List of former Muslims
Encyclopedia
The following is a list of notable people who have been Muslim
s part of their lives, but left Islam
for another religion or a non-religious worldview.
Converted to Christianity
Converted to Judaism
Converted to the Bahá'í Faith
These were mostly people who were followers of the Bahá'u'lláh at the time he founded the Bahá'í Faith
. They were formerly Muslims.
Became Atheists
Became Agnostics
Converted to Buddhism
Converted to Hinduism
Converted to Sikhism
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s part of their lives, but left Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
for another religion or a non-religious worldview.
Converted to ChristianityChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
- Jean-Bédel BokassaJean-Bédel BokassaJean-Bédel Bokassa , a military officer, was the head of state of the Central African Republic and its successor state, the Central African Empire, from his coup d'état on 1 January 1966 until 20 September 1979...
– Central African RepublicCentral African RepublicThe Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...
Emperor (from Christianity to Islam back to Christianity). - Ahmed BarzaniAhmed BarzaniAhmed Barzani , also known as Khudan , was the head of the Barzani tribe in South Kurdistan. Sheikh Ahmed is considered to be the architect of Barzan by bringing many different Kurdish tribes under his command and expanding Barzan region...
– Head of Barzani Tribe in Iraqi Kurdistan. - Ibrahim NjoyaIbrahim NjoyaKing Ibrahim Njoya , distinguished ruler, intellectual, and inventor, was 17th in a long dynasty of kings that ruled over Bamum and its people in western Cameroon dating back to the 14th century. He succeeded his father Nsangu and ruled from 1886/7 until his death in 1933...
– Bamum peopleBamum peopleThe Bamum, sometimes called Bamoum, Bamun, Bamoun, or Mum, are an ethnic group of Cameroon with around 215,000 members.-Religion:...
religion; back and forth conversions from Islam to Christianity. Also created his own religion. - Eldridge CleaverEldridge CleaverLeroy Eldridge Cleaver better known as Eldridge Cleaver, was a leading member of the Black Panther Party and a writer...
– Conversions/Associations to Nation of Islam then Evangelical Christianity then Mormonism. - Aslan AbashidzeAslan AbashidzeAslan Abashidze was the leader of the Ajarian Autonomous Republic in western Georgia from 1991 to May 5, 2004. He resigned under the pressure of the central Georgian government and mass opposition rallies during the 2004 Adjara crisis, and has since lived in Moscow, Russia...
– Former leader of the AjarianAdjaraAdjara , officially the Autonomous Republic of Adjara , is an autonomous republic of Georgia.Adjara is located in the southwestern corner of Georgia, bordered by Turkey to the south and the eastern end of the Black Sea...
Autonomous Republic in western GeorgiaGeorgia (country)Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
. - Rotimi AdebariRotimi AdebariRotimi Adebari is a Nigerian-born Irish politician. He was elected as the first black mayor in Ireland.A convert from Islam to Christianity, he fled Nigeria in 2000, and made a claim for asylum on the grounds of religious persecution...
, first Black mayor in Ireland - Mehmet Ali AgcaMehmet Ali AgcaMehmet Ali Ağca is a Turkish assassin who murdered left-wing journalist Abdi İpekçi on February 1, 1979 and later shot and wounded Pope John Paul II on May 13, 1981, after escaping from a Turkish prison. After serving 19 years of imprisonment in Italy, he was deported to Turkey, where he served a...
– Turkish ultra-nationalist assassin, who shot and wounded Pope John Paul IIPope John Paul IIBlessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
on May 13, 1981. In early 2009, Agca renounced Islam in prison and announced his intention to convert to the Catholic faith upon release. - Bahaa el-Din Ahmed Hussein el-AkkadBahaa el-Din Ahmed Hussein el-AkkadBahaa el-Din Ahmed Hussein el-Akkad is an Egyptian former Muslim sheikh. For more than 20 years, el-Akkad was a member of the fundamentalist Islamic group Da'wa el Tabligh, which actively proselytized non-Muslims but strictly opposed violence. He also led a mosque community in Al-Haram, in the...
– Former Egyptian Muslim sheikh. - Magdi AllamMagdi AllamMagdi Cristiano Allam , is an Egyptian-born Italian journalist and political leader, noted for his criticism of Islamic Extremism, his defence of Judeo-Christian roots of Europe and the West, and his articles on the relations between Western culture and the Islamic world...
– Italy's most famous Islamic affairs journalist. - Hussain AndaryasHussain AndaryasHussain Andaryas is a Christian Afghan American and televangelist who hosts many websites and radio programs.Andaryas was born in Bombay, India, to a Shia Hazara family but was raised in Kabul, Afghanistan. He comes from the sub-tribe Oqi from Jaghoori...
– AfghanAfghanistanAfghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
Christian activist and tele-evangelist. - Josephine BakhitaJosephine BakhitaJosephine Bakhita was a Sudanese-born former slave who became a Roman Catholic Canossian nun in Italy, living and working there for 45 years. In 2000, she was declared a saint by the Roman Catholic Church.-Early life:...
– Roman Catholic saint from DarfurDarfurDarfur is a region in western Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1916. The region is divided into three federal states: West Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur...
, SudanSudanSudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
. - Sarah BalabaganSarah BalabaganSarah Balabagan was a Filipina prisoner in the United Arab Emirates during 1994 - 96 whose case caused a good deal of controversy...
– Filipina prisoner in the United Arab EmiratesUnited Arab EmiratesThe United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
during 1994 – 96. - Fathima Rifqa BaryFathima Rifqa Bary conversion and custody controversyFathima Rifqa Bary, born on August 10, 1992, is a U.S. resident of Sri Lankan origin who drew international attention in 2009 when she ran away from her Ohio home at age 16 saying that her Muslim parents were going to kill her for becoming a Christian. Her story was broadcast on TV and discussed on...
– American teenager of Sri Lankan descent who drew international attention in 2009 when she ran away from home and claimed that her Muslim parents might kill her for having converted to Christianity. - Abo of TiflisAbo of TiflisSaint Abo of Tiflis or Abo Tbileli is a Christian martyr and the Patron Saint of the city of Tbilisi, Georgia....
– Christian activist and the Patron Saint of the city of TbilisiTbilisiTbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
, GeorgiaGeorgia (country)Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
. - Don Juan of PersiaDon Juan of PersiaDon Juan of Persia was a late 16th and early 17th century figure in Iran and Spain. He is also known as Faisal Nazary. He was a native of Iran, who later moved westward...
– Late 16th and early 17th century figure in Iran and Spain. - Utameshgaray of KazanUtameshgaray of KazanÜtämeşgäräy was a khan of Kazan Khanate in 1549-1551. He was a son of Safagäräy and Söyembikä. He was crowned after father's death, but the actual ruler was his mother. During the siege of Kazan in 1551 pro-muscovite nobility betrayed him and Soyembika to Russian tsar Ivan IV. In January, 1553 he...
– Khan of Kazan Khanate. - Yadegar Moxammat of KazanYadegar Moxammat of KazanYadegar Mokhammad was the last khan of Kazan Khanate . Yadegar Moxammad the son of Astrakhan khan Qasim. In 1542-50 he was in the service of Tsardom of Russia, participated in the attack on Kazan in 1550. In 1552 he was invited by Qol Sharif and Chapqin bek Otich uli to the throne of Kazan...
– Last khan of Kazan Khanate. - Sayed Borhan khanSayed BorhanSayed Borhan khan was a khan of Qasim Khanate in 1627-1679. He was a son of Arslanghali and Fatima Soltan. After the death of his father he was crowned as a khan of Qasim. Sayed Borhan's regents were Fatima Soltan and her father Aqmoxammad Shahqol sayed...
– Khan of Qasim KhanateQasim KhanateQasim Khanate or Kingdom of Qasim was a Tatar territorial formation , vassal of Russia, which existed from 1452 till 1681 in the territory of modern Ryazan Oblast in Russia with its capital Kasimov, in the middle stream of the Oka River...
from 1627 to 1679. - Simeon BekbulatovichSimeon BekbulatovichSimeon Bekbulatovich was a khan of the Khanate of Qasim. After the period of the Oprichnina , Ivan the Terrible named Simeon Grand Prince of All Rus' . He participated in the Livonian war as a commander of the main regiment of the Muscovite army. Subsequently, he was named Grand Prince of Tver'...
– Khan of Qasim KhanateQasim KhanateQasim Khanate or Kingdom of Qasim was a Tatar territorial formation , vassal of Russia, which existed from 1452 till 1681 in the territory of modern Ryazan Oblast in Russia with its capital Kasimov, in the middle stream of the Oka River...
. - The Sibirsky family – The foremost of many Genghisid (Shaybanid) noble families formerly living in RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. - Maria Temryukovna – Circassian princess, and second wife to Ivan IV of RussiaIvan IV of RussiaIvan IV Vasilyevich , known in English as Ivan the Terrible , was Grand Prince of Moscow from 1533 until his death. His long reign saw the conquest of the Khanates of Kazan, Astrakhan, and Siberia, transforming Russia into a multiethnic and multiconfessional state spanning almost one billion acres,...
who was born in a Muslim upbringing, and baptised into the Russian Orthodox ChurchRussian Orthodox ChurchThe Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
on August 21, 1561. - The Shihab family – Prominent Lebanese noble family. The family originally belonged to Sunni Islam and converted to Christianity at the end of the 18th century.
- Jacob FrankJacob FrankJacob Frank was an 18th century Jewish religious leader who claimed to be the reincarnation of the self-proclaimed messiah Sabbatai Zevi and also of the biblical patriarch Jacob...
– 18th century Jewish religious leader who claimed to be the reincarnation of the self-proclaimed messiah Sabbatai ZeviSabbatai ZeviSabbatai Zevi, , was a Sephardic Rabbi and kabbalist who claimed to be the long-awaited Jewish Messiah. He was the founder of the Jewish Sabbatean movement...
, and also of King David. Frank publicly converted to Islam in 1757 and later to Christianity at Poland in 1759, but actually presented himself as the Messiah of a syncretic derivation of Shabbatai Zevi's Messianism now referred to as Frankism. - Walid ShoebatWalid ShoebatWalid Shoebat is a Palestinian immigrant to the United States and campaigner for Christianity and Israel, against Islam. He was born to a Jordanian father and Caucasian American mother, and claims to have been a former PLO militant, although neither the PLO nor the Israeli government have any...
– American author and former member of the PLO. - Hassan Dehqani-TaftiHassan Dehqani-TaftiThe Right Reverend Hassan Barnaba Dehqani-Tafti was the Anglican Bishop of Iran from 1961 until his retirement in 1990. Dehqani-Tafti was the first ethnic Persian to become a Christian bishop of Iran since the 7th century and the Islamic conquest of Persia...
– Anglican Bishop of Iran from 1961 to 1990. - Ibrahim Ben AliIbrahim Ben AliIbrahim Ben Ali was a soldier, physician and one of the earliest American settlers of Turkish origin.- Youth and antecedents :Ibrahim Ben Ali was born in 1756 near Istanbul. His father, Ali Ben Mustafa, was a man of wealth and prominence and his estate, situated about six miles from that city, was...
– Soldier, physician and one of the earliest American settlers of Turkish origin. - Bob DenardBob DenardColonel Bob Denard , born Gilbert Bourgeaud, was a French soldier and mercenary. He was known for having done various jobs in support of Françafrique for Jacques Foccart, in charge of French president Charles de Gaulle's policy in Africa...
– FrenchFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
soldier and mercenaryMercenaryA mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
leader. Converted from Catholicism to Judaism, then Islam and eventually back to Catholicism. - Nonie DarwishNonie DarwishNonie Darwish is an Egyptian-American human rights activist, and founder of Arabs For Israel, and is Director of Former Muslims United. She is the author of two books: Now They Call Me Infidel; Why I Renounced Jihad for America, Israel and the War on Terror and Cruel and Usual Punishment: The...
– EgyptianEgyptiansEgyptians are nation an ethnic group made up of Mediterranean North Africans, the indigenous people of Egypt.Egyptian identity is closely tied to geography. The population of Egypt is concentrated in the lower Nile Valley, the small strip of cultivable land stretching from the First Cataract to...
-AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer and public speaker. - Mehdi DibajMehdi DibajMehdi Dibaj was an Iranian Christian convert from Sunni Islam, pastor and Christian martyr.Dibaj became a Christian as a young man and joined the Jama'at-e Rabbani Church, the Iranian branch of the Assemblies of God. After the 1979 Iranian revolution he encountered difficulties...
– Iranian pastor and Christian activist. - Ghorban TouraniGhorban TouraniGhorban Dordi Tourani , also called Ghorban Tori, was an Iranian convert to Christianity and a lay-minister. He lived and worked in Gonbad-e Qabus, Golestan, Iran....
– Former IranIranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian Sunni MuslimIslamIslam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
who became a Christian minister. Following multiple murder threats , he was abducted and murdered on November 22, 2005.
- St. George El Mozahem - A coptic saint
- Patrick SookhdeoPatrick SookhdeoPatrick Sookhdeo is the director of the Institute for the Study of Islam and Christianity and International Director of the Barnabas Fund. Sookhdeo is an outspoken spokesman for persecuted Christian minorities around the world...
– BritishUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
AnglicanAnglicanismAnglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
canon - Mark A. GabrielMark A. GabrielMark A. Gabriel, born 30 December 1957, is a writer on Islamic affairs, who lives in the United States under "religious asylum". He is the author of five books critical of Islam, including Islam and the Jews: The Unfinished Battle and Journey into the Mind of an Islamic Terrorist.-Biography:In his...
- EgyptEgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian writer - Akbar Gbaja-BiamilaAkbar Gbaja-BiamilaAkbar Oluwakemi-Idowu Gbaja-Biamila is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He played college football at San Diego State. He currently works for NBC Sports as a college football analyst, previously...
– American footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player. - Alexander KazembekAlexander Kazembek (Russian orientalist)Alexander Kasimovich Kazembek , Russia, born Muhammad Ali Kazim-bey , was a famous orientalist, historian and philologist of Azeri origin...
– RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n Orientalist, historian and philologist of Azeri origin . - Kabeer Gbaja-BiamilaKabeer Gbaja-BiamilaMuhammed-Kabeer Olanrewaju Gbaja-Biamila , commonly referred to as "KGB", is an American football defensive end who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL Draft...
– American football player. - Qadry IsmailQadry IsmailQadry "The Missile" Ismail is a former National Football League wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, Baltimore Ravens, and the Indianapolis Colts in a 10 year career that lasted from 1993 to 2002...
– Former American football player. - Raghib IsmailRaghib IsmailRaghib Ramadian Ismail is a retired professional American and Canadian football player, who played Wide receiver in both the Canadian Football League and National Football League. He played college football at Notre Dame...
– Former American football player. - Tunch IlkinTunch IlkinTunch Ilkin is a Turkish sports broadcaster and a former American football player. He currently serves as a television and radio analyst for the Pittsburgh Steelers.-Biography:...
– Former American football player. - Lina JoyLina JoyLina Joy is a Malay convert from Islam to Christianity. Born Azlina Jailani in 1964 in Malaysia to Muslim parents of Javanese descent, she converted at age 26. In 1998, she was baptized, and applied to have her conversion legally recognized by the Malaysian courts...
– Malaysian convert to Christianity. The desire to have her conversion recognized was the subject of a court case in Malaysia. - Carlos MenemCarlos MenemCarlos Saúl Menem is an Argentine politician who was President of Argentina from 1989 to 1999. He is currently an Argentine National Senator for La Rioja Province.-Early life:...
– Former President of ArgentinaPresident of ArgentinaThe President of the Argentine Nation , usually known as the President of Argentina, is the head of state of Argentina. Under the national Constitution, the President is also the chief executive of the federal government and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.Through Argentine history, the...
. Raised a Muslim but converted to Roman Catholicism, the official religion of ArgentinaArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, due to his political aspirations. - Marina NematMarina NematMarina Nemat is the author of a memoir about growing up in Iran, serving time in Evin Prison for speaking out against the Iranian government, escaping a death sentence and finally fleeing Iran for a new life in Canada.-Life:...
– Canadian author of Iranian descent and former political prisoner of the Iranian government. Born into a Christian family, she converted to Islam in order to avoid execution but later reverted to Christianity. - George WeahGeorge WeahGeorge Tawlon Manneh Oppong Ousman Weah is a Liberian humanitarian and politician, and an ex-footballer. He ran unsuccessfully for president in the 2005 election, losing to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in the second round of voting...
– LiberiaLiberiaLiberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
n soccer player (from ChristianityChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
to IslamIslamIslam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
back to ChristianityChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
). - Momolu DukulyMomolu DukulyMomolu Dukuly was a politician in Liberia. He was the second foreign minister under William V.S. Tubman . Dukuly was the first "Native" Liberian to be appointed foreign minister. Dukuly was of Mandingo descent. He was a Muslim in his early life...
– Liberian foreign minister. - Nazli SabriNazli SabriNazli Sabri , was the Queen consort of Egypt, as the second wife of King Fuad.-Early life:...
– Queen consortQueen consortA queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of EgyptEgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. - James ScurryJames ScurryJames Scurry was a British soldier and memoirist. He was held captive by Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan for 10 years at Seringapatam. He had been kept as a guest at the fort. After his release from Seringapatam he reached an English camp...
– BritishUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
soldier and statesman.
- Begum Samru – Powerful lady of north IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, ruling a large area from SardhanaSardhanaSardhana is a town and a municipal board in Meerut district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located northeast of New Delhi, and 13 mi from Meerut...
, Uttar PradeshUttar PradeshUttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
. - Abdul RahmanAbdul Rahman (convert)Abdul Rahman was an Afghan citizen who was arrested in February 2006 and threatened with the death penalty for converting to Christianity. On March 26, 2006, under heavy pressure from foreign governments, the court returned his case to prosecutors, citing "investigative gaps". He was released...
– Afghan convert to Christianity who escaped the death penalty because of foreign pressure. - Youcef NadarkhaniYoucef NadarkhaniYoucef Nadarkhani is an Iranian Christian pastor who has been sentenced to die in Tehran...
- Iranian Christian pastor who has been sentenced to death for apostasy. - Mathieu KérékouMathieu KérékouMathieu Kérékou, was President of Benin from 1972 to 1991 and again from 1996 to 2006. After seizing power in a military coup, he ruled the country for 17 years, for most of that time under an officially Marxist-Leninist ideology, before he was stripped of his powers by the National Conference of...
- President of BeninBeninBenin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
(from Christianity to Islam back to Christianity). - Sheikh Deen Muhammad – British IndianBritish IndianThe term British Indian refers to citizens of the United Kingdom whose ancestral roots lie in India. This includes people born in the UK who are of Indian descent, and Indian-born people who have migrated to the UK...
traveller, surgeon and entrepreneurEntrepreneurAn entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
who introduced shampooShampooShampoo is a hair care product used for the removal of oils, dirt, skin particles, dandruff, environmental pollutants and other contaminant particles that gradually build up in hair...
ing and the IndianIndian cuisineIndian cuisine consists of thousands of regional cuisines which date back thousands of years. The dishes of India are characterised by the extensive use of various Indian spices, herbs, vegetables and fruit. Indian cuisine is also known for the widespread practice of vegetarianism in Indian society...
take-awayTake-outTake-out or takeout , carry-out , take-away , parcel , or tapau , is food purchased at a...
curry houseCurryCurry is a generic description used throughout Western culture to describe a variety of dishes from Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Thai or other Southeast Asian cuisines...
restaurant in BritainGreat BritainGreat Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, and was the first Indian to have written a book in the English languageIndian English literatureIndian English literature refers to the body of work by writers in India who write in the English language and whose native or co-native language could be one of the numerous languages of India. It is also associated with the works of members of the Indian diaspora, such as V.S...
. - Kitty KirkpatrickKitty KirkpatrickKatherine Aurora "Kitty" Kirkpatrick was born in India to James Achilles Kirkpatrick, British Resident in Hyderabad , and Khair-un-Nissa, a Hyderabadi noblewoman, but lived most of her life in England...
– Daughter of James Achilles KirkpatrickJames Achilles KirkpatrickLieutenant Colonel James Achilles Kirkpatrick was the British Resident at Hyderabad from 1798 to 1805. He also built the historic Koti Residency in Hyderabad, a landmark and major tourist attraction.-Biography :...
, British Resident in Hyderabad and Khair-un-Nissa, a Hyderabadi noblewoman. - Emily RueteEmily RueteEmily Ruete was born in Zanzibar as Sayyida Salme, Princess of Zanzibar and Oman. She was a daughter of Sayyid Said bin Sultan Al-Busaid, Sultan of Zanzibar and Oman...
– (born Sayyida Salme) Princess of ZanzibarZanzibarZanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
and OmanOmanOman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
. - Emir KusturicaEmir KusturicaEmir Nemanja Kusturica , is a Serbian filmmaker, actor and musician, recognized for several internationally acclaimed feature films...
– a SerbiaSerbiaSerbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n and YugoslaviaYugoslaviaYugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
n filmmaker and actor. - Daniel AliDaniel AliDaniel Ali is an Iraqi Kurdish author, speaker and Islamic scholar. He was born in Iraqi Kurdistan and lived through the ethnic cleansing and Anfal campaign during the Baathist period from 1975 to 1988. He has written two books Inside Islam: A Guide for Catholics Daniel Ali (born 1959) is an Iraqi...
- IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i Kurdish ChristianKurdish ChristiansKurdish Christians are Kurds who follow Christianity and mostly live in the Kurdistan region. The word is derived from the Greek words and . The Arabic word is also sometimes used. Kurdish Christians should not be confused with other historical Christian communities living in the area such as...
author and speaker; evangelizes in CatholicCatholicThe word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
, Protestant and Messianic Jewish circles. - Fernão LopezFernão LopezFernão Lopes was the first known permanent inhabitant of the remote Island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean, an island that later became famous as the site of Napoleon's exile and death....
– Portuguese nobleman, soldier and the first known permanent inhabitant of the remote Island of Saint HelenaSaint HelenaSaint Helena , named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which also includes Ascension Island and the islands of Tristan da Cunha...
in the South Atlantic Ocean. - Alexander Bekovich-CherkasskyAlexander Bekovich-CherkasskyPrince Alexander Bekovich-Cherkassky was a Russian officer of Circassian origin who led the first Russian military expedition into Central Asia.-Background:...
– Russian officer of Circassian origin who led the first Russian military expedition into Central AsiaCentral AsiaCentral Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
. - Umar ibn HafsunUmar ibn Hafsun`Umar ibn Hafsun ibn Ja'far ibn Salim , known in Spanish history as Omar ben Hafsun, was a 9th century Christian leader of anti-Ummayad dynasty forces in southern Iberia.-Ancestry:...
– Leader of anti-Ummayad dynasty forces in southern IberiaIberian PeninsulaThe Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
. Hafsun converted to Christianity with his sons and ruled over several mountain valleys for nearly forty years, having the castle Bobastro as his residence. - Casilda of ToledoCasilda of ToledoSaint Casilda of Toledo is venerated as a saint of the Catholic Church. Her feast day is April 9.According to her legend, St...
– Saint of the Roman Catholic Church. - Saint Alodia and Saint Nunilo – Christian martyrs and confessors who were put to death during the reign of Abd ar-Rahman IIAbd ar-Rahman IIAbd ar-Rahman II was Umayyad Emir of Córdoba in the Al-Andalus from 822 until his death.He was born in Toledo, the son of Emir Al-Hakam I...
, CaliphCaliphThe Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
of CórdobaCórdoba, Spain-History:The first trace of human presence in the area are remains of a Neanderthal Man, dating to c. 32,000 BC. In the 8th century BC, during the ancient Tartessos period, a pre-urban settlement existed. The population gradually learned copper and silver metallurgy...
for apostasy. - Aurelius and NataliaAurelius and NataliaAurelius and Natalia were Christian martyrs who were put to death during the reign of Abd ar-Rahman II, Emir of Córdoba, and are counted among the Martyrs of Córdoba....
– Christian martyrs who were put to death during the reign of Abd ar-Rahman II, Caliph of Córdoba for apostasy. - Johannes AvetaranianJohannes AvetaranianJohannes Avetaranian , born Mehmet Şükri, according to his autobiography a Turkish descendent of Prophet Muhammad, was originally a mullah in Turkey who converted from Islam to Christianity, and later became a missionary for the Swedish Mission Covenant Church in Southern Xinjiang...
– (born Muhammad Shukri Efendi), Christian missionary and Turkish descendent of Prophet Muhammad. - Paul MullaPaul MullaPaul Mulla or Monseigneur Paul was a Turkish Cretan who, after having been a fervent Muslim in his youth, had converted to the Roman Catholic Church and baptised in 1905, to the great sorrow of his father İbrahim Pertev, and was ordained priest in 1913. He was a disciple, and then the godson, of...
– Turkish scholar and professor of Islamic Studies at the Pontifical Oriental InstitutePontifical Oriental InstituteThe Pontifical Oriental Institute is the premier center for the study of Eastern Christianity in Rome, Italy....
. - Hamid PourmandHamid PourmandHamid Pourmand is a former army colonel in the Iranian army and a lay leader of the Jama'at-e Rabbani, the Iranian branch of the Assemblies of God church in Bandar-i-Bushehr, a southern port city in Iran.-Personal background:...
– Former Iranian army colonel and lay leader of the Jama'at-e Rabbani, the Iranian branch of the Assemblies of GodAssemblies of GodThe Assemblies of God , officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 140 autonomous but loosely-associated national groupings of churches which together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination...
church in IranIranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. - Donald FareedDonald FareedDonald Fareed is an Iranian born American Christian televangelist and President of the non-profit organization Persian Ministries International, which was founded by him. Fareed is an ordained minister and founding pastor of the Bay Area Persian Churches of San Mateo and Santa Clara in California...
– Iranian Christian tele-evangelist and minister. - Daveed Gartenstein-RossDaveed Gartenstein-RossDaveed Gartenstein-Ross is an American counter-terrorism expert and attorney living in Washington D.C. He is the Director of the Center for the Study of Terrorist Radicalization at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington-based think tank. He frequently consults on counter-terrorism...
- Counter-terrorism expert and attorney (from Judaism to Islam to Christianity). - Zachariah AnaniZachariah AnaniZachariah Anani is a former Sunni Muslim Lebanese militia fighter. He would later convert to Christianity and seek refuge in Canada in 1996.-Background:...
– Former Sunni Muslim Lebanese militia fighter - Malika OufkirMalika OufkirMalika Oufkir is a Moroccan writer and former "disappeared". She is the daughter of General Mohamed Oufkir and a cousin of fellow Moroccan writer and actress Leila Shenna....
– Author, activist and former prisoner of the Moroccan Royal Family.
- Ruffa GutierrezRuffa Gutiérrez-External links:**...
– FilipinaFilipino peopleThe Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
actress, modelModel (person)A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
and former beauty queenBeauty Queen"Beauty Queen" is the second song from Roxy Music's second album, For Your Pleasure. The lyrics refer to Ferry's girlfriend, Valerie Leon, one-time UK beauty queen, B-movie actress and model working in the Newcastle area, circa 1973.-Musicians:...
(from ChristianityChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
to IslamIslamIslam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
back to ChristianityChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
) - Fadhma Aït MansourFadhma Aït MansourMarguerite-Fadhma Aït Mansour Amrouche is the mother of writers Jean Amrouche and Taos Amrouche....
– Mother of French writers Jean AmroucheJean AmroucheJean-Elmouhoub Amrouche was a French-language Algerian poet. Born to a Catholic family in Kabylie in Algeria, Amrouche emigrated with his family to Tunisia while still young...
and Taos AmroucheTaos AmroucheMarie-Louise-Taos Amrouche was an Algerian writer and singer....
. - Imad ud-din LahizImad ud-din LahizRev. Mawlawi Dr. Imad ud-din Lahiz was a prolific Islamic writer, preacher and Quranic translator, who converted to Christianity. Imad-ud Din Lahiz wrote his autobiography in 1866....
– Prolific Islamic writer, preacher and Quranic translator. - Dr. Nur LukeDr. Nur LukeDr. Nur Luke was an Uyghur Bible translator from Hotan. He fled Xinjiang in the 1930s, and together with Gustaf Ahlbert, and Oskar Hermannson finished the translation of the Uyghur Bible in India. This was published by the British and Foreign Bible Society in 1946.-External links:*...
– UyghurUyghur languageUyghur , formerly known as Eastern Turk, is a Turkic language with 8 to 11 million speakers, spoken primarily by the Uyghur people in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of Western China. Significant communities of Uyghur-speakers are located in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and various other...
Bible translator. - Hakan Tastan and Turan TopalHakan Tastan and Turan TopalHakan Tastan and Turan Topal are two Turkish converts from Islam to Christianity who went on trial on November 23, 2006, several days before a visit to Turkey by Pope Benedict XVI on charges of "allegedly insulting 'Turkishness' and inciting religious hatred against Islam".Turan Topal converted to...
– Two Turkish Christian converts who went on trial in 2006, on charges of "allegedly insulting 'Turkishness' and inciting religious hatred against Islam". - Mohammed HegazyMohammed HegazyMohammed Hegazy is the first Egyptian Muslim convert to Christianity to seek official recognition of his conversion from the Egyptian Government.-Biography:Hegazy grew up in Port Said on the Suez Canal in Egypt...
– First Egyptian Muslim convert to Christianity to seek official recognition of his conversion from the Egyptian Government. - Maher El Gohary - Second Egyptian Muslim convert to Christianity to seek official recognition of his conversion from the Egyptian Government.
- Nagla al-Imam - Lawyer Female Egyptian convert to Christianity.
- Francis BokFrancis BokFrancis Piol Bol Bok , a Dinka tribesman and native of South Sudan, was a slave for ten years but is now an abolitionist and author living in the United States. On May 15, 1986, he was captured and enslaved at age seven during an Arab militia raid on the village of Nymlal in South Sudan during the...
– SudanSudanSudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
ese-American activist, convert to Islam from Christianity; but later returned to his Christian faith. - Josef MässrurJosef MässrurJosef Mässrur was a Christian Persian missionary to Chinese Turkestan with the Mission Union of Sweden....
– (born Ghäsim Khan) missionary to Chinese TurkestanTurkestanTurkestan, spelled also as Turkistan, literally means "Land of the Turks".The term Turkestan is of Persian origin and has never been in use to denote a single nation. It was first used by Persian geographers to describe the place of Turkish peoples...
with the Mission Union of Sweden. - Gulshan EstherGulshan EstherGulshan Esther is a Pakistani Christian, a convert from Islam, and the author of the book The Torn Veil.-Early life:...
– Pakistani convert from Islam to Christianity. - Ubayd-Allah ibn JahshUbayd-Allah ibn JahshUbayd-Allah ibn Jahsh was the brother of Zaynab bint Jahsh, Hammanah bint Jahsh and Abd-Allah ibn Jahsh. He is one of the four monotheistic hanifs mentioned by Ibn Ishaq. The others being Waraqah ibn Nawfal, Uthman ibn Huwarith and Zayd ibn Amr....
– Brother of Zaynab bint JahshZaynab bint JahshZaynab bint Jahsh was a wife of Muhammad and therefore a Mother of the Believers. Prior to this, she was briefly married to Muhammad's adopted son, Zayd ibn Harithah...
, the wife of Prophet Muhammad and one of the male SahabaSahabaIn Islam, the ' were the companions, disciples, scribes and family of the Islamic prophet...
(companions of the Prophet). - Jabalah ibn al-AihamJabalah ibn al-AihamJabalah Ibn Al-Aiham was the last ruler of the Ghassanid state in Syria and Jordan in the seventh century AD. He commanded a Christian Arab army in the Battle of Yarmouk in 636. After the Muslim conquest of the Levant he converted to Islam around the year 638...
– last ruler of the Ghassanid state in SyriaSyriaSyria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and JordanJordanJordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
in the seventh century AD. After the Islamic conquest of LevantLevantThe Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...
he converted to Islam in AD 638. He reverted to Christianity later on and lived in AnatoliaAnatoliaAnatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
until he died in AD 645. - Constantine the AfricanConstantine the AfricanConstantine the African was a Tunisian doctor of the eleventh century. The first part of his life was spent in Tunisia and the rest in Italy. In Salerno, Italy, he became a professor of medicine and his work attracted widespread attention...
– BaghdadBaghdadBaghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
-educated Muslim who died in 1087 as a Christian monk at Monte CassinoMonte CassinoMonte Cassino is a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, Italy, c. to the west of the town of Cassino and altitude. St. Benedict of Nursia established his first monastery, the source of the Benedictine Order, here around 529. It was the site of Battle of Monte Cassino in 1944...
. - EstevanicoEstevanicoEstevanico , "Black Stephen", "Esteban", "Esteban the Moor", "Estevan", "Estebanico", "Stephen the Black", "Stephen the Moor", "Stephen Dorantes" after his owner Andres Dorantes, and "Little Stephen") was the first known person born in Africa to have arrived in the present-day continental United...
– BerberBerber peopleBerbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are continuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis, in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River. Historically they spoke the Berber language or varieties of it, which together form a branch...
originally from MoroccoMoroccoMorocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and one of the early explorers of the Southwestern United StatesSouthwestern United StatesThe Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
. - Abraham of BulgariaAbraham of BulgariaAbraham of Bulgaria was a Christian convert from Islam later made a martyr and saint of the Russian Orthodox Church.He was born in Volga Bulgaria, amongst the Muslim Volga Bulgars in what is now Tatarstan, Russia. He grew to become a Islamic merchant, and was later converted to Christianity. He...
– Martyr and saint of the Russian Orthodox ChurchRussian Orthodox ChurchThe Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
.
- St. Adolphus – Christian martyr who was put to death along with his brother, John, by Abd ar-Rahman IIAbd ar-Rahman IIAbd ar-Rahman II was Umayyad Emir of Córdoba in the Al-Andalus from 822 until his death.He was born in Toledo, the son of Emir Al-Hakam I...
, CaliphCaliphThe Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
of CórdobaCórdoba, Spain-History:The first trace of human presence in the area are remains of a Neanderthal Man, dating to c. 32,000 BC. In the 8th century BC, during the ancient Tartessos period, a pre-urban settlement existed. The population gradually learned copper and silver metallurgy...
for apostasy. - Nasir SiddikiNasir SiddikiNasir K. Siddiki is a converted evangelist, author, and business consultant.-Early life and ministry:Siddiki was a very wealthy marketing executive at A.L...
– CanadianCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
evangelist, author, and business consultant. - Matthew AshimolowoMatthew AshimolowoMatthew Ashimolowo is the Senior Pastor of Kingsway International Christian Centre in London.His Winning Ways programme is aired daily on Premier Radio and Spirit FM and on television in Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, TV Africa, the Trinity Broadcasting Network and Europe on The God Channel and...
– Nigerian-bornNigeriaNigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
British pastor and evangelist. - Michał Czajkowski – PolishPolesthumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
-CossackCossackCossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...
writer and political emigre who worked both for the resurrection of PolandPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and the reestablishment of a Cossack UkraineUkraineUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. - Stefan RazvanStefan RazvanŞtefan Răzvan was a Rom from the historical Romanian state of Wallachia, who became the Voivode of Moldavia .-Biography:...
– Gypsy prince who ruled MoldaviaMoldaviaMoldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...
for six months in 1595. - SkanderbegSkanderbegGeorge Kastrioti Skanderbeg or Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu , widely known as Skanderbeg , was a 15th-century Albanian lord. He was appointed as the governor of the Sanjak of Dibra by the Ottomans in 1440...
– AlbaniaAlbaniaAlbania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
n monarch and military leader. Skanderbeg converted to Islam from Christianity but reverted back to Christianity later in life.
- Amir SjarifuddinAmir SjarifuddinAmir Sjarifuddin Harahap, also spelled Amir Sjarifoeddin Harahap was a socialist politician and one of the Indonesian Republic's first leaders, becoming Prime Minister during the country's National Revolution. A Christian convert from a Muslim Batak family, Amir was a major leader of the Left...
– IndonesiaIndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n socialist leader who later became the second prime minister of Indonesia during its National Revolution. - Dr.Thomas Yayi BoniYayi BoniDr. Thomas Yayi Boni , a Beninese banker and politician, is the current President of Benin. He took office on 6 April 2006 after winning elections held in the previous month.-Biography:...
– President of BeninBeninBenin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
. - Al-Mu'eiyyadAl-Mu'eiyyadAl-Mu'eiyyad was the third son of the Abbasid caliph, Al-Mutawakkil and the brother of Al-Muntasir and Al-Mu'tazz, who both would eventually become Caliphs as well....
– AbbasidAbbasidThe Abbasid Caliphate or, more simply, the Abbasids , was the third of the Islamic caliphates. It was ruled by the Abbasid dynasty of caliphs, who built their capital in Baghdad after overthrowing the Umayyad caliphate from all but the al-Andalus region....
prince and third son of Abbasid caliph, Al-MutawakkilAl-MutawakkilAl-Mutawakkil ʻAlā Allāh Jaʻfar ibn al-Muʻtasim was an Abbasid caliph who reigned in Samarra from 847 until 861...
. He was converted to Christianity along with his three confidants by St. Theodore of Edessa, accepting the name "John" upon baptism. - Aben HumeyaAben HumeyaAben Humeya was a Spanish leader who commanded the Morisco Revolt against Philip II of Spain in the Alpujarras region, near Granada.-Early life:...
– (born Fernando de Valor) MoriscoMoriscoMoriscos or Mouriscos , meaning "Moorish", were the converted Christian inhabitants of Spain and Portugal of Muslim heritage. Over time the term was used in a pejorative sense applied to those nominal Catholics who were suspected of secretly practicing Islam.-Demographics:By the beginning of the...
Chief who was crowned the EmirEmirEmir , meaning "commander", "general", or "prince"; also transliterated as Amir, Aamir or Ameer) is a title of high office, used throughout the Muslim world...
of AndalusiaAndalusiaAndalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
by his followers and led the Morisco RevoltMorisco RevoltThe Morisco Revolt , also known as War of Las Alpujarras or Revolt of Las Alpujarras, in what is now Andalusia in southern Spain, was a rebellion against the Crown of Castile by the remaining Muslim converts to Christianity from the Kingdom of Granada.-The defeat of Muslim Spain:In the wake of the...
against Philip II of SpainPhilip II of SpainPhilip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
. - Rudolf Carl von SlatinRudolf Carl von SlatinMajor-General Rudolf Anton Carl Freiherr von Slatin, Geh. Rat, GCVO, KCMG, CB was an Anglo-Austrian soldier and administrator in the Sudan.- Early life :...
– Anglo-AustriaAustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n soldier and administrator in the SudanSudanSudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
. - Shams PahlaviShams PahlaviPrincess Shams ul-Mulk Pahlavi Persian:شمس پهلوی was the elder sister of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran...
– Iranian princess and the elder sister of Mohammad Reza PahlaviMohammad Reza PahlaviMohammad Rezā Shāh Pahlavi, Shah of Iran, Shah of Persia , ruled Iran from 16 September 1941 until his overthrow by the Iranian Revolution on 11 February 1979...
, Shah of IranIranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. - Saye ZerboSaye ZerboColonel Saye Zerbo was a President of Upper Volta from 25 November 1980 to 7 November 1982. He led a coup in 1980, but was resisted by trade unions and was overthrown by Maj. Dr.Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo and the Council of Popular Salvation .Zerbo comes from Tougan in Sourou Province in the western...
– President of the republic of Upper VoltaRepublic of Upper VoltaThe Republic of Upper Volta was established on December 11, 1958, as a self-governing colony within the French Community. Before attaining autonomy it had been French Upper Volta and part of the French Union. On August 5, 1960 it attained full independence from France.Thomas Sankara came to power...
(now Burkina FasoBurkina FasoBurkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
). - Zaida of SevilleZaida of SevilleZaida of Seville was a refugee Muslim princess who was a mistress and then perhaps queen of Alfonso VI of Castile.She is said by Iberian Muslim sources to have been the daughter-in-law of Al Mutamid, the Muslim King of Seville, wife of his son Abu al Fatah al Ma'Mun, Emir of Cordoba,...
– Refugee Andalusian Muslim princess who was a mistress and then perhaps queen of Alfonso VI of CastileAlfonso VI of CastileAlfonso VI , nicknamed the Brave or the Valiant, was King of León from 1065, King of Castile and de facto King of Galicia from 1072, and self-proclaimed "Emperor of all Spain". After the conquest of Toledo he was also self-proclaimed victoriosissimo rege in Toleto, et in Hispania et Gallecia...
. - Djibril CisséDjibril CisséDjibril Aruun Cissé is a French international footballer who currently plays for Serie A club Lazio as a striker. He is noted particularly for his speed and acceleration. Since 2005, he has held the title of Lord of the Manor of Frodsham....
– footballer for club and country. - Sedar Dedeoglu – a TurkTurkish peopleTurkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
who claims to be a descendant of IslamIslamIslam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
's prophet MuhammadMuhammadMuhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
has converted to ChristianityChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
while living in GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. - Majeed Rashid Mohammed – a Kurdish ChristianKurdish ChristiansKurdish Christians are Kurds who follow Christianity and mostly live in the Kurdistan region. The word is derived from the Greek words and . The Arabic word is also sometimes used. Kurdish Christians should not be confused with other historical Christian communities living in the area such as...
convert from IslamIslamIslam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. He established a network with former KurdKürdKürd or Kyurd or Kyurt may refer to:*Kürd Eldarbəyli, Azerbaijan*Kürd Mahrızlı, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Goychay, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Jalilabad, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Qabala, Azerbaijan*Qurdbayram, Azerbaijan...
ish MuslimMuslimA Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s with about 2,000 members today. - Muhsin MuhammadMuhsin MuhammadMuhsin Muhammad II is a retired American football wide receiver who played for the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Panthers in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft...
– Football player for Carolina PanthersCarolina PanthersThe Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion... - Josephine BakhitaJosephine BakhitaJosephine Bakhita was a Sudanese-born former slave who became a Roman Catholic Canossian nun in Italy, living and working there for 45 years. In 2000, she was declared a saint by the Roman Catholic Church.-Early life:...
– - Mario Joseph (Moulvi Sulaiman) – Former Muslim cleric from Kerala,India
- Taysir Abu SaadaTaysir Abu SaadaTaysir Abu Saada is a former member of the PLO and the founder of the Christian Ministry Hope For Ishmael after he converted to Christianity. He was Yasir Arafat's personal driver.He eventually moved to the United States...
- a former member of the PLO and the founder of the christian ministry Hope For Ishmael after he converted to christianityChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. He was Yasir Arafat's personal driver.
Converted to JudaismJudaismJudaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
- Reza Jabari – Israeli of Iranian birth who hijacked a flight between TehranTehranTehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
and the Iranian resort island of Kish in September, 1995 while working as a flight attendant for Iranian carrier Kish Air flight 707. - Avraham SinaiAvraham SinaiAvraham Sinai was a Lebanese Shia until he converted to Judaism. According to an interview he served as an informant for the Israelis while serving in Hezbollah, until his actions were uncovered. He fled to Israel after being exposed of spying on multiple organization and subsequently converted...
– Lebanese former Shi'ite who converted to Judaism. He served as an informant for the Israelis while serving in Hezbollah, until his actions were uncovered. He fled to Israel and subsequently converted.
Converted to the Bahá'í FaithBahá'í FaithThe Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
Bahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
. They were formerly Muslims.
- Mírzá Abu'l-FadlMírzá Abu'l-Fadl' , or ' was the foremost Bahá'í scholar who helped spread the Bahá'í Faith in Egypt, Turkmenistan, and the United States. He is one of the few Apostles of Bahá'u'lláh who never actually met Bahá'u'lláh...
– Foremost Bahá'í scholar who helped spread the Bahá'í Faith in Egypt, TurkmenistanTurkmenistanTurkmenistan , formerly also known as Turkmenia is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic . Turkmenistan is one of the six independent Turkic states...
, and the United States. One of the few Apostles of Bahá'u'lláhApostles of Bahá'u'lláhThe Apostles of Bahá'u'lláh were nineteen eminent early followers of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. The apostles were designated as such by Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, and the list was included in The Bahá'í World, Vol...
who never actually met Bahá'u'lláhBahá'u'lláhBahá'u'lláh , born ' , was the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. He claimed to be the prophetic fulfilment of Bábism, a 19th-century outgrowth of Shí‘ism, but in a broader sense claimed to be a messenger from God referring to the fulfilment of the eschatological expectations of Islam, Christianity, and...
. - Mishkín-QalamMishkín-QalamMírzá Ḥusayn-i-Isfahání surnamed Mishkín-Qalam , was a prominent Bahá'í and one of the nineteen Apostles of Bahá'u'lláh, as well as a famous calligrapher of 19th century Persia...
- Prominent Bahá'íBahá'í FaithThe Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
and one of the nineteen Apostles of Bahá'u'lláhApostles of Bahá'u'lláhThe Apostles of Bahá'u'lláh were nineteen eminent early followers of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. The apostles were designated as such by Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, and the list was included in The Bahá'í World, Vol...
, as well as a famous calligrapherCalligraphyCalligraphy is a type of visual art. It is often called the art of fancy lettering . A contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner"...
of 19th century Persia. - TáhirihTáhirihTáhirih or Qurratu'l-`Ayn are both titles of Fátimih Baraghání , an influential poet and theologian of the Bábí Faith in Iran. Her life, influence and execution made her a key figure of the religion...
- Persian poetess and theologian of the BábíBabiBabi may refer to:* Babı, a municipality in Azerbaijan* Babi Dynasty, founded in 1735 by Muhammed Sher Khan Babi , Nawabs of this dynasty went on to rule over Junagadh in Gujarat, from the 18th to the 20th century....
faith in Iran. - Nabíl-i-A'zam- Bahá'í historian and one of the nineteen Apostles of Bahá'u'lláh
- Hají ÁkhúndHají ÁkhúndḤají Mullá `Alí-Akbar Shahmírzádí , known as Ḥají Ákhúnd was an eminent follower of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, a global religion of Persian origin. He was appointed a Hand of the Cause, and identified as one of the nineteen Apostles of Bahá'u'lláh.- Background :Hají Ákhúnd was...
- Eminent follower of Bahá'u'lláhBahá'u'lláhBahá'u'lláh , born ' , was the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. He claimed to be the prophetic fulfilment of Bábism, a 19th-century outgrowth of Shí‘ism, but in a broader sense claimed to be a messenger from God referring to the fulfilment of the eschatological expectations of Islam, Christianity, and...
. He was appointed a Hand of the Cause, and identified as one of the nineteen Apostles of Bahá'u'lláh. - Ibn-i-AbharIbn-i-AbharḤájí Mírzá Muḥammad-Taqí known as Ibn-i-Abhar , was an eminent follower of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, a global religion of Persian origin. He was appointed a Hand of the Cause, and identified as one of the nineteen Apostles of Bahá'u'lláh.-Background:Ibn-i-Abhar was...
– appointed a Hand of the Cause, and identified as one of the nineteen Apostles of Bahá'u'lláh. - Mírzá MahmúdMírzá Mahmúd' also known by the appellation Fádil-i-Furúghí, was an eminent follower of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, a global religion of Persian origin...
– Eminent follower of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. - Núrayn-i-NayyiraynNúrayn-i-NayyiraynNúrayn-i-Nayyirayn are two brothers who were followers of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith, a global religion of Persian origin. They were beheaded in 1879 as a result of being Bahá'ís...
– two brothers who were beheaded in the city of Isfahan in 1879.
Became AtheistsAtheismAtheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
- Jim Al-KhaliliJim Al-KhaliliJim Al-Khalili OBE is an Iraqi-born British theoretical physicist, author and science communicator. He is Professor of Theoretical Physics and Chair in the Public Engagement in Science at the University of Surrey...
an English-Iraqi physicist. - Kareem AmerKareem AmerAbdul Kareem Nabeel Suleiman Amer is an Egyptian blogger and former law student. He was arrested by Egyptian authorities for posts on his that were considered to be anti-religious and insulting to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak...
an Egyptian blogger - Tariq AliTariq AliTariq Ali , , is a British Pakistani military historian, novelist, journalist, filmmaker, public intellectual, political campaigner, activist, and commentator...
– is a British-Pakistani historian, novelist, filmmaker, political campaigner, and commentator. - Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi 10th century Muslim scientist
- Ayaan Hirsi AliAyaan Hirsi AliAyaan Hirsi Magan Ali is a Somali-Dutch feminist and atheist activist, writer, politician who strongly opposes circumcision and female genital cutting. She is the daughter of the Somali politician and opposition leader Hirsi Magan Isse and is a founder of the women's rights organisation the AHA...
– SomaliSomaliaSomalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
-born DutchNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
feminist, writer, and politician. - Ismael Adham – Egyptian writer and philosopher.
- Loubna BerradaLoubna BerradaLoubna Berrada is a Dutch liberal politician and founding and now former member of the Central Committee for Ex-Muslims. Berrada was raised in a Moroccan immigrant family strictly abiding by Islamic customs. In her twenties she rejected Islam, and the negative reactions to her apostasy made her...
– Dutch liberal politician and former member of the Central Committee for Ex-Muslims. - Ali SoilihAli SoilihAli Soilih, full name Ali Soilih Mtsashiwa, was a Comorian socialist revolutionary and political figure.-Biography:...
– Comorian socialist revolutionary and president of the ComorosComorosThe Comoros , officially the Union of the Comoros is an archipelago island nation in the Indian Ocean, located off the eastern coast of Africa, on the northern end of the Mozambique Channel, between northeastern Mozambique and northwestern Madagascar...
. - Aziz NesinAziz NesinAziz Nesin was a famous Turkish writer and humorist of Crimean Tatar origin and author of more than 100 books.-Pseudonyms:...
– Popular Turkish humorist and author of more than 100 books. - Zackie AchmatZackie AchmatZackie Achmat is a South African activist, most widely known as founder and chairman of the Treatment Action Campaign and for his work on the behalf of people living with HIV and AIDS in South Africa.-Early life:...
– South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n anti-HIV/AIDS activist; founder of the Treatment Action CampaignTreatment Action CampaignThe Treatment Action Campaign is a South African AIDS activist organization which was founded by the HIV-positive activist Zackie Achmat in 1998. TAC is rooted in the experiences, direct action tactics and anti-apartheid background of its founder...
. - Humayun AzadHumayun AzadHumayun Azad was a prolific Bangladeshi author and scholar. He wrote more than seventy titles...
– BangladeshBangladeshBangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
i writer and scholar. - Turan DursunTuran DursunTuran Dursun was a Turkish Islamic scholar and a writer. His work heavily criticizes Islam and its founders.He first worked as a religious officer before becoming an atheist during his study of the history of monotheistic religions. Dursun wrote a number of books about religion, which included...
– Turkish writer. He was once a Turkish muftiMuftiA mufti is a Sunni Islamic scholar who is an interpreter or expounder of Islamic law . In religious administrative terms, a mufti is roughly equivalent to a deacon to a Sunni population...
and later authored many books critical of Islam. - Ehsan JamiEhsan JamiEhsan Jami is a Dutch politician of Iranian origin. From March 7, 2006 until November 6, 2007 he was member of the city council of Leidschendam-Voorburg on behalf of the Dutch Labour Party . From that date until 2010 he continued to be a member of the city council as independent member 'fraction...
– Dutch politician and founder of the Dutch Central Committee for Ex-MuslimsCentral Committee for Ex-MuslimsThe Central Committee for Ex-Muslims was a Dutch committee that aimed to aid Muslims who wish to leave Islam through the constitutional right of freedom of religion...
. - Enver HoxhaEnver HoxhaEnver Halil Hoxha was a Marxist–Leninist revolutionary andthe leader of Albania from the end of World War II until his death in 1985, as the First Secretary of the Party of Labour of Albania...
– Communist dictator who declared AlbaniaAlbaniaAlbania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
the first atheist state, and who has been identified as an "arch-atheist." - As'ad Abu Khalil – Lebanese professor of political sciencePolitical sciencePolitical Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
at California State UniversityCalifornia State UniversityThe California State University is a public university system in the state of California. It is one of three public higher education systems in the state, the other two being the University of California system and the California Community College system. It is incorporated as The Trustees of the...
, Stanislaus. He describes himself as an "atheist secularist". - Al-Ma'arriAl-Ma'arriAbul ʿAla Al-Maʿarri was a blind Arab philosopher, poet and writer....
– Blind Arab philosopher, poet and writer. - SarmadSarmadMuhammad Sa'id, mostly known as Sarmad Kashani or simply as Sarmad was a Persian mystic, poet and saint who travelled to and made the Indian subcontinent his permanent home during the 17th century...
– 17th century mystical poet and sufi saint, arrived from Persia to IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, beheaded for assumed heresy by the MughalMughal EmpireThe Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
emperor, Aurungzebe. Sarmad renounced Judaism, briefly converting to Islam and then Hinduism. He later denounced all religions and rejected belief in god. - Lounès MatoubLounès MatoubLounès Matoub was a famous Berber Kabyle singer and mondol player who was a prominent advocate of the Berber cause and secularism in Algeria throughout his life.He is revered as a hero and martyr in Kabylie and the Berber World but reviled by most of the Arab...
– AlgeriaAlgeriaAlgeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
n BerberBerber peopleBerbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are continuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis, in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River. Historically they spoke the Berber language or varieties of it, which together form a branch...
KabyleKabyle peopleThe Kabyle people are the largest homogeneous Algerian ethno-cultural and linguistical community and the largest nation in North Africa to be considered exclusively Berber. Their traditional homeland is Kabylie in the north of Algeria, one hundred miles east of Algiers...
singer. - Afshin Ellian Iranian professor
- Ramiz AliaRamiz Aliawas the second and last communist leader of Albania from 1985-91, and the President of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania from 1991 to 1992, and also the first President of the post communist Albania elected in 1991-92. He had been designated as successor by Enver Hoxha and took power after...
– Albanian communist leader and former president of AlbaniaAlbaniaAlbania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
. - Salman Rushdie – BritishUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n novelist and essayist. - Hassan BaharaHassan BaharaHassan Bahara is a Moroccan-Dutch writer. He grew up in Amsterdam. He won the "El Hizjra Prize for Literature" in both 2000 and 2001. Een verhaal uit de stad Damsko is his debut novel. Bahara is editor for the satirical literary weekly Propria Cures. Bahara is an atheist and critical of...
– Moroccan-Dutch writer. - Hafid BouazzaHafid BouazzaHafid Bouazza is a Moroccan-Dutch writer. Bouazza came to the Netherlands in October 1977 as a seven-year-old boy. He lived with his parents in the village Arkel, near Gorinchem, until he went to study Arabic language and literature at the University of Amsterdam. He received the E...
– Moroccan-Dutch writer. - Hossein DerakhshanHossein DerakhshanHossein Derakhshan , also known as Hoder, is an Iranian blogger. He is credited with starting the blogging revolution in Iran and is called the father of Persian blogging by many journalists. He also helped to promote podcasting in Iran...
– Iranian-Canadian journalist and weblogger. - Ismail KadareIsmail KadareIsmail Kadare is an Albanian writer. He is known for his novels, although he was first noticed for his poetry collections. In the 1960s he focused on short stories until the publication of his first novel, The General of the Dead Army. In 1996 he became a lifetime member of the Academy of Moral...
– World-renowned Albanian writer. - Maryam NamazieMaryam NamazieMaryam Namazie is a human rights activist, commentator and broadcaster. Namazie has served as the executive director of the International Federation of Iranian Refugees. She is spokesperson for the One Law for All Campaign against Sharia Law in Britain. The campaign is opposed to faith based laws...
– Iranian communist, political activist and leader of the British apostate-organization "Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain" - Anwar ShaikhAnwar ShaikhMohammad Anwar Shaikh was a Punjabi-born Pakistani author residing in Cardiff. He was born into an Islamic Sunni family of Kashmiri ancestry in Gujrat, Punjab. His mother could recite a large part of the Qur'an from memory...
– British author of Pakistani descent. - Zohra SehgalZohra SehgalZohra Segal is an Indian stage and film actress, who started her career as dancer with dancer Uday Shankar in 1935 and worked with him for the next eight years. She has appeared in many Bollywood films as well as English language films and television series...
– Indian actress who has appeared in several Hindi and English language films. - Mirza Fatali AkhundovMirza Fatali AkhundovMirza Fatali Akhundov , former – Akhundzade , was a celebrated Azerbaijani author, playwright, philosopher, and founder of modern literary criticism, "who acquired fame primarily as the writer of European-inspired plays in the Azeri language"...
– 19th century AzerbaijanAzerbaijanAzerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
i playwright and philosopher. - Taslima NasrinTaslima NasrinTaslima Nasrin is a Bengali Bangladeshi ex-doctor turned author who has been living in exile since 1994. From a modest literary profile in the late 1980s, she rose to global fame by the end of the 20th century owing to her feminist views and her criticism of Islam in particular and of religion in...
– Bangladeshi author, feminist, human rights activist and secular humanist. - Parvin DarabiParvin DarabiDr. Parvin Darabi Tehran is an Iranian born American activist, writer and an internationally recognized defender of women’s rights.-Background:...
- Iranian born American activist, writer and woman's rights activist. - Ramil GuliyevRamil GuliyevRamil Guliyev is a Azerbaijani-born Turkish sprint athlete. He competes in the 100 meters and 200 meters events. He competed at the 2009 European Athletics Junior Championships, winning a silver medal in the 100 m and a gold medal in the 200 m.He holds the national and...
sprinter, born to shia parents, he is now "non-religious". - Barack Obama, Sr.Barack Obama, Sr.Barack Hussein Obama, Sr. was a Kenyan senior governmental economist and the father of U.S. President Barack Obama. He is a central subject in his son's memoir, Dreams from My Father.-Early life:...
was a KenyaKenyaKenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
n senior governmental economistEconomistAn economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
, and the fatherFatherA father, Pop, Dad, or Papa, is defined as a male parent of any type of offspring. The adjective "paternal" refers to father, parallel to "maternal" for mother...
of Barack ObamaBarack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in... - Nyamko SabuniNyamko SabuniNyamko Ana Sabuni is a politician, currently serving as Minister for Integration and Gender Equality in the Swedish government. She is a member of the Liberal People's Party...
politician in SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... - Ali SinaAli Sina (ex-Muslim)Ali Sina is a strong critic of Islam and the founder of Faith Freedom International, which he describes as a grassroots movement of ex-Muslims.Ali Sina claims that thousands of Muslims have left Islam after reading his articles and books.-Background:...
owner of the faith freedom website - Charles WardleCharles WardleCharles Frederick Wardle was a Conservative Party member of the British Parliament for Bexhill and Battle.He announced he would not contest the 2001 election in early 2000 after it was disclosed that he was doing consultancy for Mohammed Al-Fayed. He was replaced by Gregory Barker in the 2001...
former militant convert to Islam from New Zealand. Worked for the NZSIS. - Kumail NanjianiKumail Nanjiani-Career:Born in Karachi, Nanjiani lived in Pakistan until he moved to the United States when he was 18 and attended Grinnell College in Iowa. Since beginning his career in Chicago, he has performed standup on a number of television programs including the Late Show With David Letterman, Late Night...
Pakistani AmericanPakistani AmericanA Pakistani American is any citizen or resident of the United States who has Pakistani heritage.- History in the United States :Muslim immigrants from areas that are now part of Pakistan have been migrating to America and first entered the United States as early as the eighteenth century, working...
stand-up comic and actorActorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
.
Became AgnosticsAgnosticismAgnosticism is the view that the truth value of certain claims—especially claims about the existence or non-existence of any deity, but also other religious and metaphysical claims—is unknown or unknowable....
- Seema MustafaSeema MustafaSeema Mustafa is an Indian journalist. She is the former Political Editor and Delhi Bureau Chief of The Asian Age newspaper published in India. Her op-ed column appeared on Saturdays. These were syndicated to several newspapers, including The Deccan Chronicle from Bangalore, India and The Dawn...
– Indian journalist, Political EditorPolitical EditorThe political editor of a newspaper or broadcast media is the senior political reporter who covers politics and related matters for the newspaper or station...
and DelhiDelhiDelhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
Bureau ChiefNews bureauA News bureau is an office for gathering or distributing news. Similar terms are used for specialized bureaus, often to indicate geographic location or scope of coverage: a ‘Tokyo bureau’ refers to a given news operation's office in Tokyo; foreign bureau is a generic term for a news office set up...
of The Asian Age newspaper. - Javed AkhtarJaved AkhtarJaved Akhtar is a poet, lyricist and scriptwriter from India. Some of his most successful work was done in the late 1970s and 1980s with Salim Khan as half of the script-writing duo credited as Salim-Javed...
– noted Indian writer, lyricist, TV show host and secular and nationalist activist - HaifaHaifaHaifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
– Talk show hostess - Shabana AzmiShabana AzmiShabana Azmi is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. An alumna of the Film and Television Institute of India of Pune, she made her film debut in 1974 and soon became one of the leading actresses of parallel cinema, an Indian New Wave movement known for its serious content and...
– noted Indian movie actress and activist, married to Javed Akhtar - Cenk UygurCenk UygurCenk Kadir Uygur , is the main host and co-founder of the liberal Internet and talk radio show, The Young Turks . A naturalized U.S. citizen, Uygur was born in Turkey and raised from age eight in the United States. He worked as an attorney in Washington D.C. and New York before beginning his career...
– Main host of the liberal talk radio show The Young Turks. He is an agnostic. - Wafa SultanWafa SultanWafa Sultan is a medical doctor who trained as a psychiatrist in Syria, and an American author and critic of Muslim society and Islam.-Life and career:Sultan was born into a large traditional Alawite Muslim family in Baniyas, Syria....
– Syrian-born American psychiatrist and controversial critic of Islam. She describes herself as a "Secular Humanist" - Ibn WarraqIbn WarraqIbn Warraq is the pen name of a polemical author of Pakistani origin who is critical of Islam, and who founded the Institute for the Secularisation of Islamic Society . He is a senior research fellow at the Center for Inquiry focusing on Qur'anic criticism...
– British Pakistani secularist author and founder of the Institute for the Secularisation of Islamic SocietyInstitute for the Secularisation of Islamic SocietyThe Institute for the Secularisation of Islamic Society is an organization of writers that promotes the ideas of secularism, democracy and human rights within Islamic society. It is part of the Center for Inquiry.... - Mina AhadiMina AhadiMina Ahadi is an Austrian human rights activist. As an Iranian born Communist political activist she is a current member of the Central Committee and Politburo of the Worker-Communist Party of Iran....
– Iranian-born pacifist, founder of the German apostate-organization "Zentralrat der Ex-Muslime" - Dr. Younus Shaikh – Pakistani medical doctor, human rights activist, rationalist and free-thinker.
- Ibn al-RawandiIbn al-RawandiAbu al-Hasan Ahmad ibn Yahya ibn Ishaq al-Rawandi , commonly known as Ibn al-Rawandi , was an early skeptic of Islam and a critic of religion in general. In his early days he was a Mutazilite scholar, but after rejecting the Mutazilite doctrine he adhered to Shia Islam for a brief period of time...
– early skeptic of Islam. - Farhan Qureshi - former Muslim apologist
Became Deists
- Mamadou NiangMamadou NiangMamadou Niang is a Senegalese footballer who plays as a forward for Qatar club Al Sadd in the Qatar National First Division. He has represented Senegal at international level, participating in the 2004, 2006, and 2008 African Cup of Nations. He wears the number 7 jersey...
is a SenegalSenegalSenegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
ese football forward - Amin AsikainenAmin Asikainen"Idi" Amin Asikainen is a Finnish former boxer. He was European Boxing Union Middleweight Champion between in 2006–2007.His nickname comes from the similarity with Idi Amin.-Early life:...
– boxer - Mirza DelibašićMirza DelibašicMirza Delibašić was a Bosnian basketball player. He was born in Tuzla, located in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the former Yugoslavia.- Career :...
– was a BosnianBosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
basketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player. - Azra AkınAzra AkinAzra Akın is a Dutch born Turkish model and actress. She is a beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss World 2002 and Miss Turkey 2002.-Biography:...
– a model from Turkey - Ahmad KasraviAhmad KasraviAhmad Kasravi , was a notable Iranian linguist, historian, and reformer.Born in Hokmabad , Tabriz, Iran, Kasravi was an Iranian Azeri Initially, Kasravi enrolled in a seminary. Later, he joined the Iranian Constitutional Revolution...
– was a notable IranIranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian linguistLinguisticsLinguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
, historianHistorianA historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, and reformer. - Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi or Rhazes (865925), Persian polymath, physician, alchemist and chemist, philosopher, and scholar.
Converted to BuddhismBuddhismBuddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
- Tillakaratne DilshanTillakaratne DilshanTillakaratne Mudiyanselage Dilshan born October 14, 1976 in Kalutara, Sri Lanka is a Sri Lankan cricketer and captain of the Sri Lanka national cricket team since April 2011. He has been a member of the team since November 1999, and was also known as Tuwan Mohammad Dilshan prior to his conversion...
– Sri LankanSri LankaSri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
cricketer. - Wong Ah KiuWong Ah KiuWong Ah Kiu , legally known as Nyonya Binti Tahir, was a Malaysian woman born to a Muslim family but raised Buddhist...
– Malaysian of mixed Chinese and Malay descent. She was raised as a Buddhist. - Kenneth Pai – Chinese AmericanChinese AmericanChinese Americans represent Americans of Chinese descent. Chinese Americans constitute one group of overseas Chinese and also a subgroup of East Asian Americans, which is further a subgroup of Asian Americans...
writer of HuiHui peopleThe Hui people are an ethnic group in China, defined as Chinese speaking people descended from foreign Muslims. They are typically distinguished by their practice of Islam, however some also practice other religions, and many are direct descendants of Silk Road travelers.In modern People's...
descent. - Mehmet SchollMehmet SchollMehmet Scholl is a former German football player with Turkish-German ancestry. He played most of his career as an attacking midfielder for Bayern Munich...
– German football and follower of Buddhist principles - RZARZARobert Fitzgerald Diggs, better known by his stage name RZA , is an American Grammy-winning music producer, multi-instrumentalist, author, emcee, and occasional actor, director, and screenwriter. A prominent figure in Hip Hop, RZA is the de facto leader of the Wu-Tang Clan. He has produced almost...
– rapper and actor, with the Wu-Tang ClanWu-Tang ClanThe Wu-Tang Clan is a hip-hop group from Staten Island that consists of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. They are frequently joined by fellow childhood friend Cappadonna, a quasi member of the group...
who now incorporate aspects of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism into his spiritual beliefs
Converted to HinduismHinduismHinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
- Aasish Khan, the son of sarod maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan
- Annapurna Devi (born Roshanara Khan) – Surbahar (bass sitar) player and music teacher in the North Indian classical tradition
- Asha GawliAsha GawliAsha Gawli is the wife of Arun Gawli, member of the Legislative Assembly for Maharashtra. Asha Gawli was a Muslim with the name Ayesha before she got married to Arun Gawli. She was investigated in 1998 for the murder of a man connected with her husband, a former underworld figure...
– (born Ayesha) Wife of Arun GawliArun GawliArun Gulab Gawli , known to his followers as "Daddy", is an alleged criminal turned politician from Mumbai, India. He is based at Dagdi Chawl in Byculla- Saat Rasta, Mumbai...
, notorious gangster turned politician from MumbaiMumbaiMumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. - Bukka I – King of Vijayanagara empire who converted to Islam, then reconverted. The early life of Bukka as well as his brother Hakka (also known as Harihara I) are relatively unknown and most accounts of their early life are based on theories.
- Chander MohanChander MohanChander Mohan, is the former Deputy Chief Minister of Haryana State in India. He was dismissed from the State Cabinet for his prolonged absence from the office. Mohan is a former student of Lawrence School Sanawar. He resurfaced, after marrying Anuradha Bali alias Fiza and converting to Islam with...
– Former Deputy Chief Minister of Haryana StateHaryanaHaryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
in IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. - Harihara IHarihara IHarihara I , also called Hakka ಹಕ್ಕ and Vira Harihara I, was the founder of the Vijayanagara empire. He was Bhavana Sangama’s eldest son, belonged to the Kuruba clan and was founder of the Sangama dynasty, the first among the four dynasties that ruled Vijayanagara...
– King of Vijayanagara empire who converted to Islam, then reconverted - Haridas Thakura – Prominent Vaishnavite saint born in 1450, instrumental in the early appearance and spread of Hare Krishna movement. He used to chat "Hare Krishna" 300,000 times daily! His Muslim name remains unknown to this day.
- Hassan PalakkodeHassan PalakkodePalakkode K. Hassan also known as Kamal Hassan and Hassan Palakkode is a Malayali writer from Kerala who converted to Hinduism. He has been a contributor to many religious periodicals in India....
Muslim scholar - Harilal GandhiHarilal GandhiHarilal Mohandas Gandhi , was the first son of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.-Early life:Harilal wanted to go to England for higher studies and hoped to become a barrister as his father had once been...
– He was the son of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and converted to Islam. He was in Islam for a few months, before reverting back to Hinduism. - Ifa SudewiIfa SudewiIfa Sudewi is the first female judge to be appointed to the 2002 Bali bombings trials. She was educated in Solo, Java in indonesia. She became a judge in 1990. She is a former Muslim, converting to Hinduism in later life.-References:...
– Chief judge for the 2002 Bali bombing trials in Indonesia. - Khushboo Sundar (born Khushboo Khan) – Tamil movie actress
- Nadira BabbarNadira BabbarNadira Babbar is an Indian theatre actress, director and an actress in Hindi cinema, who is the recipient of Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2001. A leading name in Indian theatre, Nadira founded a Mumbai-based theatre group called Ekjute, a known name in Hindi theatre in 1981...
(born Nadira Zaheer)] – Wife of actor turned politician Raj Babbar. She converted to Hinduism upon marriage. She was the daughter of communist leader Syed Sajjad Zaheer and Urdu writer Razia Sajjad Zaheer. - Nafisa Ali, former Miss India and leading social activist]
- Nargis Dutt (Fatima Rashid), famous Bollywood actress]
- Netaji PalkarNetaji PalkarNetaji Palkar was the second Sarnaubat in the army of Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha empire in western India.-Family history:...
– Maratha noble and commander-in-chief of the army of Shivaji, 19 June 1676. - Shanti DeviShanti DeviShanti Devi is a schooner, later rigged as a ketch. From about 1974 it was owned by famous Norwegian author Axel Jensen and his Indian wife Pratibha who lived on board for many years until 1990. The couple bought it in Waxholm...
born Ashgari – Mother of yesteryear Bollywood Actress Tabassum. She was daughter of a Maulvi but converted to Hinduism after marriage and even underwent Hindu religious education. - SonamSonamBakhtawar Murad Khan , better known by her screenname Sonam is a former Bollywood actress. She is the niece of actor Raza Murad and great-niece of veteran actor Murad. Her cousin is actress Sanober Kabir.-Career:...
(born Bakhtawar Murad)] – Bollywood actress and Wife of Bollywood director Rajiv Rai. She converted to Hinduism upon marriage. She is the niece of character actor Raza Murad and granddaughter of veteran character actor Murad. She is the cousin of actress Sanober Kabir. - ZubeidaZubeidaZubeida Begum Dhanrajgir was an Indian film actress. She acted in the first Indian talkie movie Alam Ara . Her credits include early hits Devdas , and Sagar Movietone's first talkie, Meri Jaan....
– Hindi film actress, on whose life story the film Zubeidaa was based
Converted to SikhismSikhismSikhism is a monotheistic religion founded during the 15th century in the Punjab region, by Guru Nanak Dev and continued to progress with ten successive Sikh Gurus . It is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world and one of the fastest-growing...
- Kuldeep Manak – (born Latif Mohammed) Famous PunjabiPunjabi peopleThe Punjabi people , ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ), also Panjabi people, are an Indo-Aryan group from South Asia. They are the second largest of the many ethnic groups in South Asia. They originate in the Punjab region, which has been been the location of some of the oldest civilizations in the world including, the...
singer who, after his conversion, released a number of Sikh devotional tracks.
Other
Religious founders
- Riaz Ahmed Gohar ShahiRiaz Ahmed Gohar ShahiRiaz Ahmed Gohar Shahi is a spiritual leader, founder of the spiritual movements RAGS International and Anjuman Serfaroshan-e-Islam ....
- founder of the spiritual movements Messiah Foundation InternationalMessiah Foundation International- Shahi's claimed meeting with Jesus :The movement claims that Shahi met with Jesus Christ on the 29th of May, 1997 in Taos, New Mexico. Shahi claimed that Jesus could speak many languages and did not live in a particular home. When asked about what was discussed between himself and Jesus, Shahi...
and Anjuman Serfaroshan-e-Islam. - Akbar the great – MughalMughal EmpireThe Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
emperor and founder of Dīn-i IlāhīDin-i-IlahiThe Dīn-i Ilāhī was a syncretic religious doctrine propounded by the Mughal emperor Jalālu d-Dīn Muḥammad Akbar , who ruled the Indian subcontinent from 1556 to 1605, intending to merge the best elements of the religions of his empire, and thereby reconcile the differences that divided his subjects...
, a religious movement whose followers never numbered more than 19 adherents. - Ariffin MohammedAriffin MohammedAriffin Mohammed is the leader and founder of Kerajaan Langit, , a sect founded by him in Malaysia. His movement had a commune based in Besut, Terengganu, that was demolished by the Malaysian government in August 2005...
– Founder of the Sky KingdomSky KingdomSky Kingdom is the name of the commune and sect founded by Ariffin Mohammed in Malaysia. The commune, based in Besut, Terengganu, was demolished by the government of Malaysia in August 2005. As of 2006, Ariffin Mohamed resides in exile in Narathiwat, Thailand, just over the border from Kelantan...
who claimed a unique connection to God. In spite of renouncing Islam in 2001, he stated that there was no restriction on practising your own faith and at the same time belonging to the Sky Kingdom. - BábBábSiyyid `Alí Muḥammad Shírází was the founder of Bábism, and one of three central figures of the Bahá'í Faith. He was a merchant from Shíráz, Persia, who at the age of twenty-four claimed to be the promised Qá'im . After his declaration he took the title of Báb meaning "Gate"...
– the founder of BabismBábismThe Babi Faith is a religious movement that flourished in Persia from 1844 to 1852, then lingered on in exile in the Ottoman Empire as well as underground. Its founder was Siyyid `Alí Muhammad Shirazi, who took the title Báb—meaning "Gate"—from a Shi'a theological term...
. Most of his followers later accepted Bahá'u'lláh and thus became Baha'is. - Bahá'u'lláhBahá'u'lláhBahá'u'lláh , born ' , was the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. He claimed to be the prophetic fulfilment of Bábism, a 19th-century outgrowth of Shí‘ism, but in a broader sense claimed to be a messenger from God referring to the fulfilment of the eschatological expectations of Islam, Christianity, and...
– after the Bab's death, claimed to be the prophet the Báb spoke of, thereby founding the Bahá'í Faith. - Salih ibn TarifSalih ibn Tarif' was the second king of the Berghouata Berber kingdom, and proclaimed himself a prophet of a new religion. He appeared during the caliphate of Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik in 744 AD...
– Second king of the BerghouataBerghouataThe Barghawata were a medieval Berber tribe confederation of the Atlantic coast of Morocco, belonging to the Masmuda group of tribes...
. He proclaimed himself a Prophet/MahdiMahdiIn Islamic eschatology, the Mahdi is the prophesied redeemer of Islam who will stay on Earth for seven, nine or nineteen years- before the Day of Judgment and, alongside Jesus, will rid the world of wrongdoing, injustice and tyranny.In Shia Islam, the belief in the Mahdi is a "central religious...
and came out with his own Qur'anQur'anThe Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
. - KabirKabirKabīr was a mystic poet and saint of India, whose writings have greatly influenced the Bhakti movement...
– 15th century mystical poet and founder of the KabirpanthiKabirpanthiThe Kabir Panth "Path of Kabir") is a Philosophy and religious community ofIndia encompassing a wide spectrum of beliefs, traditions and practices based on the teachings of Shri Sadguru Satyapurush Kabir Bhagwan. It's adherents are of Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, and Sikh ancestry...
. Born to a Hindu BrahminBrahminBrahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
widow but adopted and raised as Muslim by a childless Muslim couple, later denouncing both Hinduism and Islam. - MusaylimahMusaylimahMusaylimah or Maslamah bin Ḥabīb was one of a series of men who claimed to be a prophet around the same time as Muhammad. He is viewed as a false prophet by traditional accounts, and frequently referred to by the epithet "the Liar" .-Biography:...
– Prophet of the Banu HanifaBanu HanifaBanu Hanifa were an ancient Arab tribe inhabiting the area of al-Yamama in the central region of modern-day Saudi Arabia. The tribe belonged to the great Rabi'ah branch of North Arabian tribes, which also included 'Anizzah, Abd al-Qays, Bakr, and Taghlib...
tribe who lived during and after the lifetime of Prophet MuhammadMuhammadMuhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
. - Dwight YorkDwight YorkDwight York , also known as Malachi Z. York, Issa Al Haadi Al Mahdi, et alii, is an American black supremacist and leader of the Georgia-based "Nuwaubian" movement, currently imprisoned on a 135 year sentence for child molestation.York's "ministry" began in the late 1960s, from 1967 preaching to...
– African AmericanAfrican AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
author, black supremacist leader, musician, convicted child molester and founder of the religious doctrine called NuwaubianismNuwaubianismThe Nuwaubian Nation or Nuwaubian movement led by Malachi York,...
. - Ha-MimHa-MimHa-Mim is the short form of the name Ha-Mim ibn Mann-Allah ibn Harir ibn Umar ibn Rahfu ibn Azerwal ibn Majkasa, also known as Abu Muhammad; he was a member of the Majkasa sub-tribe of the Ghomara Berbers who proclaimed himself a prophet in 925 near Tetouan in Morocco...
– religious founder in Morocco - Ṣāliḥ ibn TarīfSalih ibn Tarif' was the second king of the Berghouata Berber kingdom, and proclaimed himself a prophet of a new religion. He appeared during the caliphate of Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik in 744 AD...
– formed a syncretic religion based in Barghawata - Sultan SahakSultan SahakSultan Sahak, or Soltân Sahak was a religious leader who founded the secret and syncretistic religion of the Ahl-e Haqq, also known as the Yârsân. He is considered to be the manifestation of the total divine essence by the Ahl-e Haqq...
– founded Ahl-e HaqqAhl-e HaqqThe Ahl-e Haqq or Yârsân , are members of a religion founded by Sultan Sahak in the late 14th century in western Iran. The total number of members is estimated at around 1,000,000, primarily found in western Iran and Iraq, mostly ethnic Kurds and Laks, though there are also smaller groups of Luri,... - David Myatt - founded the Numinous Way
Undetermined current belief system
- Khalid Duran – Specialist in the history, sociology and politics of the Islamic world.
- Charles BronsonCharles Bronson (prisoner)Charles Bronson is a Welsh criminal often referred to in the British press as the "most violent prisoner in Britain"....
– British criminal and self-styled "most violent prisoner in Britain". - David Hicks – Australian-born Guantanamo Bay detainee who converted to Islam and was notorious in his homeland for his once support of radical Islam and for the circumstances surrounding his incarceration, is believed to have renounced Islam whilst incarcerated at Guantanamo Bay.
- Wesley SnipesWesley SnipesWesley Trent Snipes is an American actor, film producer, and martial artist, who has starred in numerous action films, thrillers, and dramatic feature films. Snipes is known for playing the Marvel Comics character Blade in the Blade film trilogy, among various other high profile roles...
– American actor, film producer, and martial artist. - Djamolidine AbdoujaparovDjamolidine AbdoujaparovDjamolidine Abdoujaparov is a former professional road racing cyclist from Uzbekistan. Abdoujaparov was a sprinter, nicknamed "The Tashkent Terror" as he was so ferocious in the sprints...
– Ex-cyclist. - Touriya HaoudTouriya HaoudTouriya Haoud is a Dutch actress, model and singer of Macedonian and Moroccan heritage.-Biography:Haoud was born in in Rhenen, Utrecht, the Netherlands....
– model - Jananne Al-AniJananne Al-AniJananne Al-Ani is an artist, born to an Iraqi father and Irish mother.She came to Britain in 1980 and attended the Byam Shaw School of Art and received a Fine Art Diploma in 1986, then she went on to the University of Westminster and was awarded a BA in Arabic in 1991, after which she attended the...
– artist - Leon OsmanLeon OsmanLeon Osman is an English football player who plays for Everton in the Premier League. He has spent his whole career as an Everton player, though he has spent time on loan at Carlisle United and Derby County.-Biography:...
– footballer - Lex HixonLex HixonLex Hixon was an accomplished author, poet, and spiritual teacher. He practiced and held membership in several of the world's major great religious traditions, and documented his spiritual explorations in nine books and many articles and teachings given to various groups...
– Not raised religious; Conversions to HinduismHinduismHinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
, SufismSufismSufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
. Eastern Orthodox Christianity, and possibly ZenZenZen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
. - Katia TiutiunnikKatia TiutiunnikKatia Tiutiunnik is an Australian violist, scholar and composer. She is of Russian, Ukrainian and Irish descent.-Education:...
- Australian composer
See also
- ApostasyApostasyApostasy , 'a defection or revolt', from ἀπό, apo, 'away, apart', στάσις, stasis, 'stand, 'standing') is the formal disaffiliation from or abandonment or renunciation of a religion by a person. One who commits apostasy is known as an apostate. These terms have a pejorative implication in everyday...
- Apostasy in IslamApostasy in IslamApostasy in Islam is commonly defined in Islam as the rejection in word or deed of one's former religion by a person who was previously a follower of Islam...
- Criticism of IslamCriticism of IslamCriticism of Islam has existed since Islam's formative stages. Early written criticism came from Christians, prior to the ninth century, many of whom viewed Islam as a radical Christian heresy...
- List of converts to Islam
- Religious conversionReligious conversionReligious conversion is the adoption of a new religion that differs from the convert's previous religion. Changing from one denomination to another within the same religion is usually described as reaffiliation rather than conversion.People convert to a different religion for various reasons,...
Other apostasy-related lists
- List of former Jews
- List of former atheists and agnostics
- List of former Protestants
- List of former Roman Catholics
- List of former Latter Day Saints
- List of former Christians