List of converts to Islam (so far) Ref: Wikipedia

List of converts to Islam
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Undetermined former religion
• A. R. Rahman – (born A. S. Dileep Kumar, 6 January 1966)) is an Indian musician
• Abd al Malik – birth name Régis Fayette-Mikano — French rapper of Congolese origins.[5]
• Abd al Haqq Kielan – Swedish cleric.[6]
• Abdallah Schleifer – prominent Middle East expert, former NBC Cairo Bureau chief, and a professor of TV journalism at the American University in Cairo who converted to Sufi Islam.[7][8]
• Abdul Alim Musa – Muslim activist and director of Masjid Al-Islam in Washington, D.C.[9]
• Abdullah Ibrahim – South African Jazz musician.[10]
• Abdur Raheem Green – Born Anthony Greene, Islamic preacher and founder of iERA [11]
• Abu Izzadeen – spokesman for Al Ghurabaa, a Muslim organization banned under the Terrorism Act 2006 for the glorification of terrorism, that operated in the United Kingdom.[12]
• Abu Mansoor Al-Amriki – In November 2012, the FBI added Hammami to its Most Wanted Terrorist list. A federal warrant for his arrest was issued in 2007.[13]
• Ahmad Jamal – Jazz pianist.[14]
• Ajdin Muzaka – was the commander in the Battle of Torvioll.
• Ali Shaheed Muhammad – member of A Tribe Called Quest.[15]
• Ali Mirza – was a prince of the Georgian.
• Alys Faiz – human rights and peace activist;[16] converted at the time of her marriage to Urdu poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz.[17]
• Amir Butler- author, engineer and Islamic activist.[18]
• Andrew Ibrahim- convicted of Preparing terrorist acts in the United Kingdom.[19]
• Anthony Mundine – Australian Boxer, Former 2 time Super Middleweight Champion.[20]
• Antoni Aleksander Iliński – a Polish-Ottoman military officer and general.
• Apisai Tora – Fijian politician.[21]
• Abdul Mirza, first Yusupov Prince.
B
• Baba Ali – Iranian-born American film developer, games developer and businessman.[22]
• B.G. Knocc Out – American west coast rapper.[23]
• Begum Om Habibeh Aga Khan – born Yvette Blanche Labrousse, Miss France 1930, wife of Aga Khan III.[24]
• Bob Denard – French mercenary.[25]
• Brandon Mayfield – American attorney-at-law who was erroneously linked to the 2004 Madrid train bombings.[26]
C
• Celestino Caballero – Boxer and former Super Bantamweight Champion.[27]
• Charles Brooks, Jr. – convicted murderer, the first person in the United States to be executed using lethal injection.[28]
• Charles John Pelham (Abdul Mateen)- 8th Earl of Yarborough.[29]
• Christian Ganczarski – German citizen convicted by a French court sentenced to 18 years in prison for the bombing of a synagogue.[30]
• Christopher Paul – member of al Qaeda, who has pled guilty to acts of terrorism.[31]
• Colleen LaRose – alleged intended assassin of Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks.[32]
• Craig Hodges – former NBA player.[33]
• Cory Paterson – Australian professional rugby league player.[34]
D
• Daniel Streich – Swiss politician, and former member of Swiss People’s Party.[35]
• Dave Chappelle – American comedian, screenwriter, television/film producer, actor, and artist.[36]
• David Hicks – was convicted by the United States Guantanamo military commission under the Military Commissions Act of 2006, on charges of providing material support for terrorism.[37][38]
• Derrick Shareef- charged in a plot to set off four hand grenades in garbage cans 22 December at the CherryVale Mall in Rockford, Illinois during the Christmas rush.[39]
• Diam’s – French female rapper, born Mélanie Georgiades, converted 2010.[40]
• Divine Styler – American hip-hop musician.[41]
• Louis du Couret – French explorer, writer and military officer.[42]
• Dwight Muhammad Qawi – Former boxing world Light Heavyweight and Cruiserweight champion.[43]
E
• Lady Evelyn Cobbold – Scottish noblewoman.[44]
• Everlast – Irish-American rapper and singer-songwriter.[45]
F
• Frank Ribery – A French national football team player and Bayern Munich German football team adopted the name of Belal.
• Frédéric Kanouté – A French Malian football player who currently playes for the Chinese super league team Beijin Guoan.
G
• Gary Legenhausen – American philosopher and writer.[46]
• Ghostface Killah – member of the Wu-Tang Clan.[47]
• Gigi Gryce – American saxophonist, flutist, clarinetist, composer, arranger, and educator.[48]
• Gustave-Henri Jossot – French caricaturist, illustrator and Orientalist painter.[49]
H
• Hamza Yusuf (born Mark Hanson)- American Islamic scholar and co-founder of Zaytuna college [50]
• 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.[51]
• H. Rap Brown – civil rights activist.[52]
• Hamza Robertson (born Tom Robertson) – English singer.[53]
I
• Ibrahim Hooper (Douglas Hooper) – Islamic activist, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).[54]
• Ibrahim Savant – one of the suspects arrested in the UK in connection to the 2006 transatlantic aircraft terrorist plot in the United Kingdom.[55]
• Idris Muhammad – American jazz musician.[56]
• Iliaş Colceag – Moldavian military commander in the Ottoman and Russian Empire.
• Ilich Ramírez Sánchez – aka “Carlos the Jackal”, convicted murderer and terrorist, currently in prison in France.[57]
• Isabelle Eberhardt – explorer and writer.[58]
J
• Jack Roche – convicted of involvement in an al-Qaeda plot to blow up the Israeli embassy in Canberra.[59]
• James Achilles Kirkpatrick – was the British Resident in Hyderabad.[60]
• Jan Janszoon – Dutch pirate.[61]
• Jason Walters – Dutch member of the Hofstad Network, convicted on charges of terrorism.[62]
• Jeff Fort – former Chicago gang leader, co-founder of the Black P. Stones gang, and founder of its El Rukn faction. He was convicted in 1987 of conspiring with Libya to perform acts ofdomestic terrorism.[63][64]
• Jeffrey Mark Deskovic – served 15-year wrongful imprisonment sentence.[65]
• Jemima Goldsmith daughter of the billionaire Sir James, who was married to Imran Khan
• Jermaine Jackson brother of Michael Jackson and former member of Jackson 5 group
• Jesse of Kakheti – a ruler of Kakheti in eastern Georgia from 1614 to 1615.
• John Allen Muhammad – convicted murderer who carried out the Beltway sniper attacks of October 2002 with seventeen-year-old partner, Lee Boyd Malvo[66]
• John Ward – (changed name to Yusuf Reis) British corsair and pirate.[67]
• Jonathan A.C. Brown – American Islamic scholar and Assistant professor at Georgetown University [68]
• Johann von Leers – advisor to Muhammad Naguib known for his anti-Semitic polemics.[69][70]
• Jorvan Vieira – Luso-Brazilian football coach.[71][72][73]
• José Padilla – the respondent in Rumsfeld v. Padilla currently on trial as an alleged al-Qaida operative, converted while in prison for aggravated assault.[74]
• Juan Carlos Gomez – Former Cruiserweight Boxing Champion.[75]
• Julia Volkova – Russian singer and actress best known as a member of the Russian pop duo, t.A.T.u., along with Lena Katina.[76]
K
• Kérim Chatty- Swedish bodybuilding stuntman who was once suspected of attempted hijacking. The preliminary inquiry was dropped.[77]
• Khaled Edward Blair – British barrister, later married Princess Badiya bint Al Hassan of Jordan.[78]
• Khalid Sheldrake – an English pickle manufacturer who established a branch of the Western Islamic Association in South Shields in 1930.
• Kamala Surayya – a Malayalam writer, (pen name Madhavikkutty), one of India’s best known 20th century poets, converted from Hinduism to Islam in 1999.[79]
L
• Larry Johnson – retired American professional basketball player.[80]
• Lauren Booth – a British[81] broadcaster, journalist and human rights activist.[82][83]
• Li Nu – a Chinese scholar in the Ming dynasty who visited Persia, converted to Islam, married a Persian or an Arab girl and brought her back to Quanzhou in Fujian.[84][85][86]
• Lim Yew Hock – Singapore’s second Chief Minister from 1956 to 1959.[87]
• Lewis Arquette – actor and father of actors David Arquette and Rosanna Arquette; father-in-law of actress Courteney Cox.[88]
M
• MC Ren – American rapper and hip-hop producer.[89]
• Malcolm X – American to Nation of Islam to Sunni Islam, African-American civil rights leader.[90]
• Malik ul Salih – established the first Muslim state of Samudera Pasai.[91]
• Maryam Jameelah – formerly Margret Marcus. Author of many books covering several subjects, including Modernism, Sociology, History, Jihad, Theology and Technology.[92]
• Maurice Béjart – French choreographer.[93]
• Michael Finton – converted to Islam whilst in prison, who attempted to bomb the Paul Findley Federal Building and the adjacent offices of Congressman Aaron Schock in downtown Springfield, Illinois, on 24 September 2009.[94][95]
• Michael Wolfe – American poet, author, and the President and Executive Producer of Unity Productions Foundation.[96][97]
• Michael X – civil rights activist in the United Kingdom[98]
• Mike Tyson (Malik Abdul Aziz) – former heavyweight boxing champion of the world.[99][100]
• Mohammed Knut Bernström – Swedish ambassador.[101]
• Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.) – an American former professional boxer, generally considered among the greatest heavyweights in the sport’s history.
• Mutah Beale better known as ‘Napoleon,’ former member of Tupac Shakur’s rap group, the Outlawz.[102]
• Myriam Francois-Cerrah, British Journalist.[103]
N
• Nahshid Sulaiman – alternative hip hop artist.[104]
• Nur al-Anwar al-Jerrahi (born Lex Hixon) – syncretist, Sufi convert, and co-founder of the Nur Ashki Jerrahi Sufi Order in the United States.[105]
• Nicolas Anelka a French national team football player who also played for several clubs such as Juventus in Italy and Chelsea in England. He changed his name to Belal.
O
• Omar Ong Yoke Lin – (1917–2010) Malaysian politician, former government minister and founder of the Malaysian Chinese Association.[106]
• Baron omar Rolf von Ehrenfels – Austrian anthropologist and orientalist.[107]
P
• Patrice Lumumba Ford of the Portland Seven, part of a group based in the US charged with aiding the Taliban and al Qaeda.[108]
• Philippe Fragione – French rapper and producer of French hip hop.[109]
• Philippe Grenier – (1865–1944) French doctor, first Muslim MP in France.[110]
Q
• 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.[111]
R
• Robert “Kool” Bell – musician.[112]
• Robert D. Crane – former Presidential advisor and ambassador.[113]
• Rodrigo de Triana – sailor and the first European since the Vikings known to have seen America who converted to Islam from Judaism[114] or Christianity.[115]
• Ronald Bell – musician.[116]
S
• Sahib Shihab – American jazz saxophonist and flautist.[117]
• Saida Miller Khalifa – British author who was originally called Sonya Miller.[118][119]
• Shaheed Akbar – notable rapper who converted to Islam.[120]
• Stephen Schwartz – American journalist, columnist, and author.[121]
• Susanne Osthoff – German archaeologist who had worked in Iraq since 1991 and had been taken captive there for three weeks.[122]
• Sultaana Freeman – known for attempting to sue the state of Florida in order to wear a face veil for her driver’s license picture.[123]
• Thomas J. Abercrombie – famous photographer and writer for National Geographic [124]
• Tiara Jacquelina – Malaysian actress.[125]
• Titus Burckhardt – Swiss writer and scholar.[126]
• Tony Hussein Hinde – Australian-born Maldivian surfer and surfing pioneer who converted to Islam.[127]
• Umar Islam – one of the suspects arrested in the UK in connection to the 2006 transatlantic aircraft terrorist plot in the United Kingdom.[55]
• Uri Davis – an academic and activist who works on civil rights in Israel, Palestinian National Authority and the Middle East.[128]
V
• Vladimir Khodov – leader of the Beslan school hostage crisis- converted in prison.[129]
W
• Walt Hazzard – former NBA player.[130]
Y
• Yusef Lateef – American Jazz musician.[131]
Z
• Zachary Adam Chesser – American Muslim convert to Sunni Islam. Sentenced to 25 years in a federal prison on February 24, 2011.[132]

Dakwah is so important in Islam but nowadays Muslims in Malaysia take things for granted not like in EU or USA-Many Thousands are embracing Islam in EU and USA!

here’s  an article for U who wants to know more about becoming a Muslim:

I Want to Become A Muslim… But What About My Wild Past?

Question:
i’m a young girl, wanting to convert to islam, for me this religion is really the truth. The problem is, that before i discovered islam, i used to live a pretty wild life, I did a lot of wrong things (if not all wrong things). I would like to know if it’s possible for a girl like me to convert, and what should I do regarding my past when converting

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

In the name of Allaah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

“The revelation of the Book (this Qur’aan) is from Allaah, the All Mighty, the All Knower.

The Forgiver of sin, the Acceptor of repentance, the Severe in punishment, the Bestower (of favours). Laa ilaaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), to Him is the final return” [Ghaafir 40:2-3 – interpretation of the meaning]

Ibn ‘Abbaas – who was one of the companions of the Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) – narrated that some of the people of shirk (polytheism) killed and did a lot of killing, and they committed adultery and they did that a great deal, then they came to Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said, “What you say and what you are calling for is good. If only you could tell us that there is any expiation for what we have done.” Then Allaah revealed the words (interpretation of the meaning):

‘Say: “O ‘Ibaadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of Allaah, verily, Allaah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Merciful.

And turn in repentance and in obedience with true Faith (Islamic Monotheism) to your Lord and submit to Him (in Islam) before the torment comes upon you, (and) then you will not be helped.

And follow the best of that which is sent down to you from your Lord (i.e. this Qur’aan, do what it orders you to do and keep away from what it forbids), before the torment comes on you suddenly while you perceive not!”

Lest a person should say: “Alas, my grief that I was undutiful to Allaah (i.e. I have not done what Allaah has ordered me to do), and I was indeed among those who mocked [at the truth! i.e. Laa ilaaha illAllaah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allaah), the Qur’aan, and Muhammad and at the faithful believers]

Or (lest) he should say: “If only Allaah had guided me, I should indeed have been among the Muttaqoon (the pious).”

Or (lest) he should say when he sees the torment: “If only I had another chance (to return to the world), then I should indeed be among the Muhsinoon (good‑doers).”

Yes! Verily, there came to you My Ayaat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) and you denied them, and were proud and were among the disbelievers.’[al-Zumar 39:53-59]”

‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas was a mushrik (polytheist, idol-worshipper), a sinner and an enemy of Allaah. He said: “When Allaah put the love of Islam into my heart, I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to pledge my allegiance to him. He stretched out his hand towards me, but I said, ‘I will not pledge allegiance to you, O Messenger of Allaah, until you forgive me my previous sins.’ The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to me, ‘O ‘Amr, do you not know that Islam wipes out whatever sins came before it.’” (Narrated by Imaam Ahmad, 17159).

So flee to Allaah and know that there is nothing that you are worried about, but the solution to it is to be found in the texts quoted above. Indeed, these texts are addressed to you; they refer to your situation and contain the answer to your problem.

Your Lord is Most Merciful; He accepts repentance and forgives all sins. His Mercy encompasses all things. He calls you and all His slaves to repent and to become Muslim. He has promised you, through the words of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), that all of your previous sins, major and minor, of whatever type, will be wiped out completely when you become Muslim, and you will start with a clean sheet, a new record of deeds that is free of bad deeds. So what are you waiting for? Why delay it any further? Hasten to enter Islam and worship your Lord, and we give you the glad tidings of a happy future and a good life in the shade of Islam. We were very happy – by Allaah – to receive your question, and we are waiting to hear good news.

For more information on how to enter Islam, please look at Questions #703&11936 And Embracing Islam . May Allaah protect you from all evil, for He is the Best of Protectors and the Best of Supporters, and He is the Guide to the Straight Path.

Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)

Question:

I am in the processing of becoming a truly practicing Musalman and wonder what is said regarding your life previous to the full integration of Islam. I wonder whether any experiences that I have had would limit me from becoming a follower of the straight path to Allah?
Please forgive my explicitness…but since men and women are not allowed to engage in full-blown relationships, how do I resolve the conflict that prior to it’s integration in my life, I have had different experiences and now have read repeatedly that it is forbidden…how can I possibly reconcile the two dichotomous notions? I recognize that you do receive many questions, please accept my sincere thanks for having this site, regardless of whether I receive an answer or not.
May peace be with you…:)

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

We cannot conceal our joy and pleasure at the intention expressed in your question of embracing the true religion, Islam. The confusion and hesitation that you describe are quite understandable, because when a person has been indulging in forbidden relationships and then wishes to move to a religion of purity and chastity, it is natural to feel that his own “nafs” (desires) will defeat him and that he will not be able to do what Islam requires of him in the way of purity and chastity. But we will tell you some things here which we hope will help you to overcome any difficulty that you may be fearing and give a true picture of the situation.

When a person follows the true religion, it is expected to have a far-reaching effect on his personality and behaviour, so that it re-forms him and gives him a fresh start and a new direction in life, completely different from the way he was during his “jaahiliyyah” (days of ignorance before his Islam). This radical change will produce morals and values that were not there before, which will purify his heart and fill him with a sense of chastity, so that the new Muslim looks with revulsion and disgust both at his own former deeds and at the ignorant world of promiscuity, infidelity, nakedness and utter corruption that exists in the society around him. He will come back to the sound nature (fitrah – the natural state of man) and purity of heart of which Shaytaan had robbed him during the days when he was a kaafir and sinner. This new direction in life is undertaken freely, by choice, and is accompanied by contentment and acceptance stemming from his total submission to the commands and prohibitions of Allaah, Who revealed this religion of Islam with all its laws. We have two sources of proof to support what we say here, one from the sharee’ah and one from history.

The shar’i evidence is to be found in numerous places in the Qur’aan, for example (interpretation of the meanings):

“Is he who was dead (without Faith by ignorance and by disbelief) and We gave him life (by knowledge and by faith) and set for him a light (of Belief) whereby he can walk amongst men, like him who is in the darkness (of disbelief, polytheism and hypocrisy) from which he can never come out?…” [al-An’aam 6:122]

“And those who invoke not any other god along with Allaah, nor kill such life as Allah has forbidden, except for just cause, nor commit illegal sexual intercourse – and whoever does this shall receive the punishment.

The torment will be doubled to him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein in disgrace,

Except those who repent and believe, and do righteous deeds, for those, Allaah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” [al-Furqaan 25:68-70]

Concerning the phrase “Allaah will change their sins into good deeds” the mufassireen (commentators) said: their evil deeds will be replaced by good deeds. ‘Ali ibn Abi Talhah reported that Ibn ‘Abbaas said: “These are the believers, who before they believed did evil deeds, but Allaah wanted them to do something else, so He changed their bad deeds into good deeds…”

‘Ataa’ ibn Abi Rabaah said: “This is in this world: a man may be doing evil but then Allaah replaces it with good.” Sa’eed ibn Jubayr said: “Allaah changed them from worshippers of idols into worshippers of the Most Merciful, and changed them from those who fight the Muslims into those who fight the mushrikeen (polytheists), and from those who marry mushrik women into those who marry believing women.” Al-Hasan al-Basri said: “Allaah changed them from evil deeds to good deeds, from shirk (polytheism) to ikhlaas (purity of faith), from promiscuity to chastity, from kufr to Islam.” This is the view of Abu ‘Aaliyah, Qutaadah and a group of others. (Ibn Katheer, Tafseer al-Qur’aan al-‘Azeem).

The historical evidence includes a number of stories of Muslims who entered Islam after having been kuffaar (disbelievers), and how they changed and became righteous. Among these stories is the following:

“There was a (Muslim) man called Marthad ibn Abi Marthad who used to smuggle Muslim prisoners-of-war from Makkah (which was the territory of the mushrikeen) to Madeenah (which was the territory of the Muslims). There was also a woman in Makkah, called ‘Anaaq, who was a prostitute. She had been a friend of Marthad’s (before he became Muslim). Marthad had promised to take one of the prisoners from Makkah to Madeenah. He said: “I came to the shade of one of the gardens of Makkah on a moonlit night, then ‘Anaaq came and saw my shadow by the garden. When she reached me, she recognized me and said: ‘Marthad?’ I said, ‘Marthad.’ She said: ‘Welcome! Stay with us tonight.’ I said, ‘O ‘Anaaq, Allaah has forbidden zinaa (unlawful sexual relations).’ She called out, ‘O people of the camp! This man is stealing away your prisoners!’ (i.e., she wanted to take revenge on him because he refused to have unlawful relations with her, so she called the mushrikeen to come and seize him). Eight men pursued me (and he described how Allaah saved him from them).” This event was the reason for the revelation of the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): “Let no man guilty of adultery or fornication marry any but a woman similarly guilty, or an Unbeliever; nor let any but such a man or an Unbeliever marry such a woman; to the Believers such a thing is forbidden.” [al-Noor 24:3 – Yusuf ‘Ali’s translation] (Reported and classed as hasan by al-Tirmidhi, 3101).

The reason for telling this story is that it illustrates how this man changed after he embraced Islam, and refused to commit the haraam deed with which he was tempted. Another story describes a woman who embraced Islam and became righteous:

‘Abd-Allaah ibn Maghfal reported that there was a woman who had been a prostitute during the days of ignorance (before Islam). A man passed by her, or she passed by him, and he touched her. She said: “Stop it! (Mah! A word connoting a rebuke or denunciation). Allaah has done away with shirk and had brought Islam.” So he left her alone and went away. (Reported by al-Haakim, who said this hadeeth is saheeh according to the conditions of Muslim, although they did not report it).

If you enter Islam and become a truly practicing Muslim, adhering to this pure sharee’ah, worshipping Allaah as He wants to be worshipped, obeying His commands and heeding His prohibitions, then in sha Allaah you will not encounter or suffer the difficulties you refer to in your question. Moreover, you will have the means of keeping chaste, such as marriage, which will help you to refrain from doing haraam deeds; marriage is enjoined by this sharee’ah. The one who chooses a pure and clean way has no need to enter the mire (of illicit relationships). We ask Allaah to guide you and make things easy for you, and to keep evil away from you. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad.

Reference:
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)