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List of converts to Islam

Many people converted to Islam from a different religion or no religion. The list is categorized alphabetically with their former religious affiliation, where known.

According to The New York Times, 25,000 Americans convert to Islam every year. According to The Guardian, about 5,000 British people convert to Islam every year, mostly women. According to The Jerusalem Post, in the United Kingdom and France, up to 100,000 people converted in the last decade in each country. According to Yedioth Ahronoth, Germany has up to 4,000 people convert each year.

Alphabetical order by last name

A

B

  • Baraq – ruler of the Chagatai Khanate who took the name Ghiyas-ud-din after converting.
  • Caitlyn Bobb – is a Bermudan sprinter who primarily competes over 400 metres, in which she is the national record holder.
  • James Phillip Barnes – was an American murderer and self-identified serial killer who was executed by the state of Florida for the 1988 rape and murder of Patricia Miller.
  • Ali Bitchin – was a "renegade" who made his fortune in Algiers through privateering.
  • Eugénie Le Brun – was a French-born early Egyptian feminist intellectual, influential salon host, and close friend of Huda Sha'arawi.
  • Yahya al-Bahrumi – Greek American jihadist and spokesperson for the Islamic State
  • David Benjamin – Chaldean Catholic priest known for his book Muhammad in Bible.
  • B.G. Knocc Out (stage name for Al Hasan Naqiyy, born Arlandis Hinton) – American rapper
  • Kristiane Backer – German television presenter.
  • A. George Baker – American Protestant clergyman who converted to Islam.
  • Yasin Abu Bakr (born Lennox Philip) – leader of the Jamaat al Muslimeen, a Muslim group in Trinidad and Tobago.
  • Mutah Beale – better known as Napoleon, former member of Tupac Shakur's rap group, the Outlawz.
  • Lutfunnisa Begum (born Rajkunwari) – consort of the Nawab of Bengal.
  • Maurice Béjart – French choreographer.
  • Robert "Kool" Bell – American musician.
  • Mohammed Knut Bernström – Swedish ambassador.
  • Wojciech Bobowski – Polish musician; Bible translator.
  • Lauren Booth – British broadcaster, journalist and human rights activist.
  • Charles Brooks, Jr. – first person in the United States to be executed using lethal injection, converted to Islam in prison, shortly before death.
  • H. Rap Brown – American civil rights activist.
  • Jonathan A. C. Brown – American Islamic scholar, professor and department chair at Georgetown University.
  • Maurice Bucaille – French family physician of King Faisal. It is disputed whether he ever converted, and if he did, whether he publicly declared his conversion. He is reported in a 2013 Arab News newspaper article, "In his excitement, he stood before the attendants and loudly said, 'I have converted to Islam and believed in this Qur'an; however, no references are given. In other articles and videos he was normally very careful not to claim allegiance to any one faith.
  • Abdullah ibn Buhaina (born Arthur Blakey) – American musician, also known as Arthur "Art" Blakey, American jazz drummer and bandleader; stopped being a practicing Muslim in the 1950s and continued to perform under the name "Art Blakey" throughout his career.
  • Titus Burckhardt – Swiss writer and scholar.
  • Berke – grandson of Genghis Khan, a Mongol military commander and ruler of the Golden Horde, who was responsible for the first official establishment of Islam in a khanate of the Mongol Empire.
  • Khalid Yahya Blankinship – American historian who specializes in Islamic and middle eastern studies.
  • Harun el-Raschid Bey – During the First World War, he converted to Islam while serving with the general staff of the Ottoman Empire.
  • Aisha Abdurrahman Bewley – convert to Islam and author or translator of many books on Islam.
  • Carla Amina Baghajati — She has been described as one of the best-known faces of Islam in Austria.
  • Sultan Rafi Sharif Bey — Born Yale Jean Singer to an Orthodox Jewish family, he converted to Islam and took on the name Rafi Sharif in the late 1950s.
  • Arief Budiman (born Soe Hok Djin) — Chinese Indonesian social activist and brother of Soe Hok Gie. Converted from Catholicism.
  • Robert Bauer – German professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Thai League 1 club Buriram United

C

D

  • Michael D'Andrea – Former Central Intelligence Agency officer and former director of the CIA counterterrorism center.
  • Periyar Dasan – Professor, scholar, eminent speaker, psychologist, activist, national award winning film's actor from Tamil Nadu.
  • Maria Massi Dakake – American scholar of Islamic studies and associate professor of Religious Studies at George Mason University.
  • Aliya Danzeisen – American–New Zealand lawyer, teacher and the national coordinator of the Islamic Women's Council of New Zealand.
  • Merryl Wyn Davies – Welsh Muslim scholar, writer and broadcaster who specialised in Islam.
  • Aine Davis – British convert to Islam who was convicted in a Turkish court of being a member of ISIL.
  • Gervonta Davis – American professional boxer
  • 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. Born a Catholic, converted to Judaism, then to Islam, and finally back to Catholicism.
  • 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.
  • Budi Djiwandono – Indonesian politician currently serving as the Chairman of the Gerindra Party Faction in the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia (DPR RI) since 2024.
  • Deso Dogg (Abu Talha al-Almani, born Denis Cuspert) – former German rapper who became a member of the Islamic State.
  • Arnoud van Doorn – Dutch politician.
  • Vivian Dsena – Indian television actor
  • 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.
  • Dutchavelli (stage name for Stephan Allen) – British rapper.
  • Yaroslav Dyblenko – Russian professional ice hockey defenceman.
  • John Drysdale (historian) — also known as Abbas Idriss, was a British-born army officer, diplomat, writer, historian, and businessman.

E

F

G

  • Roger Garaudy – French philosopher, French resistance fighter and a communist author. He converted to Islam in 1982.
  • Gyula Germanus – professor of oriental studies, a Hungarian writer and Islamologist.
  • Leopold Gleim – SS Standartenführer
  • Faris Glubb – British writer, journalist, translator and publisher.
  • 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.
  • Gary Goodridge – Trinidadian-Canadian former heavyweight kickboxer and mixed martial artist
  • Gorilla Nems – American rapper, content creator, entrepreneur and web series' host
  • Sohrab Khan Gorji – courtier, treasurer, and chief of customs in 19th-century Qajar Iran.
  • Royce Gracie – Brazilian retired professional mixed martial artist
  • Abdur Raheem Green (born Anthony Green) – British Islamic preacher and founder of iERA
  • Charles Greenlee – American jazz trombonist who worked extensively with Archie Shepp.
  • 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.
  • Bruno Guiderdoni – French astrophysicist, converted to Islam in 1987 after being introduced to it in Morocco.

H

  • Javidan Hanim – was a Hungarian noble, and Khediva consort of Egypt from 1910 to 1913 as the second wife of Khedive Abbas II of Egypt.
  • Carl Eduard Hammerschmidt – was an Austrian mineralogist, entomologist, and physician.
  • Guillaume Hawing – was a Guinean teacher, inventor, and politician.
  • Armand Hussein – was an American professional wrestler.
  • John Darwin Hinds – was a politician who became Wales' first Black and first Muslim councillor in 1958 and later, in 1975 became Wales's first Black mayor.
  • Balozi Harvey – was an American activist, community organizer, diplomat,[1] and public official based in New Jersey and New York.
  • Ubayd Haider – was a Fijian professional boxer who competed between 2019 and 2024.
  • Terry Holdbrooks – is an American soldier who worked as a guard at Guantanamo Bay detention camp from 2003 to 2004.
  • 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
  • Bernard Hopkins — American former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2016

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.
  • Silma Ihram – Australian educator, author, and racial tolerance campaigner.
  • Yusuf Islam – English singer-songwriter, instrumentalist and activist; born Steven Demetre Georgiou; known professionally as 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
  • Monty Ioane – Australian-born Italian professional rugby union player

J

K

L

  • 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, Fujian
  • 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.

M

N

O

P

  • 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.
  • Vyacheslav Polosin — Russian Muslim academic and former priest of the Russian Orthodox Church
  • José Peleteiro – commonly known as Jota and Jota Peleteiro, Spanish former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder
  • Poppy Liu – American actress of Chinese descent

Q

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

R

  • Mario Rossi (architect) – was an Italian architect and notable contributor to 20th-century Islamic architecture.
  • Sulayman Reis – was a 17th-century Dutch corsair.
  • Raekwon – American rapper, born as Corey Woods
  • Rae Lil Black (Kae Asakura) – former Japanese adult film star, 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
  • 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
  • Brittany Renner – American reality-television personality
  • MC Ren (born Lorenzo Patterson) – American rapper and hip-hop producer
  • Franck Ribéry – France 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
  • Mahalini Raharja – Indonesian singer and actress
  • Na'ima B. Robert — is an author of multicultural literature and founding editor of the UK-based Muslim women's publication, SISTERS Magazine.
  • Abu-l-Hasan Ali ibn Ruburtayr — was the younger son of Reverter I viscount of Barcelona, and a Muslim Catalan mercenary commander.

S

T

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
  • Abu Usamah – is an Imam at Green Lane Masjid in Birmingham, England.
  • Daniil Utkin – Russian football player who plays as a central midfielder for Baltika Kaliningrad on loan from Rostov, and the Russia national team

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
  • Jorvan Vieira – Luso-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 Valsan – Romanian diplomat and author
  • Pierre Vogel – German former boxer, now an Islamic preacher

W

  • Jason Walters – Dutch citizen, former member of the Hofstad Network, convicted on acts of terror; currently writing his Master's thesis about de-radicalisation, and is an active speaker against radical zealotry, as an Analyst at Blue Water Intelligence
  • Amina Wadud – American Muslim theologian. In 1972, she converted to Islam, while a student at the University of Pennsylvania.
  • Charvarius Ward – American professional football player
  • Dawud Wharnsby – Canadian singer songwriter.
  • Alexander Russell Webb – American diplomat and writer
  • Sonny Bill Williams – New Zealand rugby player and heavyweight boxer
  • Timothy Winter (a.k.a. Abdul Hakim Murad) – English convert who is the Director of Studies (Theology and Religious Studies) at Wolfson College, University of Cambridge.
  • Monica Witt – is a former United States Air Force technical sergeant and defense contractor who defected to Iran in 2013.
  • G. Willow Wilson – American comics writer.
  • Michael Wolfe – American poet, author, and the President and Executive Producer of Unity Productions Foundation

X

Y

  • Mitsutarō Yamaoka – Japanese Islamic and Judaic scholar known for being the first Japanese pilgrim to Mecca.
  • Felixia Yeap – Malaysian supermodel, former Playboy Bunny
  • James Yee – American former United States Army chaplain with the rank of captain.
  • 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
  • Tani Yutaka – vigilante, local hero, and saboteur who was active in Malaya.

Z

By former religion

See also

References