List of converts to Islam

The following is a list of notable people who converted to Islam from a different religion or no religion (who have individual Wikipedia articles). This article addresses only past professions of faith by the individuals listed, and is not intended to address ethnic, cultural, or other considerations. Such cases are noted in their list entries. The list is categorized alphabetically with their former religious affiliation, where known.

Based on alphabetical order: A-Z

A

B

C

D

  • Michael D'Andrea - Former Central Intelligence Agency officer and former director of the CIA counterterrorism center.
  • Uri Davis – Middle East academic and activist who works on civil rights in Israel, Palestinian National Authority and the Middle East
  • Bob Denard – French mercenary.
  • Jeffrey Mark Deskovic – served 15-year wrongful imprisonment sentence.
  • Diam's – French rapper, born Mélanie Georgiades, converted in 2010.
  • Nasreddine Dinet (born Alphonse-Étienne Dinet) – French orientalist painter, converted to Islam in 1908.
  • Deso Dogg (Abu Talha al-Almani, born Denis Cuspert) – former German rapper who departed Germany to fight in Syria.
  • Arnoud van Doorn – Dutch politician.
  • Vivian Dsena – Indian television actor
  • Dutchavelli (stage name for Stephan Allen) – British rapper.
  • Nooruddeen Durkee – Muslim scholar, thinker, author, translator, and the Khalifah (successor) for North America of the Shadhdhuli School for Tranquility of Being and the Illumination of Hearts, Green Mountain Branch.
  • Maria Massi Dakake – American scholar of Islamic studies and associate professor of Religious Studies at George Mason University.
  • Merryl Wyn Davies – Welsh Muslim scholar, writer and broadcaster who specialised in Islam.

E

Yusuf Estes

F

  • Alys Faiz (formerly Alys George) – human rights and peace activist; converted at the time of her marriage to Urdu poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz.
  • Amanda FiguerasSpanish journalist for El Mundo and a writer.
  • Michael Finton – radicalised individual, attempted to bomb the Paul Findley Federal Building to protest the Afghan war. Finton's local mosque condemned and disassociated from his ideologies.
  • Jaime Fletcher – American film maker and founder of IslamInSpanish.
  • Patrice Lumumba Ford (of the Portland Seven) – part of a group based in the U.S. Arrested for charges of terrorism, Ford's representative claimed the arrests were a governmental strategy to cover-up America's activities in foreign wars.
  • Myriam François – English-French writer and broadcaster.
  • Sultaana Freeman (born Sandra Michele Keller) – Florida woman, popular in a local controversy for wearing face veil in drivers-license picture.
  • Bjorn Fortuin – South African professional cricketer. On 24 April 2021, Fortuin reverted to Islam.

G

  • Leopold Gleim - SS Standartenführer
  • Gorilla Nems – American rapper, content creator, entrepreneur and web series' host
  • Jemima Goldsmith – British socialite and ex-wife of Imran Khan.
  • Juan Carlos Gomez – Cuban former Cruiserweight Boxing Champion.
  • Khalid Gonçalves – Portuguese American actor and musician (born Paul Pires Gonçalves), convert to Islam from Catholicism.
  • Abdur Raheem Green (born Anthony Green) – British Islamic preacher and founder of iERA
  • Philippe Grenier – French doctor; first Muslim MP in France
  • Gigi Gryce – American saxophonist, flutist, clarinetist, composer, arranger, and educator
  • René Guénon – French perennial philosopher, first adopted Islam in 1912, he insisted on recalling that the purely religious concept of an immediate conversion did not apply to his case, indicating he had previous acquaintance with the Islamic faith.
  • Roger Garaudy – French philosopher, French resistance fighter and a communist author. He converted to Islam in 1982.
  • Faris Glubb – was a British writer, journalist, translator and publisher.
  • Bruno Guiderdoni – French astrophysicist, converted to Islam in 1987 after being introduced to it in Morocco.
  • Gyula Germanus — was a professor of oriental studies, a Hungarian writer and Islamologist.

H

Murad Wilfried Hofmann
Murad Wilfried Hofmann
  • Gibril Haddad – Lebanese-born Islamic scholar, hadith expert (muhaddith), author, and translator of classical Islamic texts
  • Joel Hayward – New Zealand-born British scholar of Islam
  • Walt Hazzard (Islamic name Mahdi Abdul-Rahman) – former NBA player and college basketball coach
  • Yusuf Hazziez – American musician, born Joseph Arrington, Jr.; formerly known professionally as Joe Tex
  • Aribert Heim – Austrian SS doctor, also known as Dr. Death
  • Murad Wilfried Hofmann – German diplomat and author who converted from Catholic Christianity.
  • Tony Hussein Hinde – Australian-born Maldivian surfer and surfing pioneer who converted to Islam
  • Baba Ratan Hindi – Indian merchant
  • Lim Yew Hock – Singapore's second Chief Minister from 1956 to 1959
  • Knud Holmboe – Danish journalist, author and explorer
  • Ahmed Huber – Swiss-German journalist and convert to Islam, who was active in both Islamist and far-right politics, including with Neo-Nazism.
  • István Horthy Jr. — Hungarian physicist and architect, converted to Islam in 1965 and took the name Sharif Horthy

I

  • Abdullah Ibrahim (born Adolph Brand) – South African jazz musician
  • Rebeka Ibrahima (born Rebeka Koha) – Latvian-born Qatari weightlifter, two-time Junior World Champion and two-time European Champion.
  • Yusuf Islam – English singer-songwriter, instrumentalist and activist; born Steven Demetre Georgiou; known professionally as Cat Stevens
    Cat Stevens
  • Abu Izzadeen (born Trevor Brooks) – English-born extremist and hate-preacher, spokesman for Al Ghurabaa
  • Muhammad Hussain Inoki (born Kanji Inoki) – Japanese retired professional wrestler, martial artist, politician, and promoter of professional wrestling and mixed martial arts.
  • Kyrie Irving – American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA.
  • Antoni Aleksander Iliński – Polish-Ottoman military officer and general, Polish independence activist and insurgent

J

K

L

Lil Jon
  • Lil Jon – American rapper, DJ, and record producer
  • Colleen LaRose – American citizen, known for having adopted radicalised ideologies and conspiring a plot against Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks
  • Yusef Lateef – American jazz musician
  • Johann von Leers – advisor to Mohamed Naguib and head of the Institute for the Study of Zionism
  • Gary Legenhausen – American philosopher and writer
  • Lil Durk (stage name for Durk Banks) – American drill rapper
  • Lin Nu – Chinese scholar of the Ming dynasty who converted to Islam after visiting Persia. He went on to marry a Persian or Arab woman and brought her back to Quanzhou in Fujian province
  • Lie Kiat Teng – Indonesian doctor and politician, former Minister of Health (1953–1955)
  • Martin Lings – British intellectual and author
  • Omar Ong Yoke Lin (1917–2010) – Malaysian politician, former government minister and founder of the Malaysian Chinese Association
  • Aisha Lemu – British-born author and religious educator who converted to Islam in 1961.
  • Alexander Litvinenko – British-naturalised Russian defector and former officer of the Russian Federal Security Service, allegedly converted to Islam in Britain and was rumoured to have told his father he had converted to Islam on his death bed.
  • Umar Lee – American writer, media personality, and political activist.

M

Anthony Mundine
  • Rebecca Masterton – British Islamic scholar, author and television presenter. She converted to Islam in 1999.
  • Jean-Louis Michon – French traditionalist and translator who specialized in Islamic art and Sufism.
  • Ingrid Mattson – Canadian activist and scholar, professor of Islamic studies.
  • Eva de Vitray-Meyerovitch – French scholar of Islam, a researcher at the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS), and a translator and writer.
  • Ryoichi Mita – Japanese Muslim who is considered the first-ever Muslim to translate the Quran into the Japanese language.
  • Jeff Monson – Mixed martial artist, boxer, and submission grappler who converted to Islam in June 2024.
  • Alfred Neville May — was a British PhD Scholar of Cambridge University,He converted to Islam from Christianity in 1988 when he was 44 years old.

N

  • Adam Neuser (c. 1530 – 12 October 1576) –Protestant pastor of Heidelberg who held Antitrinitarian views. He later converted to Islam and traveled to Istanbul where he served the Ottoman Sultan.

O

P

Marmaduke
Marmaduke Pickthall
  • Neil Prakash – Australian Islamic State group recruiter
  • Parameswara (king) – last king of Singapura and the founder of Malacca
  • Omar Pasha – Ottoman field marshal and governor. Born in Austrian territory to Serbian Orthodox Christian parent
  • Abd al Wahid Pallavicini – leading figure of Sufism in Europe, his spiritual quest led him to convert to Islam in 1951 thanks to the teachings of Titus Burckhardt
  • Gladys Milton Palmer — British film producer and heiress, member of the ruling dynasty of Sarawak
  • St John Philby — British Arabist, advisor, explorer, writer, and a colonial intelligence officer who served as an advisor to King Abdulaziz ibn Saud.

Q

  • Abdullah Quilliam (born William Henry Quilliam) – British convert from Christianity to Islam, noted for founding England's first mosque and Islamic centre.

R

  • Raekwon – American rapper, born as Corey Woods
  • Rae Lil Black, a former Japanese adult film star (real name: Kae Asakura), transitioned away from the adult industry after embracing Islam
  • Rakhi Sawant (born Neeru Bheda) – Indian dancer, model, actress.
  • A. R. Rahman – Indian composer, musician, singer-songwriter, producer and philanthropist; he converted to Islam along with other members of his family in 1989 at age 23, changing his name from A. S. Dileep Kumar Mudhaliar to Allah Rakha Rahman
    A. R. Rahman
  • Yuvan Shankar Raja – Indian musician; music director from Tamil Nadu
  • Ahmad Rashad (born Robert Earl Moore), U.S. pro football player and sportscaster for The NFL on NBC
  • Richard Reid – British citizen, who adopted militant ideologies. Popularly known as the "Shoe Bomber" after unsuccessfully attempting to blow up an American Airlines flight
  • Nicky Reilly – resident of Plymouth, England, known for the 2008 Exeter attempted bombing; his psychologist says his mental disabilities (which included Asperger syndrome) made him vulnerable to radicalisation
  • MC Ren (born Lorenzo Patterson) – American rapper and hip-hop producer
  • Franck RibéryFrance national football team player
  • Hamza Robertson (born Tom Robertson) – English singer
  • Jack Roche – British-born migrant in Sydney. Former member of the Jemaah Islamiyah sect, involved in its militant schemes, Roche later chose to divulge his information (of plots such as the September 11 attacks, the 2002 Bali bombings, etc.) to ASIO officers, but his calls were dismissed. Later convicted for 4-years, Roche has left the lifestyle behind but remains critical of the ASIO's failure to prevent the attacks
  • Rodtang Jitmuangnon – a Muay Thai fighter who converted to Islam shortly after marrying his Muslim wife, Aida Looksaikongdin.
  • Christian Rontini – Filipino footballer, he decided to convert to Islam from Catholicism
  • Leda Rafanelli – Italian publisher, anarchist, and prolific author, her experience living briefly in Alexandria, Egypt, cemented her interest in Eastern ideas and led to her studying the Arabic language and converting to Islam

S

T

Andrew Tate
Mike Tyson
  • Danny Thompson – English multi-instrumentalist best known as a double bassist, converted to Islam in 1990.

U

  • James Ujaama (born James Earnest Thompson) – social activist/entrepreneur from Seattle, known for helping black youth; established the Bly training camp; accused of militant intentions, but allegations were negated; later convicted for violating IEEPA, by installing software for a friend, to use on a computer owned by the Taliban

V

  • Joram van Klaveren – former Dutch politician who attempted to ban mosques and all Islamic practices from Netherlands; after working on a book to conclusively 'disprove' Islam, Joram's research (and discussions with Timothy Winter) drastically changed his views, he later converted to Islam
    Joram van Klaveren
  • Jorvan VieiraLuso-Brazilian football coach
  • Bryant Neal Vinas – Hispanic American, once joined al Qaeda training camps, later turning on them to help the US, in attempt to turn his life around; his prosecutors called him the "single most valuable cooperating witness" about Qaeda activities; his judge was angered when, after a 3-month sentence, the FBI refused to provide him witness-protection
  • Michel ValsanRomanian diplomat and author
  • Pierre Vogel – German former boxer, now an Islamic preacher
Pierre Vogel

W

X

Malcolm X

Y

Hussein Ye
  • Felixia Yeap – Malaysian supermodel, former Playboy Bunny
  • Jackie Ying – American scientist and researcher based in Singapore
  • Mohammad Yousuf (born Joseph Youhana) – former Pakistani cricketer
  • Hamza Yusuf (born Mark Hanson) – American Islamic preacher
  • Mitsutarō Yamaoka – Japanese Islamic and Judaic scholar known for being the first Japanese pilgrim to Mecca.
  • Tani Yutaka – vigilante, local hero, and saboteur who was active in Malaya.
  • James Yee – American former United States Army chaplain with the rank of captain.

Z

Based on former religion

See also

References

Uses material from the Wikipedia article List of converts to Islam, released under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.