According to rahyafte (the missionaries and converts website): recent headlines in French media highlighted that Michel Vaujour, a former notorious gangster, has embraced the religion of Islam. After leading a criminal gang for 27 years and successfully escaping police custody five times through various tricks, he finally announced in the newspaper Libération that he has repented his past and converted to Islam, finding a new path in life.
See the Persian text here
This seasoned French criminal, reflecting on the twists and turns of his life, stated that it was God’s will that led him onto this path. He says, “I always had a inclination towards religion within me, and this inclination eventually drew me towards true spirituality.”
He further elaborates, “When I was young, I had a strong desire to become a priest because I was influenced by the spiritual personality of my father, a clergyman. Whenever my father held my hand, I felt his spirituality transferring to me, and I found tranquility. These experiences eventually led me to seek genuine spiritual enlightenment and develop an affinity for Islam and its spirituality.”
After spending 27 years leading a criminal gang in France, Michel Vaujour has now found Islam, transforming his criminal life. He has even compiled his life story into a book. He asserts, “Love for God saved me from drowning and falling.” Despite being 67 years old and repeatedly evading capture, he now speaks, “You might be surprised and think I’m crazy for turning myself in, but I no longer care about losing things, and I have the least interest in these things. Because I no longer have any attachment to this lifestyle.”
Following this personal transformation, the famous gangster’s story has been announced by all French television networks. Michel recalls, “When I was young, due to stealing car wheels, breaking bank windows, and robbing them, I was either in court or in prison. I remember one night I was wandering near a large hotel and noticed a car with its lights on and no one inside. Such carelessness often happens in Paris, and I decided to approach it and quickly drove away. The car door was open. I grabbed it quickly and fled.”
In his memoir, Vaujour mentions that he was around 25 years old when he committed these minor crimes. Over time, his criminal activities escalated and grew more serious. Now, as he has grown older, many of those actions weigh heavily on his conscience. He reveals, “I reached a peak in my criminal life, but with God’s will and assistance, I finally repented and put an end to it. I didn’t have much stability in life for a long time.
Whenever I went to prison, I tried every possible way to escape. For instance, I hid wax or soap under my clothes to copy keys, or I threatened the prison warden to help me escape. Even once, while robbing a bank, I was shot in the head, and they thought I was dead.
But using breathing techniques I knew and with cleverness, I managed to escape. In the end, all those years in prison helped me to grow, as sometimes I delved into deep thought within my cell. In reality, this transformation within me was not sudden. Over these years, due to my previous background, God helped me find the right and true path and change myself.”
