Top 10 / List of celebrities who converted to Islam
Top 10 / List of celebrities who converted to Islam
Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in the world, and this is also true in the United States. Since the September 11 terrorist attacks, Islam has experienced tremendous growth with more than 1,200 mosques being built. Between 1990 and 2000, approximately 12.5 million people converted to Islam compared to Christianity. In fact, the number of Muslims in the United States doubled after 9/11.
As ordinary people turned to Islam, famous celebrities also came forward and declared their faith in Allah.
Photo Source: Diyar21 News Top 10 / List of celebrities who converted to Islam
Here’s a list of celebrities you probably didn’t know were Muslim .
10- Janet Jackson
The former pop star made headlines when she converted to Islam to marry her Arab fiancee. Jackson is said to have left the music industry because of these demanding beliefs, as Islam does not look kindly on music, dance or the display of the female body.
Michael Jackson’s younger sister, Janet Jackson, is one of the best-selling artists in contemporary history. She converted to Islam.
The 49-year-old singer, who married 40-year-old Wissam Al Mana in 2012, reportedly takes religion so seriously that she even toned down her flamboyant costumes and dance moves for her comeback tour.
A source told The Sun newspaper: “He feels he has found a home with his new religion and has told family members who have completely respected his choice.
“He spent a lot of time studying religion and its followers.”
“For Janet, the days of sensual dance moves and sexual lyrics are long gone.”
The newspaper even writes that Janet ended her ‘Unbreakable’ world tour shows by saying ‘Insha’Allah’, which means ‘God willing’.
Meanwhile, the beloved couple has already started naming their baby.
A source said: “He had been praying for a child for a very long time. “He’s already in the process of thinking of baby names.”
Another source added that the pregnancy was “the best thing” that ever happened to the Love Will Never Do singer.
They said: “Janet is so excited. It’s going great. Janet is feeling really strong and so excited for the baby to come. She thinks this is one of the best things that ever happened to her.
A source told The Sun newspaper: “He feels he has found a home with his new religion and has told family members who have completely respected his choice.
9- Dave Chappelle
“I’m a Muslim, I don’t practice it the way a good Muslim should, but I believe in these principles,” Chappelle told Time Magazine. The comedian allegedly quit his controversial show due to his religious beliefs.
Comedian Dave Chappelle discovered Islam in a pizzeria 30 years ago.
The comedian, who guest-starred with David Letterman in Netflix’s latest series My Guest Needs No Introduction , sat down for an extensive interview. The show offered a rare insight into how her faith has driven her successful career.
“I wanted to have a meaningful, spiritual life, not just what my hands could hold,” he said. “I always felt like I had this idea that life had to have meaning.”
Chappelle recalled how his higher purpose became clear through visits to the local pizza shop as a 17-year-old boy in Washington, D.C. What caught his attention was the positive atmosphere of the Muslim staff.
“The pizza shop was across the street from my house and all the people working there were Muslim friends,” he said.
“I would go there and make jokes. I’m also a naturally curious guy and would ask [the owner] questions about his religion. The man was very passionate about this. It was very interesting. I liked your perspective. from him.”
DAVE CHAPELLE FOUND ISLAM IN A PIZZA STORE
8- Dr. Self
The host of “The Dr. Oz Show” is Dr. Mehmet Oz was born to Turkish parents. He adopted Sufism, a form of his father’s strict followers.
Republican U.S. Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, Mehmet Oz, attends a Republican Jewish Coalition event in Philadelphia on Wednesday, August 17, 2022.
Öz, whose parents immigrated from Turkey, defines himself as a “secular Muslim” and says that the spiritual aspect of Islam reflects on him more than its religious aspect.
It is also part of the Republican Party, a political minority among Muslims, and is supported by former President Donald Trump, who earned the enmity of some Muslims by enacting a ban on travelers to the United States from five Muslim-majority countries in 2017.
For a Republican Party more accustomed to electing white Christians, Oz’s religion is a strange bedfellow. Some Muslims say they have felt animosity from the party in the past, and Muslim candidates have faced attacks from GOP rivals.
In a brief interview, Oz said it was a good thing for the US leadership to show that they could elect Muslims, and it was a good thing for Muslims to see one of their own elected to the US Senate.
Oz said such success would reinforce the message that “if you work hard in America, we value you no matter what your legacy is.”
Oz won the GOP’s seven-way primary in May in a race so narrow it triggered a statewide recount and now faces Democrat John Fetterman, Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor, in the Nov. 8 election. The contest in the presidential battleground state could help determine partisan control of the Senate next year.
Oz has been following national GOP talking points on the campaign trail, such as trying to tie rising inflation and gun violence to President Joe Biden and his fellow Democrats.
Oz rarely discusses his religion, and Fetterman doesn’t bring it up; instead, it focuses on portraying Oz as a super-rich, untouchable carpetbagger from New Jersey.
If Muslims don’t know that Oz is one of them, “it’s actually because of him,” said Algassimu Bah, a Philadelphia native and immigrant from Sierra Leone. “He doesn’t talk about his faith. “We didn’t hear him.”
Imam Abdul Aziz Suraqah of the Muslim Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh said most members of the mosque probably know about Oz’s faith, but he doesn’t seem any more passionate about Oz than the other candidates.
Imam Abdullah Pocius, who runs a mosque in Philadelphia, said he doubted that many of the Muslims who voted knew that Oz identified himself as a Muslim.
“The average American Muslim knows nothing about him except that he is a television doctor,” Pocius said.
Öz was born in the United States to Turkish parents, married a Christian American, and raised her children as Christians.
In a 2013 interview for PBS’s “Faces of America” series, Oz talked about his faith, saying that while growing up, he became interested in Sufism, a mystical form of Islam that emphasizes a person’s direct connection with God.
Oz described it as “spiritual.”
7- Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is one of the most well-known boxers in history and one of the first American celebrities to openly declare Islam as a religion. There are still people who do not know that Ali practiced Sunni Islam.
ALI’S SPIRITUALITY
Muhammad Ali’s religion and spirituality defined his character and made an impact on the world.
Howard Bingham
ALI’S RELIGIOUS BACKGROUND
Muhammad Ali’s parents were raised with different religious beliefs; Cassius Clay Sr. Methodist, Odessa Clay was Baptist. Young Muhammad was raised as a Baptist, attending church with his mother and brother. Muhammad did not meet a representative from the Nation of Islam until 1959, when he traveled to Chicago for the Golden Gloves tournament. This encounter would shape the young boxer’s worldview forever.
RELIGIOUS NEARING (1940s-1950s)
In his youth, Muhammad Ali, along with his younger brother Rahaman (formerly Rudolph), were raised as Baptists by his mother. Odessa Clay took the two boys to church every Sunday. Cassius Clay, Sr., did not join them in church because he was a Methodist, but said Odessa should raise the children in her way because she was a good woman and a good Baptist.
While young Cassius Clay Jr. was in Chicago for the Golden Gloves Championship in 1959, he encountered a member of the Nation of Islam. It has been said that the true religion of black people is Islam. This intrigued him because he found himself questioning why everything in the church he attended seemed to represent white people. In the coming years, Muhammad Ali would attend numerous meetings with organizations affiliated with the Nation of Islam to learn more.
TRANSITION TO ISLAM (1960s)
In 1962, Muhammad Ali and his brother Rahaman were taken to a Nation of Islam meeting by Sam Saxon, another member of the religious group. Malcolm X spoke at this meeting, and Muhammad found his words inspiring and provocative. This would be the beginning of a mentorship and friendship that would lead to speculation in news outlets about Muhammad’s relationship with the Nation of Islam.
Two years later, Ali became the World Heavyweight Champion, announced that he was a devout Muslim and would use the name Cassius X.
On March 6, 1964, Elijah Muhammad gave Cassius X a new name: Muhammad Ali.
From May to June, Muhammad traveled to Africa to connect with his ancestral roots. He visited Egypt, Ghana and Nigeria and met many people who believed in the teachings of Islam. While in Accra, Ghana, Muhammad encountered Malcolm X and ended their friendship.
Before Muhammad announced his conversion, Malcolm X was simultaneously teaching him the ways of the NOI and making the difficult decision to leave the group. Malcolm was sharing the secrets of the many children he had fathered out of wedlock with the group’s leader, Elijah Muhammad, and was uncomfortable pursuing him further. Elijah knew this and suspended Malcolm from the NOI and forbade him from speaking publicly.
Shortly after his encounter with Muhammad Ali in Ghana, Malcolm left the NOI and founded his own organization under the teachings of Sunni Islam.
Malcolm X was assassinated on February 21, 1965, and rumors began that Muhammad Ali would be next.
Ali would also be known as a villain by the public for his fight against Floyd Patterson in November 1965.
Authentic Brands Group
OPPOSITION TO THE WAR (1960s)
In 1965, Muhammad Ali’s draft class was changed after the U.S. Army lowered its standards for aptitude test scores.
In February 1966, a month before Muhammad Ali was set to fight Ernie Terrell in Chicago, Illinois, Ali stated that he had no interest in going to Vietnam to fight and expressed his opposition to the war. The opposition angered the Illinois State Athletic Commission, which banned the fight from taking place in the state.
Muhammad applied for Conscientious Objector status in Louisville on March 9, 1966, but was denied.
In late 1966, Muhammad moved to Houston, Texas, and again applied for CO status upon the advice of attorney Hayden C. Covington. This was rejected once again in March 1967.
Muhammad officially rejected the Vietnam tryouts on April 28, 1967, and was immediately stripped of his titles and boxing licenses.
On June 4, 1967, Ali met with notable Black athletes such as Jim Brown, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (later Lew Alcindor), and Bill Russell in Cleveland, Ohio. The group decides to publicly support Ali’s rejection of the draft.
Muhammad was convicted of draft evasion on 20 June 1967 and sentenced to five years in prison. He was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine. Muhammad and his legal team immediately file an appeal and his bail is granted; Thus, he escapes prison sentence.
From 1967 to 1970, Muhammad toured the United States to speak at colleges and other institutions about race relations, Islam, and the Vietnam War.
Associated press
ADVOCACY AND ACTION (1970s)
Muhammad Ali returned to boxing in October 1970, at a time when the United States was changing its view on the Vietnam War.
More than four years after he rejected the Vietnam draft, Muhammad’s draft evasion conviction was overturned on June 28, 1971.
Muhammad visited Mecca for Hajj in January 1972.
In March 1974, Mohammed showed his support for Palestine by visiting a refugee camp in southern Lebanon and speaking on behalf of the Palestinians.
Ali’s famous “Rumble in the Jungle” match against George Foreman to regain the heavyweight title took place on October 30, 1974, and was held up as a celebration of Black greatness and pride.
On February 25, 1975, Elijah Muhammad died and his son, Warith Deen Mohammad, became head of the Nation of Islam religious group. Warith changes the group’s course to examine Sunni Islam, which Muhammad Ali also converted to.
“My real work started after I quit boxing.”
Muhammad Ali
Sam Upshaw/Courier-Journal
COMMITMENT TO PEACE (1980s-2010s)
Muhammad Ali made his second Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in 1988.
In 2001, nine days after the September 11 attacks, Muhammad visited New York and reminded Americans that the attacks were in the name of hatred, not faith, and stated that Muslims do not believe in violence.
“Islam is the religion of peace. Islam does not encourage terrorism or the killing of people.” – Muhammad Ali Muhammad was awarded for promoting Islam by the World Economic Forum Council of 100 Leaders in 2006.
Following terrorist attacks in the name of Islam in Paris and California in 2015, Muhammad made one of his last public statements condemning the radical agenda of Islamic Jihadists.
“We as Muslims must stand against those who use Islam to advance their own personal agendas. They have alienated many people from learning Islam. True Muslims know or should know that imposing Islam on anyone is against our religion.”
Muhammad Ali
6- Ellen Burstyn
Emmy award-winning actress Burstyn follows Sufi Islam. This explains why she doesn’t wear a burqa to protect her modesty.
Did you know that Ellen Burstyn is a converted Muslim? Ellen Burstyn, known for her roles in films such as “The Exorcist” and “Requiem for a Dream” and most recently for her portrayal of Claire Underwood’s mother in the critically acclaimed series, is one of the few actors to have won the Triple Acting Crown. “House of Cards.” Burstyn was raised Catholic, but converted to Islam in her mid-thirties. He was given the spiritual name under the tutelage of Sufism teacher Pir VILAYAT INAYAT KHAN
5- Ice Cube
The rapper-actor has openly expressed his religious beliefs, but claims to be a “light” Muslim and does not practice them strictly. In fact, he has no plans to stop using drugs or alcohol, despite Islam’s strict disapproval of it.
5 Things Ice Cube Said About Elijah Muhammad and the Teachings of Black Islam
Hip-hop artist Ice Cube, born O’Shea Jackson, rose to prominence in the gangster rap group NWA in the 1990s before turning to solo music and Hollywood films. After going out on his own, he converted to Islam and was widely thought to have joined the Nation of Islam, although he denied it.
Ice Cube describes himself as a “natural Muslim” as he does not go to a mosque or follow the rituals of Islam.
Cube, known for making political and anti-establishment statements, says he has cut ties with the Nation of Islam.
Here are five things Cube had to say about Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad and the teachings of Black Islam over the years.
5 Things Ice Cube Said About Elijah Muhammad and the Teachings of Black Islam. Ice Cube will perform at the Austin City Limits Music Festival held at Zilker Park in Austin, Texas on Saturday, October 14, 2017. (Photo: Amy Harris/Invision/AP)
Muslim by birth
“I was never in the Nation of Islam… I mean, I’m a natural Muslim because it’s just me and God. You know, going to the mosque, ritual and tradition are not for me. So I don’t do that,” he said in a February 2000 interview with The Guardian.
4- Mike Tyson
The famous retired boxer publicly stated that he had converted to Islam while he was being convicted of rape. After prison, Tyson openly acknowledged the influence of Islam in his life.
Born Christian Later Converted to Muslim, Mike Tyson Reveals Real Reason Why He Chose Islam While Serving His Prison Sentence
Mike Tyson, the once undisputed heavyweight champion , tells about his spiritual journey. An unexpected topic emerged on the PBD Podcast hosted by Patrick Bet-David . Boxing wasn’t about fame or controversy. Instead, it was about Tyson converting to Islam. A question from the audience opened a rarely seen door into Tyson’s heart.
His reaction, a mixture of humility and introspection, contrasts sharply with his past persona. Known for his brutality in the ring, Tyson now talks about worship and kindness. Tyson’s journey from self-worship to embracing a higher power challenges our perceptions of the man behind the gloves.
When Iron Mike turns into soft Mike Tyson…
While in prison, Tyson, who grew up in a Christian home, found himself in the middle of a life-changing transition. There, within the confines of a prison cell, he embraced Islam; this reshaped his identity and perspective on life.
3- T-Pain
Rapper-turned-singer and producerT-Pain, a devout Muslim. Despite Islam’s strict rules on marrying non-Muslims, the artist married a Christian woman, which is considered adultery in Islam and is punishable by death penalty.
Faheem Rashad Najm , known professionally as T-Pain , is a Muslim-American singer/rapper with over 6 million monthly listeners on Spotify. The artist grew up in a Muslim home but does not speak publicly about his faith, preferring to keep his private life private. The Nappy Boy Entertainment founder’s latest work includes his 2018 mixtape “Everything Must Go,” which features all of his unreleased music.
Photo courtesy of Billboard
2- Akon
Akon, a recording artist and producer, grew up practicing Islam in Senegal. As part of Muslim culture and religion, Akon admitted to having multiple wives and stated that one woman cannot satisfy any man.
AKON EXPLAINED THAT THE SECRET TO SUCCESS IS MUSLIM FAITH
“If the Lord does not smile on me, I am not successful.”
According to Akon, Akon is an unconventional superstar. No other Billboard Hot 100 topper has a name like Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam, St. He’s betting the chances of him being a St. Louis-born Senegalese aren’t high.
The early years of his career were spent in semi-obscurity, writing and producing records for other rappers. But it’s 2019 and Akon has become a household name. Even if you don’t regularly sing nostalgic 2000s songs into your hairbrush, you’re probably familiar with its humanitarian missions in Africa.
Leaving the dance floor aside, Akon took to the stage at the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival and watched his journey from “car thief to pop star and entrepreneur” with 2,000 people in attendance.
“Always perfect your craft,” he explained. But he added: “Sometimes things happen when you don’t want them to happen and God wants them to happen. And I think this is an aspect that entrepreneurs overlook; the spiritual side of your goal or the spiritual side of your success.”
“This makes you ask the question: What is success? Fame or fortune? Does this measure what success means to you? Or is it faith? asked. “For me, real success is faith. If God is not smiling on me, I cannot succeed. I don’t care if I have a billion dollars in the bank. What good am I if I already have a billion dollars sitting in the bank?”
Photo Source Graziamagazine
1- Shaquille O’Neal
Shaquille O’Neal, a retired professional basketball player who currently appears on the sports analysis show “Inside the NBA,” confirmed his Muslim faith and also vowed to make the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
When Shaquille O’Neal revealed the touching story behind his Muslim name: “Why did you name me Shaquille?
‘We’ve got Brians, Kennys, Mikes and Gregs in our family, why did you name me Shaquille?’ I said. and he said, ‘I wanted to give you a name that meant something.’ My name is Shaquille Raushaun O’Neal, Shaquille is an Islamic name, it means ‘little’, Raushaun means ‘warrior’. ‘You my little warrior, I fought with you, I fought for you,’ she said.
“He told me a story about how, as a two-year-old, I was much too big for a two-year-old. So, of course, children aged three and under ride the bus for free. So he would drag me up. bus and the guy said, ‘Hey, you have to pay extra,’ and my mom would say, ‘No, he’s only two,’ so one time I saw him get into a fistfight with a bus driver.”
Shaquille O’Neal’s faith and religious affiliation
While Shaquille O’Neal stated that he belonged to all religions, his relationship with Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan was the target of criticism. Shortly after being criticized for his racist remarks regarding Yao Ming, Shaq’s relationship with the controversial NOI leader brought him a lot of criticism.
Farrakhan reportedly attended O’Neal’s wedding, leading many to wonder why O’Neal would associate with someone who promotes division. After addressing his controversial comments towards Yao Ming, O’Neal talked about inviting Farrakhan to his wedding in Beverley Hills.
Shaquille O’Neal (Kansas Interteam Offensive)
Surprisingly, the NBA legend did not apologize for associating himself with this polarizing figure. In an interview with the LA Times, he said he wasn’t judging anyone, including Farrakhan. He also seemed to imply that he did not agree with everything the NOI Minister believed in.
“When you know yourself, who you are and what you are, you don’t worry about things. I won’t lose any sleep over this… I hope people don’t judge me based on what they think of my beliefs.
“There are trials and tribulations in the world we live in. We continue. It doesn’t matter what I believe right now. My views are my views.”
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