List of converts to Islam
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Contents
- 1 Converts to Mainstream Islam
- 1.1 Companions of the Prophet
- 1.2 Politics related
- 1.3 Sports related
- 1.4 Art related
- 1.5 Religious figures
- 1.6 Scholars
- 1.7 Philosophy related
- 1.8 Writers and journalists
- 1.9 Mystics
- 1.10 Society figures
- 1.11 Science related
- 1.12 Military related
- 1.13 Crime related
- 2 Unclassified
- 3 Converts to Nation of Islam
- 4 See also
Converts to Mainstream Islam
Companions of the Prophet
- Abbad ibn Bishr - known for his devotion to worship, knowledge and courage in battle
- Abd-Allah ibn Abbas - from paganism, cousin of Muhammad
- Abd-Allah ibn Jahsh - from paganism, cousin of Muhammad
- Abd-Allah ibn Mas'ud - from paganism, was the 6th man who converted to Islam after Muhammad started preaching in Mecca
- Abd-Allah ibn Umar - from paganism, son of the second Caliph Umar ibn Khattab
- Abd-al-Rahman ibn Awf - from paganism, one of the first eight persons to accept Islam
- Abdullah ibn Sailam - from Judaism, was a rabbi
- Abdullah ibn Hudhafah as-Sahmi
- Abu Ayyub al-Ansari - was one among the Ansar
- Abu Bakr - father of Aisha, first of the Four Caliphs and rightful successor to Muhammad (according to Sunni Muslims)
- Abu Dharr - from paganism, noted for his piety
- Abu Hurayrah - from Judaism, narrator of Hadith most quoted in the isnad
- Abu Musa al-Asha'ari - governor of Basra and Kufa
- Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith - son of Harith ibn Abd al-Muttalib
- Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah - member of the Quraysh clan al-Harith ibn Fihr
- Adiyy ibn Hatim - from paganism, was an Arab king
- Aisha - from pre-Islamic Arab paganism, scholar, the youngest wife of Muhammad, see Wives of Muhammad
- Al-Baraa ibn Malik al-Ansari - from paganism, personal aide of the Prophet
- Ali ibn Abi Talib - first Imam, last of the Four Caliphs and rightful successor to Muhammad (according to Shi'a Muslims)
- An-Numan ibn Muqarrin - was the leader of the tribe of Banu Muzaynah
- At-Tufayl ibn Amr ad-Dawsi - was chief of the Daws tribe from Tihama
- Bilal ibn Ribah - freed from slavery by Abu Bakr
- Habib ibn Zayd al-Ansari - martyr of Islam
- Hakim ibn Hazm - from paganism, was principal narrator of hadith
- Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib - from paganism, uncle of Muhammad
- Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman - one of the earliest converts to Islam
- Jafar ibn Abi Talib - known as "the possessor of two wings"
- Julaybib - from paganism, was a martyr
- Khabbab ibn al-Aratt - from the Banu Tamim clan in Najd
- Khadijah bint Khuwaylid - from pre-Islamic Arab paganism, businesswoman, the first wife of Muhammad, the first female convert to Islam, see Wives of Muhammad
- Muadh ibn Jabal - noted for his intelligence, quick wit, potency in speech
- Muhammad Ibn Maslamah - was among the first in Yathrib to become a Muslim
- Musab ibn Umayr - from paganism
- Nuaym ibn Masud - from paganism
- Rabiah ibn Kab - from paganism
- Rumaysa bint Milhan - from paganism, one of the earliest women converts to Islam
- Sa'd ibn Abi-Waqqas - from the Banū Zuhrah clan
- Sa'd ibn Muadh - from Paganism
- Salman the Persian - from Zoroastrism
- Umar ibn al-Khattab - second of the Four Caliphs
- Uthman ibn Affan - third of the Four Caliphs
Politics related
- Michel Aflaq - from the Greek Orthodox Church, the ideological founder of Baathism
- Yousef Al-Khattab (Yosef Cohen) - from Orthodox Judaism, converted to Islam with his wife and 4 children, his political goal is to implement Islamic Sharia worldwide [link]
- Haji Idi Amin - from Catholicism, former dictator of Uganda
- Khaled Edward Blair - English barrister, works for an investment bank, married to Princess Badiya of Jordan
- Jean-Bédel Bokassa - from Catholicism (later reconverted), Central African Emperor
- Omar Bongo - President of Gabon
- Torquato Cardilli - Italian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia
- Thomas Haidon - from Catholicism, lawyer, government advisor of New Zealand [link]
- Ibrahim Hooper (Douglas Hooper) - Islamic activist
- Iyasu V - former Emperor of Ethiopia
- Mathieu Kérékou - from Christianity (later reconverted), President of Benin
- Johann von Leers - Adviser to Muhammad Naguib.
- Karl Nickner - Executive Director of CAIR-CAN [link]
- David Musa Pidcock - from Catholic Christianity, leader of the Islamic Party of Britain
- Apisai Tora - Fijian politician
- Sabrina Varroni - of Italy, fined € 80 for wearing a burqa in Drezzo, Italy sparking a controversy in Italian politics [link]
- Malcolm X / Malik Shabazz (Malcolm Little) - from Christianity to NOI to mainstream Islam, African-American civil rights leader
Sports related
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lew Alcindor) - retired basketball player, NBA's all-time leading scorer
- Karim Abdul-Jabbar (Sharmon Shah) - former football player
- Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (Chris Jackson) - retired basketball player
- Tariq Abdul-Wahad - basketball player
- Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay) - from Christianity to NOI to mainstream Islam, American retired boxer
- Nicolas Anelka - French football player
- Chris Eubank - boxer
- Mustafa Hamsho - boxer
- Bernard Hopkins - boxer
- Mohammed Jaafar - Australian professional wrestler
- Bruno Metsu - French coach of the Senegal team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup
- Muhsin Muhammad - football player
- Matthew Saad Muhammad - from Catholic Christianity, former boxer
- Dwight Muhammad Qawi - boxer
- Franck Ribery - French football player
- Ahmed Santos - American publicist, former boxer
- Philippe Troussier - former French football player, trainer of a Japanese football team
- Mike Tyson - former heavyweight boxing champion of the world
- Rasheed Wallace - basketball player
- George Weah - from Christianity (later reconverted), professional football player
- Danny Williams - British boxer
- Mohammad Yousuf - (formerly Yousuf Youhana) from Christianity, Pakistani cricket player
- Hussein Jaafar - football player
Art related
- Dawud Wharnsby Ali - singer [link]
- Maurice Béjart - French choreographer
- Art Blakey - jazz drummer
- Prince Buster - reggae musician
- Dave Chappelle - from Unitarianism (Christian roots), American Comedian
- John Coltrane - from Christianity (also adhered to other religions)
- Mos Def - rapper
- Everlast - from Catholicism
- Flesh-N-Bone - from the rap group, Bone Thugs N Harmony
- Abdullah Ibrahim - South African musician
- Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) - from Greek Orthodox and Catholic Christianity
- Jermaine Jackson - from Jehovah's Witnesses, former member of the Jackson Five
- Ahmad Jamal - jazz pianist
- Yusef Lateef - jazz musician
- Idris Muhammad
- Peter Murphy - from Catholicism, lead singer of the post-punk band, Bauhaus
- Napoleon - from a Christian / Muslim household
- Q-Tip - rapper, founder and leader of the former band A Tribe Called Quest
- A. R. Rahman - Indian music composer
- MC Ren - rapper
- Peter Sanders - photographer
- Omar Sharif - actor - from Maronite Catholicism
- Joe Tex - rapper
- Richard Thompson - songwriter
Religious figures
- Umar Faruq Abd-Allah - from Protestant Christianity, Islamic scholar
- Yusuf Estes - former Christian pastor, prison chaplain
- Abdul-Ahad Omar (Gary Miller) - former Christian priest and missionary
- Shabbetai Tzvi - former Jewish religious leader
Scholars
- Hamid Algar - a tenured British professor at the University of Berkeley, has particular expertise in the Ja'fari school of thought and Iranian civilization
- Aminah Assilmi - from Southern Baptist Christianity, scholar, director of the International Union of Muslim Women
- Dr. Sherman A. Jackson - Islamic Scholar and Academic, University of Michigan Near East Studies and Law School
- Nuh Ha Mim Keller - from Catholic Christianity to agnosticism to Sufism, Islamic scholar
- Martin Lings - from Protestantism to Sufism
- Ingrid Mattson - Canadian scholar
- Jeremiah McAuliffe - from Catholicism, American convert to Islam who holds a doctorate in formative spirituality from Duquesne University [link]
- Akbar Muhammad - scholar of history and African studies
- Muhammad Pickthall (Marmaduke Pickthall) - from Christianity, a translator of the Qur'an
- Zaid Shakir - Islamic scholar
- Haschem Wilde - British Muslim professor
- Timothy J. Winter - Islamic scholar, Lecturer in Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge
- Sheikh 'Abd al-Wahid Yahya (René Guénon) - from Catholic Christianity to Sufism, philosopher
- Khalid Yasin - former American Christian, the Executive Director of the Islamic Teaching Institute (ITI)
- Hamza Yusuf - Islamic scholar
Philosophy related
- Titus Burckhardt - philosopher, historian, mystic
- Roger Garaudy - French philosopher, writer
Writers and journalists
- Ali Bey al-Abbasi - writer, explorer (disputed)
- Muhammed al-Ahari - from Christianity, American essayist
- Muhammad Asad - from Judaism, writer
- Amir Butler - Salafi Australian author
- Ian Dallas - writer
- Isabelle Eberhardt - from Lutheran Christianity, 19th century explorer and writer
- Knud Holmboe - 19th century Danish journalist, explorer
- Maryam Jameelah - from Reform Judaism, essayist, poet, journalist and author
- Ali Ibrahim Kalyanaraman - from Hinduism and Zoroastrianism, poet, author, scholar
- Ruqayyah Waris Maqsood - from Protestant Christianity, British author
- Margaret Marcus - from Reform Judaism
- Daniel Moore - from Christianity, poet
- Lev Nussimbaum - from Judaism, writer
- Harry St. John Philby - from Anglicanism, Arabist, explorer, writer, British colonial office intelligence operative
- William Abdullah Quilliam - from Christianity, poet, solicitor, ambassador, journalist
- Bilal Racheha - Australian social commentator
- Yvonne Ridley - from Anglicanism, journalist
- Stephen Schwartz - Sufi journalist
- Kamala Suraiya - Indian writer
- Pamela Taylor - writer and board member of the Progressive Muslim Union [link] [link]
- Brandon Toropov - from Christianity
- Alexander Russell Webb - from Presbyterian Christianity, 19th Century U.S. journalist
- Michael Wolfe - writer, documentarist
- Michael Young - of Britain [link]
Mystics
- Samuel L. Lewis - aka Ahmed Murad Chisti or Sufi Sam
- Daniel Moore - Sufi poet
Society figures
- Jemima Goldsmith - from Judaism, British socialite, ex-wife of Imran Khan
- Heather Laird-Jackson - from Christianity, American Muslim activist, wife of Dr. Sherman A. Jackson
- Ayesha Sultana (Sharmila Tagore) - from Hinduism, Bollywood actress, converted to marry her husband
Science related
- Jeffrey Lang - mathematician, has a Saudi Arabian wife
- Susanne Osthoff - German archaelogist, hostage in Iraq
Military related
Ranking officers
- * Mehemet Ali - German general
- * Józef Bem - Polish-Hungarian general
- * Claude Alexandre de Bonneval - French general
- * Murad Wilfred Hofmann - from Catholic Christianity, NATO official
- * Jacques-Francois Menou - French general, governor of Egypt
- * Emin Pasha - German general
- * Omer Pasha - From Serbian Orthodoxy, Bosnian general
- * Suleiman Pasha - French general
- * Rudolf Carl von Slatin - Austrian general
- * James Yee - American captain
Militants
- * Ryan G. Anderson - former Lutheran, convicted of charges of espionage for Al Qaeda [link] [link]
- * Aukai Collins - Hawaiian American, fought in Chechnya, paid FBI informant, author of an autobiographical book [link]
- * Bob Denard - French mercenary
- * David Hicks - presumably from Christianity, held by the U.S. as an illegal enemy combatant
- * John Walker Lindh - from Catholic Christianity, the "American Taliban"
- * José Padilla - detained by the U.S. as an illegal enemy combatant
- * The Portland Seven - Jeffrey Leon Battle, Patrice Lumumba Ford and October Lewis
- * Hiram Torres and Thomas Fischer - converts who died while participating in armed jihad, American Torres died in Afghanistan [link] and German Fischer died in Chechnya [link]
Crime related
Terrorism-related
Other crimes
- The following converts are associated with notable criminal cases.
- * Yasin Abu Bakr - of Trinidad and Tobago, under trial for an attempted coup as of March 9, 2006 [link]
- * Mumia Abu-Jamal - journalist, political activist, convicted of murder, his case is being reinvestigated
- * Hasan Akbar - U.S. soldier, convicted of killing two U.S. officers during duty in Kuwait [link]
- * David Belfield - American convert, assassinated Ali Akbar Tabatabai, an Iranian dissident and subsequently fled to Iran, [link] charged with murder [link]
- * Jill Courtney - Australian, girlfriend of convicted killer and drug trafficker Hassan Kalache, arrested on March 26, 2006 for attempted murder of unnamed people [link] [link] [link] [link]
- * Michael Julius Ford, shot by a SWAT team during a shootout in a Safeway warehouse in Denver, Colorado [link]
- * David Myatt - from Paganism, Neo-Nazi-activist [link]
- * Pierre Robert - French convert, sentenced to life imprisonment by Moroccan authorities for establishing an Islamist network in northern Morocco [link] [link]
Unclassified
- * Yusman Roy - imprisoned in Indonesia for conducting Islamic ceremonies in a language other than Arabic
Converts to Nation of Islam
Note that the Nation of Islam is seen as a cult by mainstream Islam.
- Ice Cube - confirms being a Muslim but disputes being involved with the NOI, his position is not wholly clear
- John Allen Muhammad - of the U.S., labelled the 'Washington Sniper'
- Benjamin Chavis Muhammad
See also
- Religious conversion
- List of people by belief
- List of Muslims
- List of Western Muslims
- List of American Muslims
- List of Islamic and Muslim related topics
- List of Islamic terms in Arabic
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