List of former Christians

This is a list of people who left Christianity for another religion or a non-religious ideology.

Ex-Christians who had been Roman Catholics

This is a list of people who left Roman Catholicism for another religion or a non-religious ideology.

Agnosticism and atheism

*Joseph McCabe - Priest who became an atheist critic of Catholicism.
*Omar Sharif - Academy Award-nominated Egyptian actor who has starred in many Hollywood films. Of Lebanese Catholic background, he converted to Islam in the 1960s, but is now an atheist. [ [http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/content/2004/s1051544.htm Foreign Correspondent - 24/02/2004: Interview with Omar Sharif ] ]

Buddhism

*Roberto Baggio - Retired Italian footballer.

Islam

* Akhenaton - French rapper and producer of French hip hop. [Global Noise, By Tony Mitchell, pg. 72]
* Torquato Cardilli - Italian ambassador. [ [Rome's Envoy to Saudi Arabia Converts to Islam by Luke Baker, CNN, November 26 2001] ]
* Keith Ellison - American, Representative from Minnesota's 5th congressional district, first Muslim to be elected to the United States Congress [http://www.keithellison.org/StribOpEd.htm Keith Ellison for U.S. Congress ] ]
* Roger Garaudy - French philosopher. [ [http://www.ihr.org/jhr/v18/v18n4p31_Okeefe.html Origin and Enduring Impact of the 'Garaudy Affair' ] ]
* René Guénon - French author in the field of metaphysics [ [http://www.sophiajournal.com/Vol1Num1/Article02.html] ] [Guenonian Esoterism and Christian Mystery, By Jean Borella, G. John Champoux, back cover.]
* Murad Wilfred Hofmann - NATO official [ [‘’’ Journey to Islam - Diary of a German Diplomat’’’ by Murad Hoffman] ]
* Abdul Raheem Green - Formerly Anthony Green, converted from Catholicism to Islam, and is now an Islamic lecturer. [ [http://youtube.com/watch?v=xbMVkomJhHw YouTube - Why I Came to Islam: Abdur Raheem Green ] ]
* Knud Holmboe - Danish journalist and explorer. [http://www.knud-holmboe.com/books/knud_biography.pdf]
* Nuh Ha Mim Keller - from Catholicism to agnosticism to Sufism, Islamic scholar. [Keller, Nu Ha Mim. " [http://www.islamfortoday.com/keller04.htm Becoming Muslim] ".]
* John Walker Lindh - the "American Taliban" [< [http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,187564,00.html] ] [ [http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0202/05/ip.00.html Transcript of John Ashcroft - February 5, 2002] ]
*Vincenzo Luvineri - American rapper and the lyricist behind the Philadelphia underground hip-hop group Jedi Mind Tricks. [ [http://www.philaflava.com/vinnie_paz.htm Vinnie Paz ] ]
* Ingrid Mattson - Canadian scholar and current president of the Islamic Society of North America (2006) [ [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16242486/site/newsweek/ MSBC] Article's title says "Raised Catholic, this Muslim professor is bringing the moderate viewpoint to the world."] ]
* Matthew Saad Muhammad (formerly Matthew Franklin) - former boxer. [ [http://www.matthewsaadmuhammed.com/ Matthew Saad Muhammad] ]
*Peter Murphy - vocalist of the rock group Bauhaus. [ [http://www.nndb.com/people/875/000109548/ Peter Murphy ] ]
* Poncke Princen - Dutch soldier, later human rights activist. [ [http://www.etan.org/et2002a/march/01-9/05ponke.htm Ponke, a human rights hero, is dead] ]
* Ahmed Santos - Filipino, fugitive, founder of the Rajah Solaiman Movement, suspected by Filipino authorities to be an Al Qaeda operative [ [http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1128/p07s02-woap.html In Philippines, watchful eye on converts | csmonitor.com ] ] [ [http://www.crisisgroup.org/library/documents/asia/philippines/110_philippines_terrorism_the_role_of_militant_islamic_converts.pdf Militant Islamic Converts And Terrorism In The Philippines ] ] [ [http://www.tkb.org/Group.jsp?groupID=4690 MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base ] ]
*Danny Thompson - English double bass player. [ [http://www.abc.net.au/rn/musicshow/stories/2007/1948816.htm The Music Show - 24 February 2007 - Danny Thompson ] ]
*Mohammad Yousuf - Pakistani cricketer. Known for holding the world record for the most Test runs in a single calendar year. [ [http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/pakistan/content/player/43650.html Mohammed Yousuf] ]
*Everlast - American musician, raised Catholic. [ [http://www.uga.edu/islam/everlast_banjoko.html UGA] ]

Judaism

* Bishop Bodo, confessor to Louis the Pious also deacon [ [http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=1229&letter=B Jewish Encyclopedia] ]
* Anne Meara (1929 - ) American comedian and actress, partner and wife of Jerry Stillercite news | last =O'Toole| first =Lesley| coauthors=| title =Ben Stiller : 'Doing comedy is scary'| pages=| publisher =The Independent| date =2006-12-22 | url =http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/film/features/article2092609.ece| accessdate =2006-12-22 ]
* Mary Doria Russell American author whose novel "The Sparrow" involves Jesuits. [ [http://www.bookbrowse.com/biographies/index.cfm?author_number=1096 Bookbrowse] ] [ [http://users.adelphia.net/~druss44121/interviews.htm Interview from Amazon] : States her parents weren't very religious, but that "I did spend 4 years in a Catholic school, from ages 9 to 13. Those years were quite influential intellectually, although I left the Church at the age of 15.] ]

Paganism or pre-Christian traditional religion

*Vincent Kwabena Damuah - Priest who left Catholicism and founded a movement based in a mix of Christianity and African traditional religion. [ [http://ospiti.peacelink.it/anb-bia/nr444/e05.html] ]

Raëlism

*Brigitte Boisselier, mostly known for her association with Clonaid. [ [http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/01/08/1041989999291.html SMH] : According to published reports, she was raised as Catholic on a farm in the Champagne region east of Paris.]

cientology

*Tom Cruise - American actor [ [http://www.rd.com/content/openContent.do?contentId=14938&pageIndex=1] "RD: You were Catholic originally. Cruise: Well, we went from Episcopalian, to atheist, to Catholic..."] [ [http://www.contactmusic.com/new/home.nsf/webpages/tomcruisebiogx21x05x02xpu] "In 1990 Cruise renounced his devout Catholic beliefs and embraced The Church Of Scientology claiming that Scientology teachings had cured him of the dyslexia that had plagued him all of his life."]

Ex-Christians who had been Eastern Christians

This section is for those who left varying forms of Eastern Christianity in favor of a non-Christian religion or ideology.

Islam

* George XI of Kartli - Georgian Safavid commander. [http://www.iranica.com/articles/v11f2/v11f2041.html Iranica.com - GORGIN KHAN ] ]
*Hamza Yusuf- American convert. [ [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6057297 NPR: Convert Plays Leadership Role in Muslim Community ] ]
* Iyasu V - Ethiopian emperor.Bahru Zewde, A History of Modern Ethiopia (London: James Currey, 1991), p. 121.]
* Alexander Litvinenko - former Russian spy converted to Islam on his deathbed. [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article664318.ece Litvinenko converted to Islam, father says - Times Online ] ] [http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/12/E4B19AB3-82B6-45C8-BABB-A13B7CEAB243.html Litvinenko's Father Says Son Requested Muslim Burial - RADIO FREE EUROPE / RADIO LIBERTY ] ]
*Omar Pasha - Ottoman general. Converted from Serbian Orthodoxy.Ethnicity, Cultural Discontinuity and Power Brokers in Northern Iraq: The Case of the Shabak .Amal Vinogradov. American Ethnologist, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Feb., 1974), pp. 207&ndash;218]
*Tekuder - Mongol leader of the Ilkhan empire who was formerly a Nestorian Christian.A history of the crusades, By Steven Runciman, pg. 397]
* Radu cel Frumos - was the younger brother of Vlad Ţepeş (Dracula) and prince of the principality of Wallachia. [’’A Cold’’ By Marin Sorescu, Published 1978, p.16]
*Mihnea Turcitul - was a Prince (Voivode) of Walachia. Converted from Eastern Orthodox Christianity.Ştefan Ştefănescu, "Istoria medie a României", Bucharest, Vol. I, 1991, p.164]

Judaism

*Aleksei (Russian convert to Judaism) - Russian archpriest who converted. [ [http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=1109&letter=A&search=Aleksei Jewish Encyclopedia] ]

Communists and non-Christian Socialists

*Vladimir Lenin
*Joseph Stalin

Ex-Christians who had been Protestants

Agnosticism and atheism

*Jonathan Edwards (athlete) - Record-breaker who had been on religious television. [ [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/athletics/article1991114.ece?Submitted=true The Times] ]
*Brad Pitt - Hollywood actor
*Charles Templeton -A co-founder of Youth for Christ. He rejected Christianity after a struggle with doubts. [ [http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080729/billy-graham-movie-prepares-for-oct-10-release.htm Christian Post] ]

Buddhism

*Richard Gere - Hollywood actor. [ [http://www.adherents.com/people/pb/Orlando_Bloom.html The religion of actor Orlando Bloom ] ]

Islam

* Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay), from Baptist [On the Other Side of Oddville By Dwight A. Moody, Ike Moody, pg. 122] [Muhammad Ali & Company By Thomas Hauser, pg. 18] to The Nation of Islam to Sunni Islam. [ [http://www.beliefnet.com/story/160/story_16045_1.html Muhammad Ali has embraced Sufi Islam and is on a new spiritual quest - Beliefnet.com ] ] famous boxer
* Ryan G. Anderson - former Lutheran, convicted of charges of espionage for Al Qaeda [ [http://www.niqabiparalegal.com/archives/2004/09/ryan_anderson_c_1.php The Niqabi Paralegal: Ryan Anderson convicted ] ] [ [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/02/12/terror/main599982.shtml Soldier Guilty Of Al Qaeda Aid, Spc Anderson Convicted Of Trying To Give Terrorists Info - CBS News ] ]
* André Carson - former Baptist, [ [http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080216/NATION/998204590/1002 Islam Convert seeks a seat in Congress] ] second Muslim to serve the United States Congress. [http://blogs.usatoday.com/onpolitics/2008/03/catching-up-ind.html Catching up: Indiana's Carson will replace his grandmother in Congress] ]
* Isabelle Eberhardt - from Lutheran Christianity, 19th century explorer & writer [ [http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/page/e/eberhardt.shtml Isabelle Eberhardt: Explorer] ]
* Yahiya Emerick - American Muslim scholar, president of the Islamic Foundation of North America. [ [http://www.islamfortoday.com/emerick8.htm How Did You Accept Islam? by Yahiya Emerick ] ]
* Yusuf Estes - former preacher and federal prison chaplain.
* Silma Ihram - formerly a born again Baptist who is an Australian pioneer of Muslim education in the West, founder and former school Principal of the 'Noor Al Houda Islamic College', campaigner for racial tolerance, and Author.cite web|url = http://www.blogger.com/profile/14309477462606091182|title = About me |accessdate = 2007-09-26|year = 2007|work = Silma |publisher = Push-Button Publishing]
*Ruqaiyyah Waris Maqsood - British author. [ [http://www.ruqaiyyah.karoo.net/index.htm Ruqaiyyah Waris Maqsood Dawah Theology Islam ] ]
* Preacher Moss - Former Baptist, [ [http://www.icfresno.org/Media/Comedy.html Christian and Muslim comics show believers that faith sometimes is best shared through laughter - especially when it's at themselves] ] American comedian and comedy writer. [ [http://www.allahmademefunny.com/press/iol05april2005.html “Allah Made Me Funny!” - A Popular Muslim-American Comedy] . IslamOnline.net]
*St. John Philby - Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence operative; converted from Anglicanism. [ [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9059645 Philby, H. Saint John] . Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 2 July 2007.]
*Yvonne Ridley - British journalist, from Anglicanism. She converted after being kidnapped and released by the Taliban. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/3673730.stm "Yvonne Ridley: From captive to convert"] , By Hannah Bayman, "BBC News" (online), 21 September, 2004] [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/northeast/series4/yvonne_ridley_iraq.shtml BBC Inside Out - Yvonne Ridley ] ]
*James Yee - previously Lutheran [ [http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-05-16-yee-cover_x.htm The Ordeal of Chaplain Lee] ] and former U.S. Army Muslim chaplain. [ [http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/09/20/chaplain.arrest/ CNN.com - U.S. Army Muslim chaplain arrested - Sep. 22, 2003 ] ]

Judaism

* Shlomo Ben Avraham "Ole" Brunell, former Lutheran minister from Finland and Australia. Along with him, his wife Ruth (formerly Runa), two adult daughters, two teenage daughters, and a former son-in-law also converted. [ [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1132053873725&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Jerusalem Post] ]
* Lord George Gordon, Best known for heading an anti-Catholic Protestant association. [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=TRyt5kplO9UC&pg=PA108&lpg=PA108&dq=%22lord+george+gordon%22+anglican&source=web&ots=MsnFEI1kLb&sig=TUr_wkmAXdJDNUFB3C1wbcOSmKI&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=9&ct=result#PPA107,M1 Who's Who in Christianity By Lavinia Cohn-Sherbok, pg 107] ]
* Julius Lester, Author and musician who was the son of a minister. [ [http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/2972/format/print/edition_id/52/displaystory.print j. - Julius Lester: There's `no magic formula' for blacks and Jews (print view) ] ]
* Johann Peter Spaeth, German theologian [ [http://www.commentarymagazine.com/Summaries/V17I5P94-1.htm Commentary Magazine] ] "Johann Peter Spaeth (about 1642-1701), author of an attack on Spinoza's Tractatus Theologico-politicus, finally became a Jewish convert, called himself "Moses Germanus," and was even circumcised a few years before his death in 1697"
* Obadiah the Proselyte (né Johannes), priest and composer [ [http://magazine.uchicago.edu/0408/research/music.shtml The University of Chicago Magazine: August 2004 ] ] .

Paganism

* Alfred Rosenberg

Ex-Christians who had been Anglicans

Islam

*St. John Philby- Explorer, writer. [ [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9059645 H. Saint John Philby - Britannica Online Encyclopedia ] ]
*Suhaib Webb- American Islamic activist. [http://www.sunnipath.com/about/shaykhsuhaib.aspx]

Ex-Christians from other or unspecified denomination

Buddhism

*Carey Lowell - US actress, wife of Richard Gere

Islam

*Salman the Persian A convert from Christianity [Religion and Nation: Iranian Local and Transnational Networks in Britain By Kathryn Spellman, pg. 145] who was previously Zoroastrian. In search for truth, he traveled to Syria to follow Christianity. Upon the death of his teachers, he was directed to head to Arabia, where he was told the final prophet will rise. He later converted to Islam and became one of Muhammad's first companions.
* Thomas J. Abercrombie - photographer [ [http://www.bayweekly.com/year98/lead6_7.html Interview at Bayweekly] "Q: Am I right that you became a Moslem in the mid-1960s? Answer: I think it was '65 or '66."]
*Éric Abidal (changed his name to Bilal) - French football player , converted to Islam after marriage. [ [http://www.internetspor.com/v3/futbol/haber.php?haberID=58738 Abidal become Muslim with a name Bilal] ]
* Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lew Alcindor) - retired basketball player & the NBA's all-time leading scorer [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B05E5DB163BF93AA15752C0A962948260 NY Times Archived Short Book Review of "Giant Steps" by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Peter Knobler.] ]
* Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (Chris Jackson) - retired basketball player [" [http://law.wustl.edu/WULQ/76-1/761-23.html MAHMOUD ABDUL-RAUF'S SUSPENSION FOR REFUSING TO STAND FOR THE NATIONAL ANTHEM: A "FREE THROW" FOR THE NBA AND DENVER NUGGETS, OR A "SLAM DUNK" VIOLATION OF ABDUL-RAUF'S TITLE VII RIGHTS?] " Washington University Law Quarterly.]
* Tariq Abdul-Wahad (Olivier Saint-Jean) - originally from France, former basketball player for the Mavericks and Kings [ [http://www.nba.com/playerfile/tariq_abdul-wahad/bio.html NBA.com: Tariq Abdul-Wahad Bio ] ]
*Robin Padilla - Filipino actor. [ [http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/breakingnews/breakingnews/view_article.php?article_id=69182 Robin Padilla opens school for Muslim kids] ]
* Abdul-Karim al-Jabbar (Sharmon Shah) - former NFL football player ["NBA great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wants NFL player to stop using name - the former Sharmon Shah, Miami Dolphin running back being sued by former basketball player" Jet Online. Dec. 1, 1997. Johnson Publishing Co.]
* Ivan Aguéli (Johan Agelii) - famous Swedish painter. [Roald, Anne Sofie (2004). "New Muslims in the European Context: The Experience of Scandinavian Converts ". Brill Academic Publishers. pg.28] [ [http://www.sala.se/turism/aguelimuseet/e-ivan.html Aguéli Museum] states "He changed his name to Ivan Aguéli. Later he converted to Islam."]
* Dawud Wharnsby Ali (David Wharnsby) - Canadian singer/poet. [ [http://www.islamonline.net/livedialogue/english/Browse.asp?hGuestID=2djsjt IslamonLine.net ] ] [ [http://www.myspace.com/wharnsby MySpace.com - Dawud Wharnsby - Colorado - Folk Rock / Acoustique / A'cappella - www.myspace.com/wharnsby ] ]
* Rowland Allanson-Winn, 5th Baron Headley - British soldier and peer. [History of the London Central Mosque and the Islamic Cultural Centre 1910&ndash;1980, A. L. Tibawi, Die Welt des Islams, New Ser., Bd. 21, Nr. 1/4 (1981), pp. 193&ndash;208]
*Nicolas Anelka - French football player [ [http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/sport/article-11255446-details/Muslim+Anelka+to+quit+England/article.do;jsessionid=hgtrFr9MbfKXQNRCxHGF8dRW1knmWxynwQTQq2Nq7bhMLVc4VfCm!-825067526!-1407319224!7001!-1 Muslim Anelka to quit England| Sport | This is London ] ]
* Yasin Abu Bakr (Lennox Philip) - of Trinidad and Tobago, under trial for an attempted coup as of March 9, 2006 [ [http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2369924 Jamaat al-Muslimeen on Trial in Trinidad and Tobago ] ]
* Muhammad Abd-al-Rahman Barker (Philip Barker) - professor of Urdu, former chair of the University of Minnesota's Department of South Asian studies and creator of the Tékumel fantasy world. [Gary Fine, "Shared Fantasy: Role Playing Games As Social Worlds", University of Chicago Press (Chicago, IL), 1983. Reprinted in 2002.]
* Kevin Barrett - university lecturer and member of Scholars for 9/11 Truth. [ [http://www.mujca.com/myth_of_911.htm Barrett's personal website] ]
* David Belfield - American, fled to Iran after assassinating Ali Akbar Tabatabai, an Iranian dissident. [ [http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?020805fa_fact] ]
* Mohammed Knut Bernström - Swedish ambassador to Venezuela (1963&ndash;1969), Spain (1973&ndash;1976) and Morocco (1976&ndash;1983) [Roald, Anne Sofie (2004). "New Muslims in the European Context: The Experience of Scandinavian Converts ". Brill Academic Publishers. pg.130]
* Jean de Béthencourt - French explorer who led an expedition to the Canary Islands. [French Armies of the Hundred Years War, By David Nicolle, Angus McBride, pg. 40]
* Art Blakey - American Jazz musician [ [http://www.artblakey.com/ Art Blakey official site] In 1948, Art told reporters he had visited Africa, where he learned polyrhythmic drumming and was introduced to Islam, taking the name Abdullah Ibn Buhaina.]
* Omar Bongo - Gabonese, President of Gabon. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7115420.stm "Bongo's 40 years of ruling Gabon"] BBC News, November 28, 2007. Accessed on February 8, 2008.]
* Claude Alexandre de Bonneval - 18th century French nobleman. [ [http://www.britannica.com/eb/topic-73179/Claude-Alexandre-Comte-de-Bonneval Claude Alexandre, Comte de Bonneval, or Humbaraci Ahmed Pasa (French noble) - Britannica Online Encyclopedia ] ]
* Tawana Brawley (changed her name to Maryam Muhammad) - African American woman noted for claiming to have been raped by several white men, a claim determined to be a fabrication by a grand jury. Later in life she converted to Islam. [ [http://www.nycourts.gov/press/old_keep/brawley.htm Pagones v. Maddox et. al ] ] [ [http://www.courttv.com/archive/legaldocs/newsmakers/tawana/] [http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCommentary.asp?Page=%5CCommentary%5Carchive%5C200603%5CCOM20060307a.html] ]
* Willie Brigitte - French convert to Islam who associated with al-Qaeda in Pakistan and was possibly involved in a plot to conduct a terrorist operation in Australia. [http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200702/s1841824.htm Brigitte terrorism trial nears] ABC News]
* Dolores "LaLa" Brooks - American musician. [ [http://www.nico70ies.com/sakinah.html] ]
*Count Cassius- Visigothic aristocrat who founded the Banu Qasi dynasty of Muladi rulers. [http://euskomedia.org/aunamendi/10935 Banu Kasi] , [http://euskomedia.org/aunamendi/29699 Casius] , [http://euskomedia.org/aunamendi/54481 Kasi] and [http://euskomedia.org/aunamendi/105201 Qasi] in the Spanish-language "Auñamendi Encyclopedia".]
* David Chappelle - comedian and television star [ [http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1061415,00.html On the Beach With Dave Chappelle - TIME ] ]
* Benjamin Chavis - controversial former head of the NAACP; joined the Nation of Islam [ [http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCommentary.asp?Page=%5CCommentary%5Carchive%5C200603%5CCOM20060307a.html If Michael Jackson Converts to Islam - 03/07/2006 ] ]
* Hedley Churchward - English painter [ [http://www.masud.co.uk/ISLAM/bmh/BMH-IRO-famous_muslims.htm Famous London Muslims ] ]
*Jimmy Cliff - Jamaican reggae musician. [ [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:hifuxqq5ldfe~T1 allmusic ((( Jimmy Cliff > Biography ))) ] ] [ [http://www.jimmycliff.com/v-css/bio/?part=1 Jimmy Cliff Official Website ] ]
* Aukai Collins - fought in Chechnya, paid FBI informant, author of an autobiographical book [ [http://dir.salon.com/story/books/review/2002/07/17/myjihad/index.html "My Jihad" - Salon.com ] ]
* Jerôme Courtailler - one of two French brothers convicted by French authorities in 2004 for abetting terrorists [http://www.financialexpress.com/latest_full_story.php?content_id=105681 Al Qaeda exploits 'blue-eyed' Muslim converts ] ] [ [http://www.liberation.fr/page.php?Article=217105] ] [ [http://www.norwalkadvocate.com/news/nationworld/sns-worldtrade-embassyplot-lat,0,3646484.story?page=3&coll=sns-newsnation-headlines Embassy plot offers insight into terrorist recruitment, training - The Advocate ] ]
* Ian Dallas - Shaykh Dr. Abdalqadir as-Sufi - Sufi shaykh of Scottish origins. ["The Collected Works" by Ian Dallas, Budgate Press, 2005, ISBN 0-620-34379-6]
* C. Jack Ellis - Mayor of Macon, Georgia [ [http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/02/02/macon.mayor.ap/index.html CNN: Macon, Georgia, mayor converts to Islam] ]
* Chris Eubank - British boxer [ [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/08/01/wislam601.xml Telegraph.co.uk - Lengthy queue to join religion that offers 'sense of direction'] ]
*Sultaana Freeman - sued the state of Florida for niqab restrictions. [ [http://www.aclufl.org/issues/religious_liberty/freemanstatement.cfm The Case of Mrs. Sultaana Freeman ] ]
* Adam Yahiye Gadahn - spokesperson for Al-Qaeda; on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26447-2004Dec1.html Muslim Teen Made Conversion to Fury (washingtonpost.com) ] ] [ [http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/terrorists/fugitives.htm Federal Bureau of Investigation Most Wanted Terrorists ] ]
* George XI of Kartli - Saffavid commander.
*Ryan Harris- football player for the Denver Broncos [ [http://www.myfoxcolorado.com/myfox/pages/Sports/Detail?contentId=3454826&version=3&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=6.1.1 MyFox Colorado | Being Muslim in The Big Leagues ] ]
*David Hicks- Former Taliban fighter from Australia, recently released from detention in Adelaide. However, he later left Islam while incarcerated.
* Bernard Hopkins - American boxer [ [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/2001review/story/0,,623766,00.html Ex-champion Naseem Hamed's comeback battle | Special reports | The Observer ] ]
* Jermaine Jackson (Muhammad Abdul Aziz) - former member of The Jackson 5 and brother of popstars Michael and Janet Jackson. [ [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0413659/bio Jermaine Jackson (I) - Biography ] ]
*Michael Muhammad Knight - American novelist, writer, and journalist. [ [http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/brian_whitaker/2007/03/sex_drugs_and_prayer.html Comment is free: Punk Muslims ] ]
*Rustie Lee - British television chef and celebrity. [ [http://www.rustie-lee.com Vote Rustie Lee ] ]
* Germaine Lindsay - participated and died in the 7 July 2005 London bombings [ [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7374-1898856,00.html Western white woman a suicide bomber - World - Times Online ] ] [ [http://www.ict.org.il/articles/articledet.cfm?articleid=113 ICT - International Institute for Counter-Terrorism ] ]
* Alexander Litvinenko - former Russian spy converted to Islam on his deathbed.
*Lee Boyd Malvo - convicted of capital murder and arrested for the Beltway sniper attacks, for being involved in 16 murders and 7 additional attempted murders. [ [http://www.adherents.com/people/pm/Lee_Boyd_Malvo.html The religion of Lee Boyd Malvo, Belway Sniper ] ]
* Iyasu V - Ethiopian emperor.

*Jacques-Francois Menou - French general under Napoleon I of France. [cite web |url=http://media.isnet.org/off/Islam/New/napoleon.html |title=The history of new Muslims |accessdate=2007-03-17 |accessmonthday= |accessdaymonth = |accessyear= |author= |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=Media ISNET |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ]
* Bruno Metsu - French coach of the Senegal team at the 2002 FIFA World Cup [ [http://www.iht.com/articles/2002/07/31/soccer_ed3__8.php SOCCER : Metsu's magic ride ends - International Herald Tribune ] ]
* Daniel Moore - poet [Moore, Abd al-Hayy. [http://www.unh.edu/msa/iiie10.htm CHOOSING ISLAM: ONE MAN'S TALE] . University of New Hampshire.]
*Sheila Musaji - founder of The American Muslim magazine. [ [http://www.dicd.gov.ae/vEnglish/detailnewspage.jsp?articleID=5359&page
] ]
* Ibrahim Muteferrika (original name not known) - From Unitarian Christianity, an early example of a Muslim publisher and printer. [ [http://vitrine.library.uu.nl/wwwroot/en/texts/Rarqu54.htm UU site] ]
*John Nelson - first recorded Englishman to become a Muslim. [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/history/uk_1.shtml BBC - Religion & Ethics - Islam in the UK (1500s-present): Before the 20th century ] ]
*Prince Buster, Jamaican singer and producer.
* Queen Noor of Jordan (formerly Lisa Najeeb Halaby) [ [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=M1ARTM0012582 Queen Noor of Jordan] , The Canadian Encyclopedia]
*Omar Pasha - Ottoman general. Converted from Serbian Orthodoxy.
*Emin Pasha - physician, naturalist, and Egyptian governor. [ [http://www.wayfarersbookshop.com/Biographies/Stanley_Biography/Stanley_-_The_Rescue_of_Emin_P/stanley_-_the_rescue_of_emin_p.html Henry Stanley - The Rescue of Emin Pasha ] ]
*Judar Pasha - conqueror of the Songhai Empire. [Davidson, Basil. Africa in History. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995.]
* Bilal Philips - Islamic scholar and author [ [http://www.bilalphilips.com/bilal_pages.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=240 Dr.Bilal Philips' Official website ] ]
* Marmaduke Pickthall - famous translator of the Quran. [ [http://library.dartmouth.edu/guides/sub.php?page_id=721&subject_id=201&section_id=2 Islamic Studies : A Research Guide] ]
* William Abdullah Quilliam - 19th century British poet, ambassador and journalist. [ [http://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/people/law/whqllm.htm William Henry ('Sheikh Abdullah') Quilliam, 1856-] ]
* Ilie II Rareş - prince of Moldavia. [The Historians' History of the World by Henry Smith Williams, p. 137, published 1907]
*Ahmad Rashād - Emmy award-winning sportscaster (mostly with NBC Sports) and former American football wide receiver. [ [http://www.tv.com/ahmad-rashad/person/4497/biography.html Ahmad Rashad Bio - Ahmad Rashad Biography - Ahmad Rashad Stories ] ] [ [http://www.vikingstickets.com/main/players/Ahmad+Rashad Minnesota Vikings Football Tickets - Vikings Football - Vikings Tickets ] ]
* Richard Colvin Reid - shoe bomber (convicted terrorist) [ [http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,203478,00.html The Shoe Bomber's World - TIME ] ]
* Franck Ribéry- a French football player. His name after he converted to Islam is Bilal. [ [http://worldcup.sportinglife.com/football/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=soccer/06/07/04/WORLDCUP_France_Ribery.html RIBERY HAILS GREAT ZIDANE: Sporting Life | 2006 World Cup Finals in Germany, Breaking News, Features, Cannavaro, Zidane, Lippi, Domenech, Buffon, Vieira, Henry ] ]
* Busta Rhymes - Music artist, born to Rastafari parents
* Sana al-Sayegh, dean of the Science and Technology Faculty at Palestine International University, converted to Islam in August 2007. Fatah has accused its political rival Hamas of forcing the professor to convert from Christianity, a charge Hamas denies. [ [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull&cid=1186066387589 Khaled Abou Toameh. "Hamas forced professor to convert."] "Jerusalem Post". August 5, 2007.]
* Brad Terrence Jordan ("Scarface") - American rapper [ [http://www.amren.com/mtnews/archives/2007/02/post_911_islam.php American Renaissance News: Post 9/11, Islam Flourishes Among Blacks ] ]
*Mario Scialoja - Italian ambassador and President of the World Muslim League. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4745863.stm BBC NEWS | Europe | Italy prepares for new terrorism ] ]
*Betty Shabazz - wife of Malcolm X; former Methodist. [ [http://www.gale.com/free_resources/bhm/bio/shabazz_b.htm Gale - Free Resources - Black History - Biographies - Betty Shabazz ] ]
*Zaid Shakir - African-American Muslim speaker and intellectual in the United States. [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/18/us/18imams.html?pagewanted=4&ei=5088&en=0efbc4624383a46b&ex=1308283200 U.S. Muslim Clerics Seek a Modern Middle Ground - New York Times ] ] [ [http://www.newislamicdirections.com/nid/about/about_imam_zaid_shakir/ New Islamic Directions ] ]
*Rudolf Carl von Slatin - Anglo-Austrian soldier and administrator in the Sudan. [ [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9068158 Slatin, Rudolf Karl, Baron von] . Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 3 July 2007.]
*Suleiman Pasha - French-born Egyptian commander. [ [http://soliman-pacha.ifrance.com/biograph.htm Biographie ] ]
*Abu Tammam - 9th century Arab poet born to Christian parents. [Ibn Ab̄i Tahir Ṭāyfūr and Arabic writerly culture a ninth-century bookman in Baghdad RoutledgeCurzon Studies in Arabic and Middle-Eastern Literatures: A Ninth-century Bookman in Baghdad, By Shawkat M. Toorawa, pg. 94]
*Tekuder - Mongol leader of the Ilkhan empire who was formerly a Nestorian Christian.
*Joe Tex - soul singer and recording artist. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9803E7DB1E39F937A2575BC0A964948260 Joe Tex, 47, Recording Artist And Soul Singer for 30 Years - New York Times ] ]
*Joseph Thomas - Australian convert, acquitted of terrorism charges, placed under a control order under the Australian Anti-Terrorism Act 2005, currently pending retrial. [ [http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Thomas-convicted-under-terror-laws/2006/02/26/1140888736669.html Thomas convicted under terror laws] , "Four Corners", February 27, 2006] [cite news|author=ABC staff|title=Thomas to face retrial on terrorism charges|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200612/s1815446.htm|work=ABC online|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|date=20 December 2006|accessdate=2006-12-20]
*Richard Thompson - British musician, best known for his guitar playing and songwriting. [Humphries, Patrick, "Richard Thompson - The Biography", Schirmer, 1997. ISBN 0-02-864752-1]
*Ahmad Thomson - British barrister and writer and also a member of the Murabitun movement. [Thomson, Ahmad – Author Information [http://www.ibooks.nl/products.php?aid=10 Ibooks] ]
*Top Topham - rock guitarist from England. [”Top Brother”, Emel: The Muslim Lifestyle Magazine, January/February 2005, Issue 9]
*Gabriele Torsello - Italian freelance photojournalist based in London who was abducted in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6061236.stm BBC NEWS | South Asia | Afghan kidnappers 'want convert' ] ]
*Philippe Troussier - French, former football player & trainer of a Japanese football team [ [http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/23032006/3/french-coach-troussier-wife-convert-islam.html Yahoo! UK & Ireland Eurosport - Sport News | African Cup of Nations ] ]
*Mihnea Turcitul - was a Prince (Voivode) of Walachia. Converted from Eastern Orthodox Christianity.
* Abu Usamah - controversial American-born Imam of Green Lane Masjid in Birmingham, UK. Accused of preaching messages of hate towards non-Muslims in a UK Television documentary. [ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/aug/08/broadcasting.race Guardian newspaper report on police investigation into undercover mosque program. Wednesday August 8 2007] ]
*Jacques Vergès - French lawyer and famous anti-colonialism known for defending left- and right-wing international terrorists and dictators in court
* Siraj Wahaj - African-American Imam, noted for his efforts to eliminate Brooklyn's drug problems. [Kohn, Rachael. [http://www.abc.net.au/rn/relig/spirit/stories/s129522.htm The Black imam of Brooklyn] ]
* Danny Williams - British boxer [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/threecounties/content/articles/2005/10/07/danny_williams_071005_feature.shtml BBC - Beds Herts and Bucks - Sport - Williams on boxing: I am not supposed to do it! ] ]
* Malcolm X - American, from Christianity to Nation of Islam to mainstream Islam, African-American civil rights leader. [ [http://www.cmgworldwide.com/historic/malcolm/about/bio.htm Official website of Malcom X: Biography] ]
*Khalid Yasin - Executive Director of the Islamic Teaching Institute, and a Shaykh currently residing in Australia. [ [http://www.abc.net.au/sundaynights/stories/s943004.htm Transcript of Sheikh Khalid Yasin-07/09/2003: Sunday Nights With John Cleary ] ]
*Alexander Russell Webb - American journalist, newspaper owner, and former Consul-General of the U.S.A. in the Philippines. [ [http://www.salaam.co.uk/themeofthemonth/june02_index.php?l=32 Conversion: Islam, the growing religion ] ] [ [http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-160168134.html The "Yankee Mohammedan": Alexander Russell Webb and the ] ]
*Suhaib Webb - American Islamic activist and speaker. [ [http://www.sunnipath.com/about/shaykhsuhaib.aspx] ]
*John Whitehead - an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. [ [http://www.nndb.com/people/639/000047498/ John Whitehead] at the Notable Names Database]
*Timothy Winter - prominent British Islamic thinker and scholar, and a lecturer in Islamic studies in the Faculty of Divinity at the University of Cambridge. [ [http://www.abc.net.au/sundaynights/stories/s1237986.htm Feature Interview: Tim Winter (aka Abdul Hakim Murad) :: Sunday Nights ] ]
*Zağanos Pasha - one of the prominent military commanders of Mehmet II (Mehmet the Conqueror) and a "lala", at once an advisor, mentor, tutor, councilors, protector, for the sultan. [ The Genoese in Galata: 1453&ndash;1682, Louis Mitler, International Journal of Middle East Studies, Vol. 10, No. (Feb., 1979), pp. 71&ndash;91.]
*Mohammed Zakariya - an American master of Arabic calligraphy, best known for his work on the popular Eid U.S. postage stamp. [ [http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-20040709-000002.html Psychology Today: The Soul Searcher ] ]

ee also

*List of converts to Christianity
*List of people who converted to Catholicism
*List of former atheists
*List of atheists
*List of former Protestants
*List of former Muslims
*List of former Roman Catholics
*List of former Latter-day Saints

References