Peter Gould: A Question on the Way to School
Peter Gould knew early that he wanted a life involving design, computers and art. Religion scarcely interested him. Then, in his last year of school, a Muslim student he knew from the bus journey unsettled that indifference. Here was someone intelligent who believed in God. How did those things fit together? Asking about her faith opened a subject he had never seriously examined.
The conversation grew into reading, lectures and research of his own. The Quran and Islam's principles encouraged him to keep looking. In an interview published in 2007, he recalled concealing his interest from his family for many months, keeping his Quran among guitar magazines. His understanding was developing before he felt ready to explain the change at home.
He also tried fasting and prayer. During Ramadan in 2002, years after his first questions, he declared his faith. Looking back, he described tranquillity as part of what drew him to Islam and recalled a powerful experience of prayer that evening. An extended search had become a decision; his account does not reduce the whole journey to a single encounter.
His parents were initially shocked. Yet he later described regular visits, telephone conversations and a good relationship with them. They needed time to understand what the choice meant for their son and for their place in his life. Accepting his decision did not mean adopting his beliefs. Affection and unresolved questions existed together within the family.
Faith also began to shape his working choices. He had established a website business with an old school friend, but some proposed projects conflicted with his convictions. He cited an online wine-selling website as one reason for leaving that partnership. Starting another business meant considering what a project served, as well as how to design it.
Gould continued working in design and digital projects and encouraged Muslim creatives and entrepreneurs to use their abilities. His childhood interests remained, now accompanied by questions about their purpose. The search that began on a school journey reached into study, family and work. In his story, declaring faith was followed by the continuing task of learning how to live it.