List of converts to Islam
Lijst van Bekende bekeerde moslims
From Catholicism
From other or unspecified Christian denomination
- Salman the Persian A convert from Christianity who was previously Zoroastrian. In search for truth, he traveled to Syria to follow Christianity. Upon the death of his teachers, he was directed to head to Arabia, where he was told the final prophet will rise. He later converted to Islam and became one of Muhammad's first companions.
- Thomas J. Abercrombie - photographer
- Éric Abidal (changed his name to Bilal) - French soccer player , converted to Islam after marriage.
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lew Alcindor) - retired basketball player & the NBA's all-time leading scorer
- Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (Chris Jackson) - retired basketball player
- Tariq Abdul-Wahad (Olivier Saint-Jean) - originally from France, former basketball player for the Mavericks and Kings
- Abdul-Karim al-Jabbar (Sharmon Shah) - former NFL football player
- Ivan Aguéli (Johan Agelii) - famous Swedish painter.
- Dawud Wharnsby Ali (David Wharnsby) - Canadian singer/poet.
- Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay), to The Nation of Islam to Sunni Islam to Sufism, famous boxer
- Rowland Allanson-Winn, 5th Baron Headley - British soldier and peer.
- Nicolas Anelka - French football player
- Yasin Abu Bakr (Lennox Philip) - of Trinidad and Tobago, under trial for an attempted coup as of March 9, 2006
- Muhammad Abd-al-Rahman Barker (Philip Barker) - professor of Urdu, former chair of the University of Minnesota's Department of South Asian studies and creator of the Tékumel fantasy world.
- Kevin Barrett - university lecturer and member of Scholars for 9/11 Truth.
- David Belfield - American, fled to Iran after assassinating Ali Akbar Tabatabai, an Iranian dissident.
- Mohammed Knut Bernström - Swedish ambassador to Venezuela (1963-1969), Spain (1973-1976) and Morocco (1976-1983)
- Art Blakey - American Jazz musician
- Omar Bongo - Gabonese, President of Gabon.
- Claude Alexandre de Bonneval - French noble.
- Tawana Brawley (changed her name to Maryam Muhammad) - African American woman noted for claiming to have been raped by several white men, a claim determined to be a fabrication by a grand jury. Later in life she converted to Islam.
- Willie Brigitte - French convert to Islam who associated with al-Qaeda in Pakistan and was possibly involved in a plot to conduct a terrorist operation in Australia.
- Dolores "LaLa" Brooks - American musician.
- Count Cassius- Visigothic aristocrat who founded the Banu Qasi dynasty of Muladi rulers.
- David Chappelle - comedian and television star
- Benjamin Chavis - controversial former head of the NAACP; joined the Nation of Islam
- Hedley Churchward - English painter
- Jimmy Cliff - Jamaican reggae musician.
- Aukai Collins - fought in Chechnya, paid FBI informant, author of an autobiographical book
- Jerôme Courtailler - one of two French brothers convicted by French authorities in 2004 for abetting terrorists
- Ian Dallas - Shaykh Dr. Abdalqadir as-Sufi - sufi shaykh of Scottish origins.
- C. Jack Ellis - Mayor of Macon, Georgia
- Chris Eubank - British boxer
- Jacques-Francois Menou - French general under Napoleon I of France.
- Bruno Metsu - French coach of the Senegal team at the 2002 FIFA World Cup
- Daniel Moore - poet
- Preacher Moss - American comedian and comedy writer.
- Sheila Musaji - founder of The American Muslim magazine.
- Ibrahim Muteferrika (original name not known) - From Unitarian Christianity, an early example of a Muslim publisher and printer.
- John Nelson - first recorded Englishman to become a Muslim.
- Prince Buster, Jamaican singer and producer.
- Queen Noor of Jordan (formerly Lisa Najeeb Halaby)
- Omar Pasha - Ottoman general. Converted from Serbian Orthodoxy.
- Emin Pasha - physician, naturalist, and Egyptian governor.
- Judar Pasha - conqueror of the Songhai Empire.
- Bilal Philips - Islamic scholar and author
- Marmaduke Pickthall - famous translator of the Quran.
- William Abdullah Quilliam - 19th century British poet, ambassador and journalist.
- Ilie II Rareş - prince of Moldavia.
- Ahmad Rashād - Emmy award-winning sportscaster (mostly with NBC Sports) and former American football wide receiver.
- Richard Colvin Reid - shoe bomber (convicted terrorist)
- Franck Ribéry- a French soccer player. His name after he converted to Islam is Bilal.
- Busta Rhymes - Music artist, born to Rastafari parents
- Sana al-Sayegh, dean of the Science and Technology Faculty at Palestine International University, converted to Islam in August 2007. Fatah has accused its political rival Hamas of forcing the professor to convert from Christianity, a charge Hamas denies.
- Scarface - American rapper
- Mario Scialoja - Italian ambassador and President of the World Muslim League.
- Betty Shabazz - wife of Malcolm X; former Methodist.
- Zaid Shakir - African-American Muslim speaker and intellectual in the United States.
- Rudolf Carl von Slatin - Anglo-Austrian soldier and administrator in the Sudan.
- Suleiman Pasha - French-born Egyptian commander.
- Joe Tex - soul singer and recording artist.
- Joseph Thomas - Australian convert, acquitted of terrorism charges, placed under a control order under the Australian Anti-Terrorism Act 2005, currently pending retrial.
- Richard Thompson - British musician, best known for his guitar playing and songwriting.
- Ahmad Thomson - British barrister and writer and also a member of the Murabitun movement.
- Top Topham - rock guitarist from England.
- Gabriele Torsello - Italian freelance photojournalist based in London who was abducted in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
- Philippe Troussier - French, former football player & trainer of a Japanese football team
- Mihnea Turcitul - was a Prince (Voivode) of Walachia. Converted from Eastern Orthodox Christianity.
- Abu Usamah - controversial American-born Imam of Green Lane Masjid in Birmingham, UK. Accused of preaching messages of hate towards non-Muslims in a UK Television documentary.
- Jacques Vergès - French lawyer and famous anti-colonialism known for defending left- and right-wing international terrorists and dictators in court
- Siraj Wahaj - African-American Imam, noted for his efforts to eliminate Brooklyn's drug problems.
- Danny Williams - British boxer
- Malcolm X - American, from Christianity to Nation of Islam to mainstream Islam, African-American civil rights leader.
- Zağanos Pasha - one of the prominent military commanders of Mehmet II (Mehmet the Conqueror) and a lala, at once an advisor, mentor, tutor, councilors, protector, for the sultan.
- Mohammed Zakariya - an American master of Arabic calligraphy, best known for his work on the popular Eid U.S. postage stamp.
- Pete Doherty - an English musician, artist, published writer and poet. He is currently a singer and songwriter in the band Babyshambles, but best known musically for his work with The Libertines.
- Clement Lindley Wragge. A British born meteorologist who later moved to New Zealand
Other
From non-religious to Islam
- Zhang Chengzhi - contemporary Hui Chinese author; raised as an atheist.
- Charles le Gai Eaton - British diplomat and writer.
- Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens) - British musician and singer (had a nominally Christian upbringing, but never was a believer)
- Jeffrey Lang - American, Professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Kansas. (Raised Catholic, but atheist from age 18 to conversion)
- A. R. Rahman (Initially raised Hindu, but was atheist as a teenager until conversion to Islam) - famous Indian music composer
- Martin Lings - a widely acclaimed British scholar. He was raised as a Protestant, became an atheist, and later converted to Islam.
- Mos Def - American rapper and actor.
Undetermined former religion
- Abd al Malik - birth name Régis Fayette-Mikano - French rapper of Congolese origins.
- Mumia Abu-Jamal - journalist, Black Panther, political activist, convicted murderer.
- B.G. Knocc Out - American west coast rapper.
- Hasan Akbar (born Mark Fidel Kools) - American sentenced to death for the murder of two fellow soldiers during the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.
- Maurice Béjart - French choreographer.
- Robert "Kool" Bell - musician.
- Ronald Bell - musician.
- Mohammed Knut Bernström - Swedish ambassador.
- Khaled Edward Blair - British barrister, later married Princess Badiya bint El Hassan of Jordan.
- Bizzy Bone - American rapper.
- Charles Brooks, Jr. - converted while serving a sentence for murder; first person to be executed by lethal injection in the United States.
- H. Rap Brown - civil rights activisit.
- Titus Burckhardt - Swiss writer and scholar.
- Amir Butler- Author, Engineer and Islamic activist.
- Kérim Chatty- Swedish bodybuilding stuntman who was once suspected of attempted hijacking. The preliminary inquiry was dropped.
- Common - American rapper
- Jill Courtney - Australian, girlfriend of convicted killer and drug trafficker Hassan Kalache, arrested on March 26, 2006 for attempted murder of unnamed people.
- Robert D. Crane - former Presidential advisor and ambassador.
- Ice Cube - Gangsta rapper and actor.
- Bob Denard - French mercenary.
- Jeffrey Mark Deskovic - served 15-year wrongful imprisonment sentence.
- Isabelle Eberhardt - explorer and writer.
- Baron omar Rolf von Ehrenfels - Austrian anthropologist and orientalist.
- Everlast - Irish-American rapper and singer-songwriter.
- Alys Faiz - human rights and peace activist; converted at the time of her marriage to Urdu poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz.
- Philippe Fragione - French rapper and producer of French hip hop.
- Christian Ganczarski- Head of "al Qaeda in Europe".
- Philippe Grenier - (1865-1944) French doctor, first and only muslim MP in France.
- Gigi Gryce - American saxophonist, flutist, clarinetist, composer, arranger, and educator.
- Walt Hazzard - former NBA player.
- David Hicks - convicted Australian terrorist.
- Lim Yew Hock - Singapore’s second Chief Minister from 1956 to 1959.
- Craig Hodges - former NBA player.
- Ibrahim Hooper (Douglas Hooper) - Islamic activist, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
- Abdullah Ibrahim - South African Jazz musician.
- Umar Islam - one of the suspects arrested in the UK in connection to the 2006 transatlantic aircraft terrorist plot in the United Kingdom.
- Tiara Jacquelina - Malaysion actress.
- Ahmad Jamal - Jazz pianist.
- Jan Janszoon - Dutch pirate.
- Larry Johnson - retired American professional basketball player.
- Gustave-Henri Jossot - French caricaturist, illustrator and Orientalist painter.
- Vladimir Khodov - leader of the Beslan school hostage crisis- converted in prison.
- Abd al Haqq Kielan - Swedish cleric.
- Ghostface Killah - member of the Wu-Tang Clan.
- Begum Om Habibeh Aga Khan - born Yvette Blanche Labrousse, Miss France 1930, wife of Aga Khan III.
- Yusef Lateef - American Jazz musician.
- Johann von Leers - advisor to Muhammad Naguib known for his anti-Semitic polemics.
- Gary Legenhausen - American philosopher and writer.
- Brandon Mayfield - American attorney-at-law, was erroneously linked to the 2004 Madrid train bombings.
- MC Ren - American rapper and hip-hop producer.
- Ali Shaheed Muhammad - member of A Tribe Called Quest.
- Idris Muhammad - American jazz musician.
- John Allen Muhammad - convicted serial killer, known as the Beltway Sniper.
- Anthony Mundine - Australian Boxer.
- Abdul Alim Musa - Muslim activist and director of Masjid Al-Islam in Washington, D.C.
- Susanne Osthoff - German archaeologist who had worked in Iraq since 1991 and had been taken captive there for three weeks.
- José Padilla - the respondent in Rumsfeld v. Padilla currently on trial as an alleged al-Qaida operative, converted while in prison for aggravated assault.
- Robin Padilla - Filipino actor.
- Sokollu Mehmet Paşa - Grand Vizier of Suleiman the Magnificent.
- Christopher Paul (aka Paul Kenyatta Laws aka Abdulmalek Kenyatta) - American citizen, alleged member of al-Qaeda.
- Charles John Pelham (Abdul Mateen), 8th Earl of Yarborough.
- Q-Tip - North American hip-hop emcee, actor, and hip hop producer who was the leader of the critically acclaimed group A Tribe Called Quest.
- Dwight Muhammad Qawi - former boxing world heavyweight champion.
- Jack Roche - convicted of involvement in an al-Qaeda plot to blow up the Israeli embassy in Canberra.
- Ilich Ramírez Sánchez - aka "Carlos the Jackal", convicted murderer and terrorist, currently in prison in France.
- Ibrahim Savant - one of the suspects arrested in the UK in connection to the 2006 transatlantic aircraft terrorist plot in the United Kingdom.
- Frithjof Schuon - metaphysician, poet, painter, philosopher (in the original and Platonic sense of this term), and a leading figure of the perennialist school.
- Stephen Schwartz - American journalist, columnist, and author.
- Derrick Shareef- charged in a plot to set off four hand grenades in garbage cans December 22 at the CherryVale Mall in Rockford, Illinois during the Christmas rush.
- Sahib Shihab - jazz saxophonist and flautist.
- Divine Styler - American hip-hop musician.
- Nahshid Sulaiman - alternative hip hop artist.
- Apisai Tora - Fijian politician.
- Mike Tyson (Malik Abdul Aziz) - former heavyweight boxing champion of the world. Converted while in prison after being convicted of rape.
- Abdul Waheed (Don Stewart-Whyte) - accused of participating in the 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot.
- Jason Walters - of the Netherlands, member of the Hofstad Network, convicted on charges of terrorism.
- John Ward - (changed name to Yusuf Reis) British corsair and pirate.
- Rakan Ben Williams - suspected member of Al-Qaeda terrorist.
- Michael Wolfe - American poet, author, and the President and Executive Producer of Unity Productions Foundation.
- Michael X - civil rights activist in the United Kingdom and convicted murderer.
Politiek
- Khaled Edward Blair - Engelse advocaat
- Jean-Bé'del Bokassa - President van de Republiek van Centraal Afrika
- Omar Bongo - President van Gabon
- Keith Ellison - Eerste moslim die gekozen is in het Amerikaans Congres.
- Murad Wilfred Hofmann - Official van de NAVO
- Ibrahim Hooper - Activist
- Iyasu V- Voormalig heerser van Ethiopië
- El-Hajj Malik El-Shabbazz - Amerikaanse activist
- Apisai Tora - Fijiaaans politicus
- David Musa Pidock - Oprichter van de Islamic Party of Britain
- Muhammad Asad - Weense Jood, Pakistaans VN-ambassadeur
Sport
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lew Alcindor) - Voormalig NBA all-time scorer
- Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay), Voormalig boxer, Sportman van de eeuw.
- Abdul-Karim al-Jabbar (Sharmon Shah) - American Football speler (NFL)
- Nicolas Anelka - Franse voetballer
- Celestino Caballero - Huidig kampioen lichtgewicht bokser uit Panama.
- Bruno Metsu - Franse coach van Senegal tijdens het 2002 FIFA Wereldkampioenschap.
- Anthony Mundine - Australische bokser en rugbyspeler.
- Ahmad Rashad (Bobby Moore) - American Football speler (NFL)
- Frank Ribery - Franse voetballer
- Phillipe Troussier - Franse voetbalcoach
- Mike Tyson - Voormalig wereldkampioen boksen, Amerikaan
- Mohammad Yousuf - Pakistaanse cricketspeler
Filosofen
- Titus Burckhardt - Duits-Zwitserse filosoof
- Garaudy - Franse - schrijver en filosoof
Media, Kunst en Entertainment
- Nadira - Bollywood Actrice
- Sumita Devi - Actrice uit Bangladesh
- Thomas J. Abercrombie - Amerikaanse fotograaf
- Ivan Aguéli - Zweeds-Spaanse artiest
- Muhammed al-Ahari - Amerikaanse essayist
- - Lewis Arquette - Amerikaanse filmacteur
- Muhammad Asad - Joodse schrijver
- Maurice Béjart - Franse danser
- Robert "Kool" Bell - Amerikaanse muzikant
- Yahya Birt - Journalist en zoon van voormalig directeur van de BBC
- Art Blakey - Amerikaanse Jazz-muzikant
- Amier Butler - Australische schrijver
- David Chappelle - Amerikaanse Comediant en televisiester
- Isabelle Eberhardt - Zwitserse onderzoekster en schrijfster
- Everlast - Amerikaanse zanger
- Alys Faiz - Pakistaanse dichtster
- Diana Haddad - Libanese zangster
- - Knud Holmboe - Deense journalist en onderzoeker
- Abdullah Ibrahim (A. J. Brand) - Zuid-Afrikaanse pianist
- Jermaine Jackson (Muhammad Abdul Aziz) - Voormail zanger van The Jackson 5 en broertje van Michael and Janet Jackson
- Maryam Jameelah - Joodse essayist, dichtster, journaliste en schrijfster
- Ruqaiyyah Waris Maqsood - Britse schrijfster
- Daniel Moore - Amerikaanse dichter
- Preacher Moss - Amerikaanse comediant
- Mos Def - Amerikaanse rapper
- Lev Nussimbaum - Joodse schrijver
- Prince Buster - Jamaicaanse muzikant
- ( A.S. Dileep Kumar) - Indische filmmaker
- Yvonne Ridley- Britise journaliste, gegijzeld door Taliban
- Scareface - Amerikaanse rapper
- Omar Sharrif - Egyptische acteur
- Cat Stevens (nu Yusuf Islam) - Britse muzikant en zanger
- Kamala Suraiya - Indische schrijfster
Diplomaten
- Mohammed Knut Bernstrom - Zweedse ambassadeur van Venezuela (1963-1969), Spanje (1973-1976) en Morokko (1976-1983)
- Torquato Cardilli - Italiaanse ambassadeur van Saudi Arabia (2000-2003)
- Mario Scialoja - Italiaaanse ambassadeur van Saudi Arabia (1994-1995) en voormalig Italiaanse ambassadeur bij de VN
Gemeenschap
Wetenschap
- Rashid al-Din - Persische natuurgeleerde
- Jeffrey Lang - Amerikaanse professor aan de Faculteit van Matematische Wetenschappen, Unversity of Kansas
- Susanne Osthoff - Duitse archeologe en voormalig gijzelaarster in Irak.
- Tejatat Tejasen - Hoofd van de afdeling Anotomie, Universiteit van Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Militaire Officieren
- Mehemet Ali- Duitse generaal
- Józef Bem - Pools-Hongaarse generaal
- Claude Alexandre de Bonneval - Van Franse afkomst Oosterijkse generaal
- Jacques-Francois Menou - Franse generaal,
- Omer pasha - Van Servische afkomst, Bosnische generaal
- Poncke Princen - Nederlandse soldaat
Geheime dienst
- Alexander Litvinenko Luitenant-kolonel KGB (Russische geheime dienst)
Islamitische sprekers
- Lois Lamya al-Faruqi - Amerikaan, kunstexpert
- Aminah Assilmi - Amerikaanse, directrice van the International Union of Muslim Women.
- Muhammad Abd-al-Rahman Barker - Amerikaan
- Kevin Barrett - Amerikaan
- Yusuf Estes - Amerikaan
- Ingrid Mattson- Amerikaanse
- Abdul-Ahad, Omar Gary Miller - Amerikaan
- Bilal Philips- Amerikaan
- Muhammad Pickthall - Amerikaan, vertaler van de Koran in de Engelse taal.
- Zaid Shakir - Amerikaan
- Abu Usamah - Amerikaan
- Timothy J. Winter - Amerikaan