Five celebrities who converted to Islam

Irish singer Sinead O’Connor is back in the headlines after announcing her conversion to Islam.

The Nothing Compares 2 U chart-topper has changed her name to Shuhada Davitt, the BBC reports. O’Connor revealed the news via Twitter.

Fellow followers of Islam have been congratulating the musician via social media.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

But she is far from the first celebrity to become a Muslim. Here are five other famous converts:

Lindsay Lohan

Lohan sparked controversy in 2015 when she was photographed in New York holding a copy of the Koran.

Following widespread speculation that she had converted, the American actress told a Turkish TV interviewer: “My very close friends, who have been there for me a lot, in London are Saudi and they gave me the Koran and I brought it to New York because I was learning.”

Lohan has yet to confirm whether she is now a Muslim, but earlier this year she wiped her Instagram account clean and changed her bio to read simply “alaikum salam”, a common Arabic greeting that means “peace be upon you”.

Mike Tyson

The former heavyweight boxing world champion credits the Islamic faith with saving his life.

Tyson has waged a long battle against drug and alcohol addiction, and served three years in jail after being convicted in 1992 of rape.

He converted during his imprisonment, and says he has never been happier.

“I’m very grateful to be a Muslim. Allah doesn’t need me, I need Allah,” the Brooklyn-born boxer told Fox News in 2013.

Snoop Dogg

The American rapper announcing his conversion at the Nation of Islam’s Saviours’ Day Convention in Chicago in 2009.

“I live how I’m supposed to live as far as doing what’s right and representing what’s right. That’s why I was here today,” the rapper told fellow Muslims at the event, according to The Guardian.

Janet Jackson

The performer and sister of the late Michael Jackson is believed to have converted after marrying Qatari Muslim businessman Wissam Al Mana in 2012.

Jackson was spotted on various occasions wearing full Islamic dress, including a headscarf. She also ended a number of her concerts by telling fans, “Inshallah", which means “If Allah wills it”.

Since splitting from Al Mana last year, she has spoken of her strong belief in God but it is not clear whether she continues to follow Islam.

Lauren Booth

The British journalist wrote about the public response she faced in response to news of her conversion.

“This week’s screams of faux horror from fellow columnists on hearing of my conversion to Islam prove that this remains the stereotypical view regarding half a billion women currently practising Islam,” said Booth, who is Cherie Blair’s half-sister, in an article for The Guardian in 2010.