Famous Non-violent Muslims (page 3)

bigboi

oops I forgot,

Ibn Falad

ONE....

bigboi

"life's a bitch a with a g-string and a twelve pack of Busch."

Islam is currently the fasting growing religion in America whose adherents hail from every race and ethnicity. In the United States, where Muslims number over six million, the Islamic faith has in many estimates surpassed Judaism and is believed to be the second largest religion in America after Christianity. According to one report, the Muslim population in America is said to be larger than that of the Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Methodists, and the Mormons. American Muslims outnumber Christian Scientists, Unitarians, Seventh-day Adventists, Quakers, Mennonites, and Jehovah’s Witnesses combined. The conversion rate among Americans is estimated to be at 135,000 per year, with African-Americans making up the largest group of converts followed by American women, as well as a significant number coming from the Latino community. During the Gulf War alone, it was reported that approximately 3,000 Americans converted to Islam.

Islam is also the fastest growing religion in the world and has an estimated 1.2 billion adherents throughout the globe. But who are the faces and personalities behind these converts to Islam? Khadija, wife of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), was the first to convert to Islam. Some of the more well-known converts to Islam from more recent times are the following:

El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz -- More popularly known as Malcom X; black-rights activist and religious leader. In 1964, after a pilgrimage to Mecca, he announced his conversion to orthodox Islam and his belief in the possibility of brotherhood between blacks and whites.

Michael Wolfe – Author of The Hajj: An American's Pilgrimage to Mecca, and One Thousand Roads to Mecca: Ten Centuries of Travelers Writing About the Muslim Pilgrimage. Born of a Christian mother and Jewish father, he is most well known for his documentary on ABC’s Nightline which aired on April 18, 1997 called An American in Mecca.

Muhammad Ali – Formerly Cassius Clay; three-time Heavy Weight Champion of the World. He converted to orthodox Islam in 1965.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – Formerly Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor. Before the 1971-72 season Alcindor converted from Catholicism to Islam and took the name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He played 20 seasons in the league with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers. By the time the 7 foot 2 basketball player retired in 1989, Abdul-Jabbar was a six-time Most Valuable Player and is now one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.

Yusuf Islam – Formerly Cat Stevens, world famous British pop singer. He converted to Islam in 1973 and changed his name to Yusuf Islam.
Haiqa Khan – Formerly Jemimah Goldsmith, Jewish daughter of billionaire Sir James. At the age of 21 she married famous Pakistani cricket player Imran Khan and converted to Islam.

Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall – He was born William Pickthall in 1875 in London. He converted to Islam in 1917 and by 1930 Pickthall published The Meaning of the Glorious Koran; which was an English language translation (meaning) of the Qur’an.

Maryam Jameelah - Formerly Margaret Marcus; Jewish American essayist, poet, journalist and author of several books. She converted from Judaism to Islam in 1962. An Open Letter To Her Parents

Art Blakey, Abdullah Ibn Buhaina - American drummer and jazz musician. His contribution to jazz from 1954 to 1990 as leader of the Jazz Messengers established the sound Hard Bop, greatly influencing later generations of musicians and entertainers.

Hamdan Chris Eubank -- In March 1997, after former super middleweight world champion Chris Eubank defeated Camilo Alocon of Columbia at the Dubai Tennis Stadium in a light heavyweight contest, Eubank embraced Islam and took the name Hamdan.

Queen Noor of Jordan -- Born Lisa Najeeb Halaby to a prominent Arab-American family. Raised by Christian parents, she converted to Islam when she married the late King Hussein, a Hashemite and descendant of the prophet’s line, on 15 June 1978. When she converted, she changed her name to Noor al-Hussein -- the light of Hussein.

blondie

Tina Turner is a Buddhist.

http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Courtyard/1652/Media/Tinaturner.html

TR

Hey blondie,

Any theories on why Islam is becoming so popular? Is it because women don't have to show their bodies anymore?

TR

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
—Edmund Burke

blondie

TR, to tell the truth, I have not done the proper research to have an opinion on why women are attracted to Islam. It could be that they are viewed with respect as individuals (notwithstanding the extreme version in Afghanistan and Iran). It could be why Hispanics and blacks are also attracted.

The Arabs were great scientists and doctors when Europe was in the Dark Ages. We can thank them for the "0" zero, without which advancement in mathematics would have been nigh impossible.

There are not many Islamic people in my area, but I have come in contact with some. It is like any religion, people are scattered all along the scale...very liberal and not too religious to very extreme...and everything in-between.

Here is one woman's statement:

Nicol Ghazi, a 33-year-old woman who was raised Jewish, grew up in Toledo, a city with a large Muslim community.

``I kept coming into contact with Muslims over and over again. I think
that's how my conversion came about,'' she said. ``I had a lot of respect for the Muslims I met and that drew me toward the religion.''

Women seem to be converting to Islam in larger numbers than men, though the perception that Islam oppresses women can be a major hurdle.

Ghazi said that the oppression of women in some Muslim societies is
cultural, not religious.

``Islam is liberating,'' she said. ``It recognizes women in a legal sense; you can sign a contract, own property. You have the right to refuse a marriage proposal. You have a right to determine your own fate so to speak. You can hold official positions.''

Ghazi said these rights don't sound extraordinary these days, but at the time of Islam's birth in the seventh century they were unheard of.

As she sat in her living room, a call to prayer sounded from a
mosque-shaped alarm clock. Five times a day it plays a recording of someone singing from the Quran. Her husband's parents, who live in England, bought the clock at Harrod's department store.

Ghazi, who now lives in Columbus, became a Muslim three years ago, after meeting and becoming friends with Muslim women, including an Algerian.

``She would read -- chant -- the Quran in Arabic. She had a beautiful voice and a talent for explaining things,'' she said.

Ghazi married a man from Pakistan a year ago and has just given birth to twins -- a boy, Hamza, and a girl, Hana. She said 10 years ago she would have thought twice about giving her children Muslim names that might have made them the target of teasing or harassment.

``Now people are more comfortable seeing more cultures here,'' she said. ``Islam is more mainstream.''In fact, Ghazi says, sometimes it seems women who were born Muslim are more
curious about her than the Americans who hardly ``bat an eye'' at her
Muslim dress.

Here are some sites:

http://www.islamicvoice.com/october.97/whyi.htm

http://www.jannah.org/articles/latinmuslims.html

It is not enough to have good principles...people must actual live by them. The best laws or principles in the world are so much toilet paper if no one respects them and follows them.

GWEEDO

Whats with Cat Stevens. Why would the guy want to go from writing great songs like he did, to writing shit like 'A is for Allah'....cant figure it out!

LDH

Blondie,

Great list!

I love Cat Stevens, Naeblis. I've introduced my 11 yo to his music.

Lisa

Michael3000

FREEHAD HALLE

"Any day spent NOT knocking on doors is a good day!"

Famous Non-violent Muslims

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