Celebrities who Converted to Islam

Stephen Baldwin’s conversion to fundamentalist Christianity and Madonna’s embracing of Kabbalah have made headlines and been steady fodder for gossip columnists and the news media. Katie Holmes’ conversion to Scientology was a hot topic among entertainment journalists for years. But some celebrities have made headlines by quietly converting to Islam.

In Chicago this year, at the Nation of Islam’s Saviour’s Day, news broke that rapper Snoop Dogg had abandoned his Baptist roots and joined the Nation of Islam. One of the world’s original "gangsta rappers" and a self-proclaimed guru of the hip-hop movement, Snoop Dogg said that he joined NOI (Nation of Islam) because of his desire to "do what’s right and represent what’s right." He hasn’t revealed the exact timeline of when he converted to Islam, but the Nation of Islam is a different organization than the mainstream Islam that many people are familiar with.

The NOI began as a separatist group that supported black empowerment and supremacy. The organization was disbanded in 1975 by Warith Deen Muhammad, its leader, who then led most of the NOI’s members into joining the more mainstream practices of Sunni Islam. In 1978, Louis Farrakhan, the controversial minister accused of anti-Semitism, reorganized and renewed the NOI. His supporters have decried criticism of Farrakhan, saying that he has greatly helped the black community. Snoop Dogg has commented that he was attracted to NOI because of the need to be an involved in a peace movement - even though that implication seems to be directly opposed to his violent past. Snoop has not revealed whether he intends to follow Farrakhan’s NOI vision or whether he will be following the teachings of W. D. Muhammad, the original founder.

Dave Chappelle, the comedian and actor who stars in his own program on Comedy Central, "The Dave Chappelle Show," took an unexpected hiatus from his wildly popular show in 2005. He disappeared from the public eye only to turn up in South Africa, where he stayed for a while with an old friend whose name is Salim. Chappelle is the son of Yvonne Seon, the first African-American woman to be ordained as a Unitarian Universalist minister. He is said to have converted to Islam in 1998, but he rarely discusses his religion in public.

He did tell Time Magazine in 2005, however, that he took a hiatus from his show in order to reflect on the principles of his Muslim beliefs, to "check his intentions" and focus on being "well balanced." Before Chappelle’s conversion, his brother Sedar had converted to the Nation of Islam, later reverting to mainstream Islam and bringing many members of his family into the fold. Chappelle has not discussed whether his conversion was due to his brother’s urgings or his long friendship with his Muslim friend Salim. But he has told people that Islam is beautiful if learned it in the right way, adding that doing so is a "lifelong effort."

Perhaps the most famous Muslim conversion happened in November 2008, when the media reported that one of the most famous celebrities in the world had converted to Islam. The King of Pop, Michael Jackson himself, was changing his name to Mikaeel. Jackson had been a Jehovah’s Witness for his entire life, but he reportedly took the Islamic oath of faith, the shahada, at the home of a friend in Los Angeles. He had received encouragement from producer Phillip Bulbal and his Canadian Muslim friend Dawud Wharnsby. His brother Jermaine had converted to Islam two decades earlier, and he may also have played a role in helping his brother embrace Islam.

In an interview with the British newspaper The Sun, Wharnsby and Bulbal said they had spoken with Jackson about their beliefs in Islam, and they discussed with him their beliefs that their conversions had made them better people. Because Jackson had gone from one of the most respected and honored musicians in the world to one of the most troubled and criticized, perhaps the allure of Islam came from a desire to reinvent himself. Public scrutiny of his plastic surgeries, failed marriages, serious financial problems, and charges of child molestation had plagued him for years. Conversion to Islam had proven to be beneficial for other musicians in the past, such as Cat Stevens, who changed his name to Yusuf Islam decades ago and recently returned to his musical roots to favorable reviews from a new audience of fans.

Perhaps Jackson held out hope that following Muslim culture and traditions would help him find the path to renewal as well. But tragically, his conversion didn’t come in time. Michael Jackson died suddenly on June 25, 2009. Announcing his brother’s death at a press conference, Jermaine Jackson said, "May Allah be with you, Michael, always."