MICHAEL JACKSON CONVERTED TO ISLAM BEFORE HIS PASSING (599 hits)
Pop star Michael Jackson who died yesterday had converted to Islam last year. The fifty year old star who was under immense pressure, both financial and legal had reportedly embraced Islam in a Los Angeles mosque.
A source in London reported Jackson had converted to Islam last year and changed his name to Mikaeel.
The 50-year-old star pledged his allegiance to the Koran in a ceremony at a friend's mansion in Los Angeles, the Sun reported.
Jackson sat on the floor wearing a tiny hat after an Imam was summoned to officiate --days before the singer was due to appear at London's High Court where he was being sued by an Arab Sheikh, the paper said.
The star decided to adopt the new religion while he was recording a song at the home of his friend where a Jehovah's witness was brought up to help him through the ceremony.
Apparently the star of hits like The Way You Make Me Feel-was convinced by his producer and songwriter friends David Wharnsby and Phillip Bubal.
"They began talking to him about their beliefs, and how they thought they had become better people after they converted. Michael soon began warming to the idea.
"An Imam was summoned from the mosque and Michael went through the shahada, which is the Muslim declaration of belief," the source revealed.
Mikaeel is the name of one of Allah's angels.
"Jacko rejected an alternative name, Mustafa meaning "the chosen one", the source added.
The singer, who rarely ventures out without a mask, is due to give evidence on Monday in a 4.7 million pound lawsuit brought by Prince Abdulla Al-Khalif of Bahrain for defaulting on an exclusive recording contract.
Even before he converted to Islam he had donated a huge sum for the construction of a grand mosque in UAE that he said would further the teachings of Islam.
His brother Jermaine who is also a convert had claimed the “Thriller” hitmaker had taken interest in the religion since Jermaine converted in 1989, and had been considering converting following his acquittal on child abuse charges in 2005.
Jermaine had said, “When I came back from Mecca I got him a lot of books and he asked me lots of things about my religion and I told him that it’s peaceful and beautiful.
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene at the age of 11 as a member of The Jackson 5 and began a solo career in 1971 while still a member of the group. Referred to as the "King of Pop" in subsequent years, five of his solo studio albums have become some of the world's best-selling records: Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and HIStory (1995).
