries. I dont blame Liam Neeson for choosing another religion. The Catholic Church has failed. Wrong on divorce, abortion, leadership, wrongdoing, never accept blame, they never accept that children from mixed marriages as from both religions (they claim all the children as their own), etc. Of course if Mr Leeson decides to stay within a broken church thats his choice. Good luck whatever he decides. Lots of good people have fled the Roman Catholic Church with good reason.

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MichaelDohnan | Jan 29, 2012, 12:46 AM EST

It is a phony story. He simply had a wonderful experience in Istanbul, and who wouldn't? The best form of Islam is to be found there i.e., the Sufi school of the poet Rumi. The rhythm of life invested with prayer but a nation that is secular in its self-understanding ... both are very appealing. Perhaps what we should take away from this is an appreciation of the fact that Islam is no more monolithic than Christianity.

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seanomelbourne | Jan 28, 2012, 05:21 PM EST

Correct DrTrelawney! but He may embrace the islamic faith who cares.

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mamaginnty | Jan 28, 2012, 01:03 PM EST

Why don't most of you just come out and say it....call him a terrorist because he might turn to islam. Millions have joined it world wide, The Quran....fanatics. fanatics we have in all countries, the cults in America who make there followers commit suicide, the kkk who kill for colour, the Nazi's, the genocide of irish need I go on.

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DrTrelawney | Jan 28, 2012, 12:54 PM EST

This is not a story. He made an off-the-cuff remark about appreciating the culture of Islam and it has been pulled out of context to suggest that he is seriously thinking of converting. There is -- insofar as I can judge -- no serious possibility of him actually going through with this. Unbelievable!

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