Sinead O’Connor Converts To Islam And Changes Her Name To ‘Shuhada’ Davitt’
Irish singer, Sinead O’Connor has announced over Twitter that she has converted to Islam and that her new name would be Shuhada’ Davitt.
“This is to announce that I am proud to have become a Muslim,” she wrote. “This is the natural conclusion of any intelligent theologian’s journey. All scripture study leads to Islam. Which makes all other scriptures redundant. I will be given (another) new name. It will be Shuhada’.”
This is to announce that I am proud to have become a Muslim. This is the natural conclusion of any intelligent theologian’s journey. All scripture study leads to Islam. Which makes all other scriptures redundant. I will be given (another) new name. It will be Shuhada’
— Shuhada’ Davitt (@MagdaDavitt77) October 19, 2018
The singer’s new name comes from the Arabic word, Shahada, which is the Islamic declaration of faith whereby their belief is that there is only one God, being Allah and that Mohammed is his messenger.
Last year, the “Nothing Compares 2 U” singer also changed her name to Magda Davitt, because she believed that it was “free of parental curses.”
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Lately, the 51-year-old has been active on Twitter and expressing her conversion to Islam, including singing the Islamic call to prayer, the Azan, and wearing a hijab. She has also changed her Twitter profile picture to a photo that says “Wear a hijab just do it” over the Nike logo.
My best friend, Elaine just gave me my 1st Hijab and she got chills all over her body when I put it on. Not gonna post a photo because is intensely personal. And I’m an ugly old hag. But I’m a very, very, very happy old hag.
— Shuhada’ Davitt (@MagdaDavitt77) October 20, 2018
Davitt’s transition to Islam has received a lot of criticism, but she has been welcomed by some fellow Muslims online.
Yesterday, she thanked the Muslim community for welcoming her in a tweet.
Thank you so much to all my Muslim brothers and sisters who have been so kind as to welcome me to Ummah today on this page. You can’t begin to imagine how much your tenderness means to me ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
— Shuhada’ Davitt (@MagdaDavitt77) October 25, 2018
Davitt is not only known for her singing sparked controversy after ripping up a picture of Pope John Paul II during a US television show appearance in 1992. During an interview with the Times, she had claimed that she did it because of the Catholic Church’s record of child abuse.
In 2011, she criticized the Catholic Church again over its child sex abuse scandal and called for the creation of an “alternative church.”
Earlier this year, Pope Francis addressed child abuse in the Catholic Church during his visit to Ireland and said that outrage was “justified.”
Since 2007, after revealing that she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder on an episode of Oprah, Davitt has continued to publicly struggle with mental health issues. Last September, she posted a video on Facebook saying that she was suicidal and was living alone in New Jersey.
She then went on the Dr. Phil show to open up about her challenges.
“I’m hoping we can save some lives. There’s a certain group of people who are absolutely afraid to open their mouth about mental illness — and that is rockers. People in the music business. Famous people. I think it’s important that those of us that are in the entertainment industry actually do begin to open up,” Davitt said during the show.
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