Europeans began to accept Islam in the early Middle Ages, but these were isolated cases in Christian territories. Only in Spain and the Balkans were national communities formed from among the newly converted Muslims. The massive spread of Islam began with the development of transport and communications after World War II.

Everyone knows prominent personalities who converted to Islam such as the legendary American boxer Muhammad Ali or the British musician Cat Stevens. But besides them, there are many other famous and extraordinary people who found their happiness and reassurance in Islam.

Thomas Abercrombie worked as a photographer for National Gegraphic magazine for forty years. During his career, he visited all seven continents and was the first journalist for the publication to travel to the South Pole and spend the winter there in 1956. Ten years later, Abercrombie accompanied Jacques Yves Cousteau on his ship Calypso to transport the white tiger from India to the United States. He was the first Western journalist to perform the Hajj and describe it to Western audiences in his 1966 article “Among the Sands of Mecca”. During his decades of work for the magazine, Thomas Abercrombie traveled to all Muslim countries and was fascinated by the customs of the locals and the beauty of Islamic culture. In 1964, the journalist converted to Islam and took on a new name – Umar. Two years before his death from complications of heart surgery, director Patricia Leon made a documentary about the photographer’s life, The White Tiger: The Adventures of Thomas Abercrombie. In Antarctica, the mountain system Abercrombie Ridge is named in honor of the talented journalist.

Islam fascinated many Europeans who devoted their lives to the study of the East. In 1884, a young French artist Alphonse Etienne Dinet, a graduate of the prestigious Henry V lyceum and a classmate of the future French President Alexander Millerand, went to Algeria. In the countryside in the south of occupied Algeria, the artist painted erotic portraits of African models, admiring their exotic beauty. In 1889, at the World Exhibition in Paris, he received a silver medal for them, became famous throughout France and founded the National Society of Fine Arts. In love with Algeria and its beauties, the painter bought himself a house in the provincial town of Bou Saada, where he often went in search of inspiration. In Algeria, Alphonse-Etienne gets acquainted with Islam and gradually abandons frivolous motives in painting, moving on to landscapes and everyday sketches. In 1908, in a private letter, he told his loved ones that he had converted to Islam and took the name Nasreddin for himself. He publicly announced his change of religion only five years later. In 1929, the year of his death, he made a pilgrimage to Mecca. Among the residents of Algeria and his small town, Bu Sadda Nasruddin Dine was highly respected; more than 5,000 people gathered for his funeral in January 1930 in Algeria.

The Muslims of North Africa have been able to bring the beauty of Islam to many French people. A contemporary of Nasreddin Dine was the French physician Philippe Grenier, who worked in Algeria. Doctor and municipal health advisor, he converted to Islam in 1894. Two years later, Grenier became the country’s first Muslim elected to parliament. He ran in elections for the Independent Radicals Party and received 51% of the vote.

Not only those who live and work with Muslims, but also those who actively fight against them, often come to Islam. One such political activist is Arnud van Doorn, a former member of the Dutch Freedom Party led by the notorious nationalist Gert Wilders. Van Doorne converted to Islam in 2013, becoming interested in this religion in the course of his political activities. After participating in the creation and distribution of the Islamophobic film “Fitna” and the outraged reaction of Muslims around the world, he decided to learn more about Islam, realized the fallacy of his beliefs and decided to become a Muslim himself. After changing religion, Van Doorne severed ties with party members and created his own party based on the values ​​of Islam, which prioritizes the fight for the rights of minorities and the protection of animals.

Among the celebrities who converted to Islam there are many sports stars of the first magnitude. This probably happened because in Western countries, sport has traditionally been one of the few areas where representatives of any races and religions could succeed. Among the great athletes who converted to Islam is one of the best players in NBA history – Karim Abdul Jabbar, née Ferdinand Lewis Alsindor Jr. During his impressive sports career, he scored a record 38,387 points, becoming the absolute leader of the NBA in terms of the number of points scored in the regular season. During his career as a center, Abdul-Jabbar was recognized as the most valuable player in the NBA six times, took part in the All-Star Games 19 times, more than any other player, 15 times was included in the symbolic NBA All-Star Team, He won the Association title six times and was named NBA Finals’ Most Valuable Player twice. In 1995, Kareem Abdul Jabbar was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, and in 1996 he was named one of the 50 best players in history. NBA coach Pat Riley called him the greatest basketball player of all time. Ferdinand grew up in New York, his mother Cora Lillian was a Christian and sent her son to study at a Catholic school, where the guy was seriously interested in basketball. The 21-year-old athlete converted to Islam in the summer of 1968, but his new Arabic name, Karim Abdul Jabbar, began to be used publicly only three years later. The wife of the famous basketball player Janice Brown was also a newly converted Muslim, having changed her religion, she took the name Khabib. The couple had three children, the youngest of whom, Karim, followed in his father’s footsteps. In 1995, Kareem Abdul Jabbar was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, and in 1996 he was named one of the 50 best players in history. NBA coach Pat Riley called him the greatest basketball player of all time. Ferdinand grew up in New York, his mother Cora Lillian was a Christian and sent her son to study at a Catholic school, where the guy was seriously interested in basketball. The 21-year-old athlete converted to Islam in the summer of 1968, but his new Arabic name, Karim Abdul Jabbar, began to be publicly used only three years later. The wife of the famous basketball player Janice Brown was also a newly converted Muslim, having changed her religion, she took the name Khabib. The couple had three children, the youngest of whom, Karim, followed in his father’s footsteps. In 1995, Kareem Abdul Jabbar was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, and in 1996 he was named one of the 50 best players in history. NBA coach Pat Riley called him the greatest basketball player of all time. Ferdinand grew up in New York, his mother Cora Lillian was a Christian and sent her son to study at a Catholic school, where the guy was seriously interested in basketball. The 21-year-old athlete converted to Islam in the summer of 1968, but his new Arabic name, Karim Abdul Jabbar, began to be publicly used only three years later. The wife of the famous basketball player Janice Brown was also a newly converted Muslim, having changed her religion, she took the name Khabib. The couple had three children, the youngest of whom, Karim, followed in his father’s footsteps. Pat Riley called him the greatest basketball player of all time. Ferdinand grew up in New York, his mother Cora Lillian was a Christian and sent her son to study at a Catholic school, where the guy was seriously interested in basketball. The 21-year-old athlete converted to Islam in the summer of 1968, but his new Arabic name, Karim Abdul Jabbar, began to be used publicly only three years later. The wife of the famous basketball player Janice Brown was also a newly converted Muslim, changing her religion, she took the name Khabib. The couple had three children, the youngest of whom, Karim, followed in his father’s footsteps. Pat Riley called him the greatest basketball player of all time. Ferdinand grew up in New York, his mother Cora Lillian was a Christian and sent her son to study at a Catholic school, where the guy was seriously interested in basketball. The 21-year-old athlete converted to Islam in the summer of 1968, but his new Arabic name, Karim Abdul Jabbar, began to be publicly used only three years later. The wife of the famous basketball player Janice Brown was also a newly converted Muslim, changing her religion, she took the name Khabib. The couple had three children, the youngest of whom, Karim, followed in his father’s footsteps. but his new Arabic name, Karim Abdul Jabbar, began to be used publicly only three years later. The wife of the famous basketball player Janice Brown was also a newly converted Muslim, changing her religion, she took the name Khabib. The couple had three children, the youngest of whom, Karim, followed in his father’s footsteps. but his new Arabic name, Karim Abdul Jabbar, began to be used publicly only three years later. The wife of the famous basketball player Janice Brown was also a newly converted Muslim, having changed her religion, she took the name Khabib. The couple had three children, the youngest of whom, Karim, followed in his father’s footsteps.

Another basketball star who converted to Islam was the Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving. During his time with the National Basketball Association, Kairi took part in the All-Star Game three times, where he received the title of Most Valuable Player in 2014, and was also part of the third All-Star Team. Internationally, Irving plays for the US Basketball Team, where he became the World Champion and was voted Most Valuable Player of the 2014 World Cup. This spring, Kairi publicly admitted that he converted to Islam and is fasting in Ramadan. “I observe Ramadan with my Muslim brothers and sisters. I give myself to the service of God, Allah, when I go about my business. I am happy to be a part of the Muslim community and to do good deeds, to which fasting certainly belongs. I am grateful for that I have the opportunity to participate in all this, ”the athlete told reporters during one of his interviews. After converting to Islam, Irving founded the KAI Family Foundation, which provides assistance to the population of the impoverished regions of the Islamic world.

But perhaps the most famous athlete among the newly converted Muslims is the infamous boxer Mike Tyson. National Olympic champion United States junior heavyweight, undisputed world champion in the heavyweight division among professionals, he defeated 11 fighters for the world heavyweight title and became the highest paid boxer in history. In 2011, Mike Tyson was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, and at the 49th annual convention of the World Boxing Council in Las Vegas, the name of the legendary athlete was included in the Guinness Book of Records. Mike was raised by a single mother, and from an early age he became a member of a teenage gang that traded in petty theft. At the age of 12 in a juvenile prison, Mike was able to meet with Mohammed Ali, who came there to talk to troubled teenagers. It was after meeting with Ali that he first thought about a career as a boxer. The athlete accepted Islam much later, in the 90s, serving another term behind bars. Under the leadership of the prison imam Muhammad Siddiq, he became interested in the new religion. After accepting Islam, Tyson took on a new name – Malik Abdel Aziz.

Although in the West it is widely believed that Islam oppresses women. Among the new Muslims, women are as many as men. And women do not always convert to Islam as a result of marriage, as, for example, did the sister of the late Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, who became the wife of a Qatari billionaire. Many women have made a truly incredible and wonderful journey to Islam. In 2001, British war correspondent Yvonne Ridley, then working for the Sunday Express, illegally crossed the border of Afghanistan, wearing a veil over her head. But the disguise didn’t work. The local residents pointed to the British woman to the security forces, who sent the journalist to Jalalabad for further investigation into espionage, for which the death penalty was carried out. Not long before that,

Yvonne was in solitary confinement for seven days and then was sent to the Kabul prison. But the woman was soon released by order of Taliban leader Mullah Mohamed Omar. After her release on October 9, 2001, Taliban fighters escorted her from a Kabul prison to the Pakistani border. Later, Ridley said that during her detention, a female Taliban guard asked her to convert to Islam, but she refused, promising to read the Koran after her release. At large, the former prisoner kept her promise and read the Koran “in part”, “to find out how Islam treats women.” According to the journalist, it changed her whole life. “The Quran is Magna Carta, the Magna Carta for Women,” Ridley said. Comparing herself to female prisoners in American prisons, she said that in an Afghan prison she was given full privacy as a woman. handing the key to her cell door to lock from the inside. In 2004, she described her path to faith in a BBC program, as well as in other publications and television programs, where she appeared as a “harsh critic of Western politics.”

Another famous British journalist who converted to Islam is the daughter-in-law of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair – Lauren Booth. For a long time she worked in the Middle East – in Palestine, Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon, which, according to Lauren, completely turned her stereotypical ideas about Islam, Muslim women and their role in society. She was surprised that women in the Middle East held positions of power on an equal footing with men and were responsible for making important decisions, that many women had a good education, went to work, could calmly challenge her husband’s opinion in the family and act in their own way. She realized that the fight for women’s rights in the Muslim world is just a cover for promoting the interests of Western countries. Lauren admitted that she is impressed by the belief in the One God and likes the feeling of calmness that appears in her heart, when the Koran is read nearby, and also pleases the sincere hospitality and friendliness of Muslims, who were so unlike the hypocritical smiles and hugs of her British friends and colleagues. In 2010, during a trip to Iran, Lauren Booth converted to Islam, after which she moved to work at the host of the English-language Iranian TV channel Press TV.

Sometimes people come to Islam, whose image and way of life are completely contrary to this religion. One of these new Muslim women was the rock star of the 80s and 90s, Irish singer Sinead O’Connor. Over the course of her brilliant career, this charismatic, shaved head and tattooed singer performed compositions of various genres from rock and punk to folk and reggae, she angered Catholics by tearing the portrait of the Pope on stage, and was elevated to the rank of priest of the schismatic Church of Trident. Sinead has two multi-platinum albums, and her single Nothing Compares 2 U in 1990 topped the charts of English-speaking countries for many weeks. But despite the worldwide fame and realization in the work of Sinead, she was not happy in her personal life, for many years the woman suffered from depression and seriously contemplated suicide. Shortly before converting to Islam, she announced her retirement from show business and a desire to lead a calm life of an ordinary person. And in 2018, she again shocked the public by announcing her conversion to Islam and changing her Irish name to Arabic – Shuhada. “I want to announce that I am proud to be a Muslim. This is the completion of the path of any sane theologian. Any study of the scriptures leads to Islam, ”she said.

Author: Dinara Jalilova

SOURCE: https://islamnews.ru/2021/10/25/ot-svyashchennikov-do-prestupnikov-desyat-znamenitostey-prinyavshikh-islam