Despite the difficulties of reaching the world of Islam with the gospel, individual Muslims do put their faith in Christ. Literature on the subject of Muslim conversions identifies a range of conversion factors. However, little detail is available on Palestinian converts. The author consequently conducted a qualitative study of eleven male and eleven female Palestinians in January 2003 to identify their key conversion factors and test whether these apply to other Muslim converts.; The dissertation's first chapter considers the biblical nature of conversion. It maybe seen as the process of transformation which occurs as an individual turns to Christ in humble surrender, encountering him by the power of God. The second chapter studies conversion themes from the literature, which indicate a variety of transforming encounters with Christ. Using these themes, the author proceeded to investigate the phenomenon of conversion to Christ among Palestinian Muslims.; The third chapter demonstrates the need for a study of Palestinian Muslim conversions in the absence of specific conversion research completed to date. It also relates political, social and religious background issues to Palestinian conversions and sets out the author's research procedures in preparing, arranging and conducting the interviews. Summaries of respondents' conversion stories as they emerged from open-ended questions and a follow-up comprehensive questionnaire are given in the fourth chapter. The conversion accounts are analyzed in terms of conversion's nature, and most appear sound.; The fifth chapter examines conversion patterns displayed by the group as a whole. The individuals were influenced by a number of different conversion factors, but the overall picture for the group has the person of Jesus at the center. The converts were drawn to him through various means. These are God's miraculous involvement, the truth of his message, believers' roles, Bible reading, and less prominent factors. Nevertheless, Jesus is always central. In contrast, very few were converted because they rejected Islam. These patterns are supported by findings drawn from the literature, assessments of missionaries who worked with Palestinians, and results from a control group of ten male converts in Bangladesh. The Palestinians' key conversion factors thus seem broadly valid.
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