Which Celebrities Have Converted to Islam?

Prince Charles - No

On February 9th 2003, Tony Snow claimed that Prince Charles wears “Arab clothes” as part of an effort to damage his credibility due to the Prince’s opposition to the Iraq War. The photo used by Snow as evidence was actually from 1996, when the Prince visited the new mosque of the Dawoodi Bohra community in Northholt, London.

The ceremony was attended by Shahzada Qaidjohar Ezzudin and Shahzada Idris Badruddin (sons of Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, the leader of the Bohra community) and the Indian High Commissioner Dr. L. M. Singhvi. During the ceremony, the Prince planted an oak tree called “a symbol of unity” outside the mosque, and in his speech said, “I wanted to offer my heartfelt congratulations for what you have managed to achieve here with your community in building this great complex here. Your commitment to building this very special place of worship and something that is of such great beauty is I think a credit to your community.”

Aziz Poonawalla is the mind behind the Beliefnet blog City of Brass.

Photo courtesy of skphotography

George Clooney - No

George Clooney has been fascinated with the Islamic world for a while now – his movies Three Kings and Syriana come to mind. But conversion talk really began with his rumored relationship with Fatima Bhutto, the 27-year old niece of Pakistan’s assassinated Prime Minister Mrs. Benazir Bhutto. The National Inquirer ran the story, describing Ms. Bhutto as a “brainy foreign beauty” and sent newspapers across the Subcontinent into a tizzy of speculation. While never confirmed, it’s not hard to see why Clooney would find Ms. Bhutto appealing, for both the “exotic” aspect as well as her political dynasty. But being an international playboy is one thing; converting to a religion quite another. Still, Clooney almost does the beard as well as Liam Neeson.

Photo courtesy of featureflash

Sean Stone - Sort of, but not really

The son of the famous director Oliver Stone, Sean Stone publically announced he had accepted Islam while filming in Iran. He explained:

“I happen to agree with Mohamed Gandhi said, you know, I’m a — he said, I’m a Hindu, a Jew, a Christian, a Muslim, a Buddhist. And you know, being there, seeing Islam in practice, I — and having read Koran, having studied Islam at Oxford and Princeton both, I just feel that it’s an extension of the Judeo-Christian heritage and Mohamed is a profit in that same line compared (ph) to Abraham. So, why not simply accept it publicly? I stated it publically rather than holding it privately. That’s the only thing that makes me a Muslim, actually.”

So, Stone is not renouncing other faiths but rather affirming the commonality of all faiths, including Islam. It is doubtful that he has recited the shahada.

Captain Jack Sparrow - Judge for yourself!

The inspiration for Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow was a real pirate, the legendary Captain Jack Birdy. Birdy was once a young lad named Johnny Ward on the fishing docks of Faversham, England in the late 16th Century. Ward grew up to be a British naval officer, then turned privateer, and then after a sordid betrayal became a pirate. And then after all of that, embraced Islam and retired to Tunisia, taking the name Yusuf Reis.

Reis was indeed a muslim and his life story has enough adventure and intrigue for a movie trilogy of his own! As far as Captain Jack Sparrow goes, it’s hard to reconcile his love of rum with Islam. But then again, anything is possible. After all, the symbol of Islam is right there on his braids!