The famous Irish singer Sinead O’Connor has converted to Islam and taken the new name “Shuhada’ Davitt.”
In a tweet which is thought to be from her account, O’Connor said she had ditched the Catholic Church for good in a message to fans.
The 51-year-old wrote: “This is to announce that I am proud to have become a Muslim. This is the natural conclusion of any intelligent theologian’s journey. All scripture study leads to Islam. Which makes all other scriptures redundant. I will be given (another) new name. It will be Shuhada.”
The musician went on to post a video of herself “singing” the Adhan.
“Here is my 1st attempt at singing the Azan],” she wrote. “I got some pronunciation wrong because emotions took me from my page… but there’ll be hundreds of others onstage to come.”
In another tweet, she added: “Sorry re all the mistakes in my Azan…. 1st attempt. When I’ve practiced it 30 times i’m Gonna make the world stop turning”.
O’Connor also revealed she had received her first hijab with the help of a friend in Dublin.
Subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated on the latest news and updates from around the Muslim world!
“My best friend, Elaine just gave me my 1st Hijab and she got chills all over her body when I put it on,” she wrote. “Not gonna post a photo because is intensely personal. And I’m an ugly old hag. But I’m a very, very, very happy old hag.”
American theologian, Dr Yasir Qadhi was one of the first to offer his congratulations.
He said: “I’m very happy to hear Sinead O’Connor, the famous singer from Ireland, has converted to Islam… I grew up in the 80s, and while I was never ‘into’ music, of course I knew all of the famous singers of that time frame, and when one is surrounded by people who are into music, one can’t help but know the songs and lyrics (that’s my legit excuse btw!!).
“Sinead always struck me as a deeply religious person, and many of her songs and lyrics displayed that. I vividly remember her anger at the Catholic Church and the infamous incident in the early 90s in which she tore up the Pope’s picture on live national television because of the sexual abuses and coverups taking place under his watch. She was always a deep thinker, and so her embracing of Islam is, as she herself realizes, a natural conclusion.
“May Allah bless our sister Shuhada and make her a role model for her people, and all of us!”
