Robert Martin, a prominent journalist and activist from Australia known for his sharp critiques of Israel and their human rights abuses against Palestinians, publicly announced his conversion to Islam.
In a social media post on X on Tuesday December 7, Martin officially announced his decision to embrace Islam, after many had speculated on social media that the Melbourne-based journalist had converted behind closed doors.
Martin’s post was met with widespread support and open arms from Muslims all over the world, with the post garnering over 1.7 million views at the time of this article’s publication.
“The rumours are true, I’ve decided to embrace Islam. And I’m very much at peace with my decision,” the post read.
Who is Robert Martin?
Martin’s journey to Islam started back in 2014, when he first visited Palestine, visiting repeatedly until 2018.
His social media tagline reads: “In 2014 and 2018, I went to Palestine to see the truth for myself, as conflicting stories left me uncertain. What I witnessed was deeply eye-opening. I stand for Palestinian rights and accountability for Israel.”
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Since then, Martin has grown a large platform of over 500,000 followers across X and Instagram, where he heavily criticises the Israeli occupation in Palestine, bringing the harsh realities that Palestinians face on the ground to millions of people.
As a journalist, Martin went to Palestine to uncover for himself what was happening.
On his social media, Martin talks about how everything he had been told by Western governments and mainstream media was a lie — a calculated deception to mask Israel’s crimes.
As he travelled through Palestine, he met with Palestinians from all walks of life, and to his surprise, none of them were terrorists.
Despite the dehumanisation of Palestinians in the media he had seen back home in Australia, he saw the humanity, and most importantly, that the people were fighting for one of the most basic rights of all: freedom.
Martin filmed atrocities that he witnessed first-hand: IDF soldiers beating and attacking unarmed civilians, homes being bulldozed, and entire communities being terrorised by radical settlers.
As he was threatened many times by the Israeli state, Martin kept filming and sharing what he saw online.
In a profile by the Freedom Flotilla, Martin is described as being most shocked by the “deep-rooted racism among the majority of Israelis he encountered.”
Described as a “society taught to dehumanise Palestinians”.
Journey to Islam
It is within this context that Martin was exposed to Islam. In another X post shared on December 9, he wrote:
“Here’s a post [pictured below] from 2016 — shortly after my journey with Palestine began. It was the moment I realised I hadn’t just been misled about Palestine… I’d been misled about Islam and about Muslims as a whole.”
“Looking back, I feel deeply sorry — and honestly embarrassed — that I carried so much ignorance for so long.”
“I wasn’t a religious person — far from it — but I decided to actually learn about Islam… Islam isn’t something you just skim or read casually. It’s something you study, reflect on, and come to understand with an open heart,” he continued.
Martin’s activism led him to joining the Freedom Flotilla, which set off in early May 2025 with the aim of breaking the Israeli siege on Gaza and delivering humanitarian aid amidst the genocide.
After the Handala ship was intercepted by Israeli forces on July 27, Martin and another Australian journalist, Tania Safi, said they were “brutalised psychologically” and treated “like criminals” by the Israeli forces.
Martin said he had been “manhandled” and denied his medication, and was eventually deported to Jordan, before making his way home to Australia.
On January 17, Martin will be speaking at an event in Melbourne, titled “I am ready to embrace Islam. My story”.
The activist has currently not revealed the details behind his conversion to Islam, but is rather waiting to tell the story of his shahadah at the event.
“I’ll be sitting with Robert as he walks us through his life — his childhood, the trauma he carried, the moments in Palestine that changed him, and the quiet five-week journey of one-on-one study that brought him here. Then, together, we’ll witness his Shahada,” the advertised event said.
