10 Famous Muslim Celebrities – Some Surprises!

Jen

Muslim may be one of the religions that may get the most discrimination; however, these celebrities made a courageous decision by standing up for their moral convictions and belief.

To watch someone courageously defend their beliefs even when doing so would put them in danger is an admirable deed. The following list below shows celebrities who passionately affirm their faith in their chosen religion.

Bella Hadid

The Hadids were undoubtedly destined to dominate the modeling industry. Given their heights, immaculate outward appearances, and talents, it should be clear that modeling is in their genetic make-up.
One of them is Isabella Khair Hadid, most known as Bella Hadid, an American supermodel signed to IMG Models in 2014. She also appeared in campaigns for brands such as Bulgari and Fendi. One of the most fashionable and gifted young models in the modern fashion world,

Hadid won the prestigious ‘Model of the Year’ at Model.com’s Model Awards in 2016. She was also considered the most beautiful woman in the world, according to Julian De Silva’s study, a prominent cosmetic surgeon,

De Silva based his list on an analysis of the dimensions and placement of the brows, lips, chin, and jaw. Bella Hadid was in first place overall across all the data gathered, scoring 94.35 percent symmetrical.

Bella Hadid began modeling when she was the age of 16 with Flynn Skye’s commercial project. Along with Ben Barnes, Hadid co-starred in the Lesa Amoore films “Swan Sittings” and “Smoking Hot,” modeled for the Hannah Hayes F/W 2013 collection.

She featured in various other commercials and appeared in the summer 2013 and 2014 Chrome Hearts campaigns.
She debuted at New York Fashion Week in the fall of 2014, walking for Desigual. And her walk journey continues; she walks in various fashion shows, such as in spring fashion weeks in 2015: in amfAR 22nd Cinema Against AIDs Gala, New York Fashion Week, Top shop Unique and Gales, Milan Fashion Week, and Paris Fashion Week.
Hadid made her debut on the cover of Jalouse Magazine in December 2014. The same year she was featured on Day 27 of Love Magazine’s Love Advent. She also debuted in Chanel Couture in January as part of Paris Haute Couture S/S Fashion Week.
In December 2015, Bella Hadid made her first Chanel debut, walking for the first time in the Luxury brand’s Métiers d’Art show in Rome.

Bella Hadid's Early Life

The younger sister, Bella Hadid, was born on the 9th of October 1996 in Washington D.C, USA, and was raised in Los Angeles, California.
Her father, Mohamed Hadid, is a real-estate developer, and her mother, Yolanda Hadid, is a former model. She starred in The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. And to whom the Hadid sisters inherited their talent.
Bella Hadid has two siblings; she has an older sister named Gigi, which is also a model, and a younger brother named Anwar. Bella also has older half-sisters, Marielle and Alana, on her father’s side.
At the age of 16, Hadid’s mother emigrated from the Netherlands to the United States, and her father, a Palestinian refugee, went likewise.

Hadid has stated that “I am proud to be a Muslim” and grew up participating in Eid and Ramadan celebrations. But as she became older and started working and attending school, she said in 2017, “I couldn’t fast for as long.”

In 2000, Hadid’s parents divorced. For a period of Hadid’s upbringing, her mother was married to music producer David Foster; however, that union also lasted.
Initially, for ten years, Hadid and her brothers were raised on a ranch in Santa Barbara, California. Hadid competed in equestrian events as a teenager and aspired to attend the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Still, she was forced to stop in 2013 owing to her severe Lyme disease. She was diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease in October 2015, but it had not been made public before. In 2012, she received the same chronic illness diagnosis together with her mother and brother.

In the fall of 2014, Hadid moved to New York City and enrolled at the Parsons School of Design to study photography. Shortly after, she signed a contract with IMG. She later left school as her modeling career became successful.
However, she has expressed a desire to return so she can study fashion photography after modeling. Hadid revealed having a desire to be an actress.

“There wasn’t really one time in my life where I was like,’ I want to be a model!’ It was more Gigi’s thing,” says Bella.

Despite working in the same field, Bella Hadid and her older sister, Gigi, do not compete with one another. In 2017, “Most of the time, our markets are completely different, and if we get booked on a job, and she gets it, or I get it, we’re both happy for each other.” Hadid told Harper’s Bazaar in 2017.

In addition to having Gigi and her mother, a former model, as her supporters, Hadid has good friends with other supermodels like Kendall Jenner.

Bella Hadid's Religion

In a 2017 interview with Porter magazine, Bella Hadid opened up about her Muslim faith publicly for the first time. Hence, she and her older sister Gigi Hadid were spotted among the crowd in New York City. A protest against former U.S. President Donald Trump’s Muslim travel ban.
The younger sister Hadid reportedly explained to Porter that they felt compelled to participate because the ban felt personal to them. The former U.S. President’s policies regarding refugees are comparably harsh, so Bella Hadid’s comment about the connection between her passionate protest and U.S. politics was put into context.
Alongside this, she also discussed her father, Mohamed Hadid, is also a Muslim and revealed his experience as a refugee when he came first to America,

“…so it’s actually very close to home for my sister and brother and me. He was always religious, and he always prayed with us,” she said.

“I am proud to be a Muslim.”

Being vocal about her religion, Bella Hadid was once accused by people of not being Muslim enough. The Instagram post is a picture of her with only her hand covering her breast and wearing a nude-colored thong.
On the contrary, the accusations didn’t falter the younger sister Hadid or try to remove the post. In fact, she even posted another photo of herself wearing a white thigh-high slit dress.
Bella Hadid also has been vocal with her stand about religion and other beliefs on her Instagram, which the supporters find heartwarming and admirable.

Riz Ahmed

An award-winning British-Pakistani actor, Rizwan Ahmed, is professionally known by his stage name Riz MC and Riz Ahmed. Aside from being an award-winning actor, Riz Ahmed is also a rapper and brave activist.
Since earning his degree from Oxford in 2004, he has regularly worked in theater, film, and television, starring in the prestigious dramas The Road to Guantanamo (2006), Shifty (2008), and Four Lions (2010).
Riz Ahmed started to gain recognition in independent films. He later made a name in blockbuster movies such as Nightcrawler, Jason Bourne, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

In a movie, he had to reduce weight and gain muscle for his role. In addition, it also happens when he has to drop his natural English accent for a role and speaks to everyone that way, on and off set, until everything is wrapped up.

Additionally, in September 2017, he was the first male actor in South Asia to win an Emmy for his role in The Night Of in 2016. In 2021, he became the first-ever Muslim to be nominated for the Best Leading Actor Oscar for the film Sound of Metal.

He was also nominated for a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and last but not least, three British Independent Film Awards. And he also earned a spot on TIME magazine’s 2017 “Top 100 Most Influential People”.

Aside from his acting profession, as mentioned, he is also a rapper and was known as Riz MC. In his mid-teens, Ahmed became directly involved with music, drawing inspiration from hip-hop and the jungle.
He developed his skills through battle rap tournaments, which he frequently won, and pirate radio. In 2006, he released Riz MC: Post 9/11 Blues, a controversial satire that briefly had British radio play prohibited.
It was his debut hip-hop single. Christopher Morris, a well-known humorist, was drawn to it and decided to cast him in his BAFTA-winning independent film Four Lions in 2010.

He triumphed in many rap competitions in 2005, including at Oxford’s Hit & Run night, the Jump-off, Battlescars, and DJ Nihal’s “Bombay Bronx.”

Riz Ahmed's Early Life

Riz Ahmed, also known by his stage name Riz MC, was born on December 1, 1982, in Wembly, London, to a British Pakistani family. His grandfather immigrated to Pakistan from India during the partition of India in 1947; his parents are of Muhajir descent. His father is a shipping broker.
He is a direct descendant of Sir Shah Muhammad Sulaiman, the first Indian to hold the position of Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court in the colonial era, located in Uttar Pradesh.
Riz Ahmed may grow up speaking Urdu; however, later on, he was able to speak English when he started going to school at age 6.
At 11, he received a scholarship to a private school, Merchant Taylors’. Furthermore, he graduated from Oxford University with a degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. He later enrolled in London’s Central School of Speech and Drama.
Rizwan Ahmed is already married to Fatima Farheen Mirza in 2020. Information about his siblings, his brother, is a psychiatrist, while his sister is an attorney.

Riz Ahmed's Religion

Riz Ahmed Religion
Ahmed was born into a British Pakistani Muslim Family. He continues to identify as a Muslim but doesn’t include his religion in his work.
After his much-praised performance in HBO’s The Night Of, Rizwan Ahmed, popularly known as Riz, became the first Muslim actor from Pakistan and the first Muslim male to win an Emmy for acting (for which he was Golden Globe and SAG nominated)

“What matters to me is as many people as possible can find themselves this moment,” he said. “So, some people really connect with the idea that I was the first Muslim nominated for lead actor, that’s beautiful, and I support that.”

The actor added that some people fixated on deaf representation, “which is something that is so lacking in cinema.”

When asked about his song Post 9/11 Blues, he explains that it was not created from a Muslim’s perspective but rather from the atmosphere of terror following the incident.
Ahmed shared his experiences of discrimination as a non-white and because of his religion in a post of 9/11. He claimed that his career had never been smooth and tainted by unfortunate incidents caused by racial prejudice and stereotypical discrimination.
Regardless of the fact that he rarely expresses his religious views, there have been times when he has stood up for them against discrimination and racial prejudice.

As an instance, consider the time he established a fund to help stop “toxic portrayals” of Muslims in movies. This movement developed in response to a study that found that Muslims are either given less screen time or bad portrayals when they appear.

“The problem with Muslim misrepresentation is one that can’t be ignored anymore,” said Ahmed, who is also renowned for the films Rogue One and The Night Of.

The video he posted tackled how he felt a bitter-sweet moment in his history-making Oscar nomination. Riz said that despite the honor, while nevertheless feeling genuinely grateful, the contrary was he also felt tremendous sadness.

He points out why none of them were in the same predicament as he was. Riz Ahmed added the unwritten rule and questioned himself if he was the exception to the norm, then what must the rule be for others like him?

“What unwritten law must exist about Muslims, who make up 25% of the world’s population, and there if any, role in our stories, cultures, and societies?” he continued.

In his parallel career as a rapper, in his 2020 album The Long Goodbye, he addressed the problem of Islamophobia in the UK.

Mahershala Ali

Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore, most known as Mahershala Ali, is an American actor and rapper. With his comprehensive skill set and extensive career in cinema, television, and theater Mahershala Ali is quickly emerging as one of Hollywood’sHollywood’s freshest and in-demand faces.
Mahershala Ali was a basketball scholarship student in college before discovering his passion for acting. In 2001, he was a series regular on Crossing Jordan, doing the role of Dr. Trey Sanders. Then by the end of the decade, he had also appeared in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button as Tizzy, and the science-fiction drama The 4400, as Richard Tyler.

Mahershala Ali, a two-time Oscar winner, makes his lead acting debut in “Swan Song” and enters the spotlight.

Mahershala Ali’s first movie debut was in Making Revolution around 2003 as Mac Laslow.
Mahershala Ali rose to fame in the 2010s and received an Academy Award for his heartfelt, nuanced portrayal of the devoted heroin dealer Juan in Moonlight 2016, for which he was most known.
He later won an NAACP Nomination for Best Actor for his performance in Lifetime’sLifetime’s The Wronged Man alongside Julia Ormond.
The following year, he also won the 2017 Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his work in the motion picture Moonlight. He was the first Muslim actor to receive this honorable award.
He was also in the independent feature film, Moonlight, reprising his role in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, Gary Ross’sRoss’s Civil war era drama The Free State Jones, and Netflix’sNetflix’s award-winning series House of Cards and Marvel’sMarvel’s Luke Cage.
Ali obtained his Master’sMaster’s degree in acting from New York University and currently resides in Los Angeles.

Mahershala Ali's Early Life

The actor, Mahershala Ali, was born and raised in California. His mother’s name is Willicia, and she devoted her life to the church and as a Christian Minister. His father, Philip Gilmore, was a former Broadway actor, which is obviously where he inherited his talent in acting.
The mother named her son Mahershalalhashbaz after one of the sons of the prophet Isaiah, rearing him in accordance with Christian customs. But as he grew older, the boy converted to Islam and adopted the name Ali instead of Gilmore as his last name.
Ali described how he met Amatus Sami-Karim, his now-wife, when he was still in grad school. Also, his wife was his way of following his current faith. They have a daughter named Bari Najma Ali.
From a young age, he was active in sports. His initial interest was artistic cycling, which was hugely popular in California in the 1970s.
Later on, Mahershala Ali developed a passion for basketball that he intended to pursue throughout his life. Ali’s way into college was through a sports scholarship, which helped him finance his schooling.
However, he became dissatisfied with the expectations of being a team member. He started composing poems and participating in poetry slams, which is how he learned to enjoy performing.
Mahershala did not even consider pursuing an acting career at that time. He participated in a theatrical production of Spunk, which piqued his interest in acting. Ali began considering becoming an actor following his debut, which suggests that his father’s DNA had manifested.
In college, he graduated from St. Mary’s College in Moraga, California, with a Bachelor of Arts in mass communications in 1996.
Ali decided to work with the California Shakespeare Theater after college. The young man started attending New York University at the same time, where he later earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Drama in 2000.
Mahershala Ali is no relation to boxer Muhammad Ali.

Mahershala Ali's Religion

Mahershala Ali Religion
Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore, also known as Mahershala Ali, is a devout Muslim. Contrary to his grandmother, Evie Goine, and his mother, Willicia Gilmore.
His grandmother was an ordained Baptist minister, and years later, Willicia, his mother, took the same path as her mother regarding Christianity. Hence, his name relation is taken from the bible, meaning second of the prophet Isaiah in the Bible.
Ali’s wife, Amatus, told him about her coming to terms with whether wanting to be a Muslim since her father is an imam. At that time, he was also looking for an anchor or thing to lead him to a spiritual walk.

“She was almost coming out of it, and I was going into it,” he said.

Ali, his wife, and his mother-in-law went to a mosque in Philadelphia. He stated how he remembers watching the imam give the khutbah or sermon and that they made a congregational prayer.
He was clueless when he started crying since the sermon was recited in Arabic during the prayer. Ali admitted that he couldn’t understand Arabic and started crying in a way he hadn’t experienced before.

A Christmas break in school, and a week later after they went to a mosque. He mentioned that right after waking up, he thought, “I have to go to the mosque.”

Right then, Ali went to a mosque in Brooklyn. He said about being in the back. The mosque he went into was doing sermons in both English and Arabic.
Ali expressed how the same thing happened to him – he cried and couldn’t explain the feeling. He said this connection pierced him, making him feel like he was in the right place.

Ali said a man touched him on his shoulder and asked, “Are you Muslim?” And he says, “No.” then the man goes with, “Do you want to be?”

Him being driven and passionate about the connection he felt during his visit, Ali says, “Yes.” And at last, the man took him to the imam and made his pledge.

However, Ali stated that her mother didn’t take it lightly when he broke out the news to her. It took her a long time, around 10 or 12 years, after she finally embraced the idea of his conversion.

His mother told him how she accepted his path and became supportive of his choice, “We are in an extraordinarily positive place today,” he said.

Ramy Youssef

American multi-talented individual Ramy Youssef. He is known more as a stand-up comedian and works as an actor, writer, and director. He is also well-known for playing Ramy Hassan in the comedy series “Ramy.”

Before he became a comedian and actor, he participated in the short On the Loose and worked on the film Living the Dream.
Ramy Youssef started his career in New York City’s comedy scene and made his acting debut as the lead character in Nick’s sitcom Nite’s See Dad Run in 2012.
In April 2019, Ramy, a comedy series on Hulu, had its first debut with 10 episodes. The show was co-created by Youssef himself also stars in it. The show, based in a New Jersey neighborhood, follows Youssef, a fictional account of his life as a Muslim man in his twenties.
Later on, he appeared in the USA Network program Mr. Robot. Additionally, his one-hour stand-up special, Feelings, debuted on HBO in 2019.
For his work on his show, Youssef received the Golden Globe in 2020 for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical Television Series. In the same year, the second season of Ramy debuted on Hulu.
Ramy Youssef also signed a general television production contract with A24 following his acting debut. As of December 2019, he has two projects in development—one for Apple TV Plus and one for Netflix.

During this episode, he observed the writers’ room, an experience Youssef brings to his show. He also appeared on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” where he performed a portion of his stand-up act.

His show “Ramy” received three Emmy nominations in 2020: Yousseff for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series, Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series, and Mahershala Ali as Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series.

Ramy Youssef's Early Life

Ramy Youssef was born on March 26, 1991, in Queens, a borough of New York City. Regarding his nationality and religion, he identifies as a member of a mixed ethnic group and an adherent of Islam.
Although Ramy is currently single, he is married to his career where he is more focused. According to social networks, he aimed for a successful career by working harder.
His parents were Egyptian, and he was raised in New Jersey after birth. In addition, ten years after emigrating from Egypt, his parents were appointed managers of the Plaza Hotel in New York City.
He has been observing Islam since childhood and still does it today because he was raised in a Muslim home.
Any new creative would find inspiration in Youssef’s path from his humble beginnings to his achievement in making the first American single-camera sitcom with a Muslim Arab family.
He was also raised in Rutherford, New Jersey, in the United States. To add to the discussion of Ramy’s educational history, Ramy attended Rutgers University, where he majored in political science and economics before graduating and joining William Esper Studio.

Ramy Youssef's Religion

Ramy Youssef is an Arab-American comedian who grew up in New Jersey with his Egyptian Muslim family.
The same goes with his character in his series, Ramy Youssef. As a practicing Muslim, there have been contradictions at some points. Trying to figure out what kind of Muslim he is.
Youssef’s Muslim faith appears to be the source of his self-created web of deception and the aspect of his identity that causes him the most inner struggle. Ramy talks about the weight of being a person of color in 21st-century America and his vague sense of identity.

“We all lie,” he says. “We’re all afraid of actually being who we really are. We tell these little lies every day, just to get by.”

In an interview with Terry Gross, he asked him when he was 11 if he was thinking about being a higher self and wanting to connect to his faith.

He said that Being Muslim became so politicized and villainized that Ramy went down some deep rabbit holes about who he was and what it meant to be this entity that purportedly was him.

“The root of all evil in the way that it was framed and kind of coming to an understanding that it’s not that at all,” he added.

He continued how it was a big thing and an extensive process to work through. He also mentioned how he is trying to work through on stage, and his series helped him better understand himself.
On a spiritual level, he said that he is making a thing about being a Muslim, which is part of his career and making money off it. Now that a relationship is established, he feels he must live more affluently than his character in his series.

“I don’t want to be monetizing this thing that means something to me and then losing it. So it’s something that kind of raises the bar for, you know, how I want to check myself,” he said about making himself better.

Dj Khaled

Khaled Mohamed Khaled, professionally known as DJ Khaled. He was initially known as Arab Attack. However, he changed his stage name to DJ Khaled after the 9/11 attacks. He is a record producer, American radio personality, YouTuber, rapper, disc jockey, record label executive, author, web celebrity, and hip hop sensation.
For such a single person, it is fascinating to see someone with multiple successful careers. Before all that, his journey started to stardom as a radio host and a DJ in a Florida-based radio station.

Aside from many side professions, DJ Khaled has already produced 11 studio albums of his own since 2006. Later, in 1998, he became a member of the hip-hop group “Terror Squad.” He was a radio host for Miami’s urban radio station, ‘WEDR.’

His road to becoming well-known and an internet celebrity started when, thanks to his Snapchat videos, he was made famous by the YouTube channel “h3h3 productions.”

Furthermore, DJ Khaled released his first solo album around June 2006, “Listennn…the Album,” under Koch Records. And his album debuted on the Billboard Hot 200 at number twelve, proving that the decision was perfect.

“I went to Koch because I like dealing with the underdogs. The people at Koch are family to me, and they all work. It’s not like when you’re dealing with the big companies, and you have to find out who’s doing what,” the DJ remarked regarding signing with the label.

His Top Ten pop hits include his first no. 1 single. “I’m On One” was released in 2011, “I’m the One” and “Wild Thoughts” around 2017, “No Brainer” in 2018, and “Popstar” in 2020, which feature eager featured artists Rihanna, Drake, Justin Bieber, and Chance the Rapper.

Khaled followed it up with “We the Best” in 2007, which featured other musicians like T-Pain, Plies, and Rick Ross. We Takin’ Over, one of the songs, peaked at number 28 on the Hot 100 and was eventually certified gold by the RIAA.

In June of that year, “I’m So Hood” received certified platinum and quickly rose to popularity.

At the 2008 BET Awards, he was nominated for DJ of the Year and eventually won the award. Khaled was promoted to the position of president of Def Jam South in 2009 because of his dedication and natural leadership skills.
DJ Khaled is also known for working with high-profile talents such as Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Lil Wayne, and Nicki Minaj. Regarding handling A-list talents, Khaled was passionate about assisting other musicians with their endeavors when he wasn’t working on his own album.

DJ Khaled published a book in 2016 called The Keys” in an effort to encourage people to follow their aspirations and make them come true. His journey to success is also detailed in the book.

Khaled returned to Orlando before moving south to Miami, where he struggled to make a name for himself as a DJ in the reggae soundclash scene. Although with struggle, he still approached the on-air DJs at Miami pirate radio station Mixx 93 and requested a piece of their time slot.

Dj Khaled's Early Life

On November 26, 1975, in New Orleans, Louisiana, DJ Khaled was born. Because he is the son of Palestinian immigrants, he has their blood.
His musically inclined Palestinian parents supported their son’s love of rap and soul music. His actor brother is Alla Khaled, known as Alec Ledd. Khaled is married to Nicole Tuck, and they have a kid named Asahd Tuck.
Khaled had remained quiet about the details of when he started seeing his partner Nicole Tuck and when they got married. Still, he was as open as possible regarding the birth of son Asahd Tuck on October 23, 2016, which he documented via Snapchat.
The early years of Khaled Mohamed Khaled’s life were spent there in New Orleans. Later, his family moved to Orlando, where Khaled began training as a DJ in his parent’s garage at 13.

He made the decision to pursue a career as a music producer since he enjoyed making beats and playing around with sounds. While he may have grown up loving music, he chose not to pursue rapping since he “didn’t have that sort of ethic.”

“I fell in love with making sounds and beats, and from then on, I worked very hard to get somewhere with my music,” Khaled said.

The multi-talented DJ briefly worked at the Odyssey record store in the city when he was a teenager, where he met up-and-coming rappers like Lil Wayne and Birdman and increased his boss’s phone bill by calling record labels long distance.

DJ Khaled's Religion

DJ Khaled Religion

“It’s life for me.” DJ Khaled once said when talking about his religion.

Khaled Mohamed Khaled, better known by his stage as DJ Khaled, identified as a devoted and proud Muslim. Despite his success, busy schedule, and stressful existence, he seems to rely on his faith to keep him grounded.
Though he was not that vocal enough with his faith, however, he doesn’t hide it or his shortcomings. Thus, talking about being a Muslim didn’t shock everyone at all but gave a considerable impact and positivity.
For Khaled, how he talks about his religion seems to be genuine love for him, not just a way of life.

“It’s beautiful, it’s amazing, it’s incredible,” he continued to give a statement about his faith with pride and passion. He also mentioned how it put many blessings not only to him but also to his family.

Khaled was born a Muslim and raised as a Muslim by his family, and his faith plays a significant role in helping him to be the man he is now. He prays 1o times a day.

In his interview with Larry King, Khaled was pressed about his religion which he answered honestly. Larry asked, “What does being Muslim mean to you?”

Khaled responds with, “Muslim is life.” He also mentioned the advice he got from his parents was to keep God first, and he never doubted his faith.

Larry King also asked him what people don’t know about himself, to which Khaled responded, “I’m not so hyped up all the time, “I’m just a laid-back person.”

Dave Chappelle

Dave Chappelle is an American comedian, actor, television/film producer, and writer. He is more known for his renowned and legendary satirical comedic sketch series Chappelle’s Show in 2003, which made him a star.
Dave Chappelle’s career began at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, where he studied theatre arts when he was a high school student. And at the age of 14, he started performing stand-up comedy in nightclubs.
In 1993, Chappelle made his screen debut in Robin Hood: Men in Tights at the age of 19. Then, in 1996, Chappelle starred in the short-lived sitcom Buddies and appeared in The Nutty Professor in 1993.

In 2006, Dave Chappelle was called the “Comic Genius of America” by Esquire and “The Best” by a Billboard writer in 2013.

In 2017, he won an Emmy award for his guest appearance on Saturday Night Live. After that year, in 2018, he won a Grammy Award for his Netflix series, The Age of Spin and Deep in the Heart of Texas.
He also made it to No. 96 on Forbes’ list of the Celebrity 100, however, dropped off the list in 2019. Additionally, he made it to No.43 on Comedy Central’s 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time and was the youngest person to make a list.

Furthermore, his show “Chappelle’s Show” in 2003 has made popularity; he and Viacom had a $50 million deal that will keep Chappelle’s Show (2003) in production for another two years while also allowing him to work on side projects.

Dave Chappelle's Early Life

David Khari Webber Chappelle, professionally known as Dave Chappelle, was born to William David Chappelle and Yvonne on August 24, 1973, in Washington, DC, USA.
Then his mother, Yvonne K. (Reed) Chappelle, was a professor at Howard University, Wilberforce University, Central State University, and the University of Maryland and a Unitarian Universalist Minister.
His father is William David Chappelle III, who taught music and voice at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. He also has siblings, a brother, William, and a sister, Felicia. However, his parents divorced when he was very young.
He attended Woodlin Elementary School while being raised in Silver Spring. During his school years, he was highly inspired by comedians Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor.
Dave Chappelle graduated from Duke Ellington School of the Arts in 1991 with a degree in theatre arts.
In 2001, Dave Chappelle got married to a Filipina, Elaine Chappelle. They have two sons, Sulayman and Ibrahim, and a daughter, Sanaa Chappelle.
Chappelle was best friends and frequent co-writers with Neal Brennan. In the third season of Chappelle’s Show (2003), Chappelle unexpectedly stopped their collaboration, yet as of 2011, they have eventually made up individually.
He converted to Islam and now resides outskirt of Yellow Springs, Ohio, with his wife and three children.

Dave Chappelle's Religion

Dave Chappelle Religion
David Chappelle revealed that he converted to Islam and his experience at the holy Zamzam well in Saudi Arabia. It was in the year 2005 when he announced that he was a Muslim in an interview given to Times Magazine.
He admits he was not open to talking about his faith because he doesn’t want to associate himself with something beautiful, which is his faith.
David started converting to the Islamic faith when he was 17. He recalled living in Washington, DC, across the street from a pizza shop with a Muslim employee he always visited because of their kindness and sweet behavior and how they managed to get along with the staff.
He also darted questions to the employee about his religion, and the latter would talk about it passionately, which was compelling. David stated that he liked the perspective of (Islam) and these things informed his decision: he also wanted to have a meaningful, spiritual life.
The way Islam is portrayed in the public space in the United States is such a limiting and dismissive perspective of a religious belief. He continues that the idea of religion ar reflected in all major Abrahamic faiths, which can be seen in Christianity and Judaism.
Hence, he points out that it is the notion that this place does have significance.
Chappelle also shares his favorite stories from Islamic history, which centered on the origins of Zamzam water.
“The thing that comforts me about it is the idea that all of this is from a singular source and the source is ultimately kind. And even though we may not understand the intentions of this source, we’re all connected and bounded by it.” Chappelle continued.

Iman

Iman Bowie is a supermodel, activist, actress, and businesswoman of Somali descent.
She started modeling in 1975 after American photographer Peter Beard persuaded her to immigrate to the country. Then, she attended college in Kenya, where her exotic beauty made her stand out on the runway and in fashion publications.

She accepted her first modeling job the following year with “Vogue” magazine. She was valued by fashion designers for her exotic appearance and acted as a model for Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, and many other fashion houses.

She was a mega-success because she could thrive in runway and print modeling. She had a tremendous career and was a model for numerous renowned photographers and designers.
In 1989, she stopped modeling after 14 years and began focusing on charity work, creating her highly successful ethnic makeup brand, and other pursuits.
She oversaw the creation of a documentary that followed her return to Somalia in 1992. Ever since she has been a prominent supporter of women’s rights in her native and other developing nations.
She has expanded her career to include roles in TV shows, music videos, movies, and reality TV production and hosting. She has also written an autobiography and a book on skincare and makeup for those with ethnic skin tones.

She wrote an autobiography titled “I Am Iman” in 2001 that discusses the racial and modeling challenges she ran against throughout her career.

She works to increase the visibility of black women in modeling and other media, as well as for children in developing nations.

She released “The Beauty of Color,” a manual on ethnic skincare and makeup, in 2005. Two years later, a clothing and accessories collection called “Global Chic” for “Home Shopping Network” was created and produced with her assistance.

She was given the “Fashion Icon Lifetime Achievement Award” by the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 2010 in recognition of her distinctive contribution to the fashion industry.

This well-known businesswoman and model were the first to kiss Michael Jackson in his 1992 music video “Remember the Time.”

Iman's Early Life

Iman Early Life
Iman Bowie, also known as Iman Mohamed Abdulmajid and Zara Mohamed Abdulmajid, was born on July 25, 1955, in Mogadishu, Somalia, and raised well-educated by her progressive parents.
She has had three marriages and two children. Currently, she is married to renowned rockstar David Bowie.
Her first marriage was when she moved to the US to pursue her modeling career; they divorced after she married a Somali man while she was still in college.
Her second marriage, to basketball player Spencer Haywood, ended after ten years in 1977. She gave birth to her daughter Zulekha Haywood one year after she married Haywood. In 1987, the custody dispute over their daughter raged for years after her contentious divorce from Spencer Haywood.
In an effort to help her flourish in the future, her parents—who were progressive for the region—gave her a masculine name. She was sent to a Catholic school to provide better education early on.
She completed her high school education in Egypt before moving to Kenya in 1973 to enroll in the University of Nairobi’s political science program. She traveled to the US to seek a modeling career after being spotted while attending college by American photographer Peter Beard.

Iman's Religion

Iman
Zara Mohamed Abdulmajid, also known as Iman, is a Muslim in the modeling profession. For Iman, modeling was not an easy job since her religion is quite conservative with what she will be wearing.

Iman is writing about Islam. She said that although Somalia is a moderate country, her religion dictates that her profession is not something she should be in.

“I write about Islam. Somalia is a moderate Muslim country but my religion dictates that this is not a profession I should be in,” she said. Among the “last words in the book are ‘May Allah have mercy on my soul’ if I have sinned.”

Iman wrote a book that people would think is a beauty guide. Surprisingly, her first book tackles issues she encountered about race and modeling during her career that could help other black models succeed in the fashion industry.

Time happened when he used to hide her nude portraits whenever her parents visited her, “Combining my work with my religion was one of the most difficult things. It is complicated to be photographed in a provocative way, even if the pictures are artful.”

“I shot stunning nudes with Richard Avedon, one of the most iconic photographers ever, and although I was proud of these images when my parents would come to visit me, I would hide them under the bed,” she added.

Shohreh Aghdashloo

Iranian-American actress Shohreh Aghdashloo, also known as Shohreh Vaziri-Tabar started her acting career at the age of 18. She had several stages starring parts before being offered her first film role in Abbas Kiarostami’s Gozresh (The Report), which won the Critics Award at the Moscow Film Festival.
In 1989, Aghdashloo made her film debut in America with a lead part in Guests of Hotel Astoria. In 1990, she made her television debut in the NBC sitcom Matlock. She proceeded to act in more films and TV programs.
Aghdashloo appeared in director Vadim Perelman’s 2003 film House of Sand and Fog alongside Ben Kingsley and Jennifer Connelly. For her role, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
She also produced and narrated the documentary Mystic Iran: The Unseen World described Iran: A Celebration of Art and Culture for PBS, explained the audiobook edition of Inside the Kingdom: My Life in Saudi Arabia, and provided the voiceover for the animated film Babak and Friends.
In the drama The Stoning of Soraya M., released in the United States on June 26, 2009, Aghdashloo portrays the title character, Zahra Khanum. In this movie, she performs the primary role in a significant full-length motion picture for the first time in her career in America.
For her supporting role in the HBO original miniseries House of Saddam, Aghdashloo won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie on September 29, 2009.

Harper Collins published Aghadashloo’s autobiography, “The Alley of Love and Yellow Jasmines,” on June 4, 2013.

Shohreh Aghdashloo's Early Life

Shohreh Aghdashloo, also known as Shohreh Vaziri-Tabar, is an Iranian American actress. The stage name she uses, “Aghdashloo,” is the family name of her first husband, an Iranian painter Aydin Aghdashloo. She was born on May 11, 1952, to a wealthy family.

Shohreh Vaziri-Tabar, her parents, are Effie (née al-Sadat) and Anushiravan Vaziri-Tabar, and Aghdashloo were both born in Tehran, Iran. Shohreh has three brothers: Shahram, Shahriar, and Shahrokh.
She started going to theater workshops after they married in 1972 when she was 19, and he was 31. This was against the wishes of her family.
She started playing significant roles in Iranian theater and cinema shortly after realizing her lifelong dream of becoming an actress. When she left Iran for England at the start of the Iranian Revolution, they were divorced and had no children.
Aghdashloo left Iran for Windermere, Cumbria, England, where she finished her schooling during the 1979 Revolution. Her undergraduate degree was in international relations. But she persisted in pursuing her acting profession, which led to her moving to Los Angeles.
Aghdashloo wed playwright/actor Houshang Touzie in 1987. Tara Touzie, their daughter, was born in 1989.
Since then, she has been in several of Touzie’s plays, effectively bringing them to stages across the nation and the world, mainly in the Iranian diaspora. She was raised in a Muslim home but never converted to the faith.

Shohreh Aghdashloo's Religion

Shohreh Aghdashloo Religion
Shohreh Aghdashloo was born in a Muslim family. Aghdashloo was always vocal with his faith publicly.
In an interview with Los Angeles Times, Aghdashloo revealed her belief that her Muslim identity may have cost her a film role in the past. She had been cast in the 2011 thriller The Adjustment Bureau as God, but director George Nolfi decided against keeping her on.

“I say I was born a Muslim. I don’t introduce myself as a Muslim woman, but I guess the distribution company put the dots together and felt it’s too early for this,” Aghdashloo said.

Having a religion doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to practice it. Aghdashloo decided that she won’t practice as a Muslim and instead made her way, eventually to the USA, where she quickly pursued a career as an actress. (Since then, she still hasn’t practiced according to her Muslim roots but hasn’t made any apologies for it. Why should she?)

Akon

A Senegalese-American rapper that has a fifty-two character in his name, Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam, professionally known as Akon. Akon is also a singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and businessman.
In June 2004, he released his solo debut album, ‘Trouble,’ which has five singles. Asa result, his life changed considerably as he quickly rose to fame internationally.

Following the success of his first album, he founded his labels, “Kon Live Distribution” and “Konvict Muzic.” In November 2006, he released his second album, “Konvicted,” under his label.

His second album “Konvicted” alone, released in the same year, sold 286,000 copies in the first week and reached its four-time peak at number two on the Billboard 200. The album stayed in the top 20 for 28 weeks in a row.

Akon was recognized as “Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist” at the 2007 American Music Awards, “Artist of the Year” at the Billboard Music Awards, and “Teen Choice Award” for “Breakout Artist – Male” in the same year.

His reputation grew due to the numerous hit singles in “Konvicted.” By receiving several platinum awards, the album shattered innumerable records. In the singles “Smack That” and “I Wanna Love You,” Eminem and Snoop Dogg made guest appearances on the album.

In 2008, his third album “Freedom” came out; after selling millions of copies worldwide, it was certified platinum in the US and gave rise to four singles: “Right Now -Na Na Na,” “I’m So Paid,” “Beautiful,” and “We Don’t Care.”

He also received the “BET Hip Hop Award” for “Producer of the Year” in 2008.

Akon also has worked with well-known musicians like Gwen Stefani, Whitney Houston, and Lionel Richie. He co-wrote the well-known song “Just Dance” by Lady Gaga popular song, which received a nomination for a Grammy Award at the 51st Grammy Awards for “Best Dance Recording.”

He received the “Ozone” award in 2009 for “Artist of the Year (USA & UK).”

David Guetta and Akon’s single “Sexy Bitch” reached number one in more than six nations. On the “Billboard Hot 100,” it peaked at position five.

Furthermore, for his achievements, In 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011, he received “ASCAP Awards” in various categories.

Akon's Early Life

Akon Early Life
Aliaume Damala Badara Akon Thiam, the son of dancer Kine Thiam and traditional jazz musician Mor Thiam, was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 16, 1973.
Soon after Akon was born, his parents relocated to Dakar, Senegal, West Africa, where they stayed for 7 years. The couple settled in Jersey City after returning to the country with their family.
When he started high school, his parents moved to Atlanta, Georgia, leaving him behind with his older brother in Jersey City.
Akon was a naughty and mischievous teen who frequently disobeyed the classroom rules. He did not get along well with other kids and soon began hanging out with the neighborhood troublemakers.
He plays different musical instruments and has been a fan of Tracy Chapman, Black Uhuru, and Bob Marley since he was a young child.
His love and passion for music helped him turn his life around despite doing time in New Jersey around lawbreakers. As a teenager, he started singing and performing.
He later enrolled at “Clark Atlanta University” in Atlanta, Georgia, but dropped out after one semester. He began concentrating only on music once he had left the university.
He began by recording at home. In the meantime, he grew close to Wyclef Jean of the Fugees. In 2003, Akon eventually secured his own record deal.

Akon has always kept the public scrutiny off of his family. He says he’s fathered six kids by three separate women. He also owns a diamond mine in South Africa and operates a charity called “Konfidence” for disadvantaged kids.

He has been involved in several controversies and has run into a lot of legal problems. With the involvement with a car theft ring, he is thought to have spent three years in prison between 1999 and 2002.
Akon was charged with a crime after throwing a fifteen-year-old child off the stage after a concert in 2007. He received backlash in April 2007 for engaging in inappropriate sexual behavior with a teen girl in a Trinidad and Tobago bar.
In 2018, Akon’s “serious consideration” of running for president in the 2020 US election garnered some media attention.

Akon's Religion

Akon Religion
Aliaune Thiam, most known as Akon, believes that his Muslim faith is the key to all his successes.
At the Sharjah Entrepreneurial Festival, Akon grabbed the opportunity to speak and share something about his life, particularly his profession and strong religious beliefs.

“Always perfect your craft,” he said to the crowd.

Even though he is providing his fans advice in that manner, his subsequent remarks go against what he said only a moment before. He makes the point that some situations still had to happen, especially when God wanted them to.
He also added that he believes entrepreneurs often overlook the spiritual component of a goal or accomplishment. Even as a rising star within the music industry, Akon says that his spirituality forced him to reevaluate his objectives for his career.

Akon continues talking about his religion and even asks a question to the crows, “It makes you ask the question: what is success? Is it fame or fortune? Does that measure what success means to you? Or is it faith?”

Real success, for him, is faith. He said that he won’t consider himself successful if God doesn’t shine upon him. He explained that he doesn’t care whether having a billion dollars in the bank because what use is he if he already has one?
Akon also said it was that mindset of him the reason why he launched Akon Lighting Africa Project, which aims to provide electricity by solar energy in Africa. The project operates in over 14 countries, including his native Senegal, and employs more than 5,000 people.

He revealed his true motives are to enter the afterlife, “I don’t believe in having that much money sitting away without applying it to changing somebody’s life.”

Jermaine Jackson

Jermaine La Jaune Jackson, professionally known as Jermaine Jackson, is an American Singer and a member of the Jackson 5 music group.

Before 1966, when Jermaine’s younger brother Michael began taking the lead vocals, Jermaine was the band’s original lead singer for the Jackson Brothers, an early version of The Jackson Five.
Jermaine left the group when they signed with CBS. However, Jermaine re-joined The Jacksons in 1984, and the group went on tour and recorded the Victory album.
Later, his brothers collaborated with CBS to make five top-charting albums under the name The Jacksons. They traveled the world to promote their music.
In 1972, Jermaine had his first gold-certified solo hit with Daddy’s Home. Let’s Get Serious earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance (1980).
He made three duet recordings with Whitney Houston in the middle of the 1980s.
Moreover, Jermaine Jackson has hits that reached the Billboard Top 30 during the following two decades, including Feel the Fire, Let me Tickle Your Fancy, Let’s Be Young Tonight, That’s How Love Goes, Dynamite, Do What You Do, I Think It’s Love and Don’t Take It Personal.
He collaborated on the number-one smash song Tell Me I’m Not Dreamin’ with his brother Michael. Additionally, he and Pia Zadora collaborated on the duet When the Rain Begins to Fall, which peaked at number one on the European charts.
In 2010, Jermaine Jackson performed a solo concert as a part of the International Kanilai Cultural Festival in the Gambia. The Jackson Family Honors and The Jacksons: An American Dream both have him as co-executive producers.
He served as executive producer of The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty, an AE Network reality program, in 2010. He wrote the book Michael: You Are Not Alone as a published author. He also made an appearance on Big Brother UK.

Jermaine Jackson's Early Life

The older brother of the late king of pop, Jermaine Jackson, is part of the musically gifted Jackson Family. He was born on December 11, 1954, in Gary, Indiana, to Joe and Katherine Jackson.
Along with his superstar siblings, Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson, his other siblings are Rebbie, Jackie, LaToya Marlon, Tito, Randy, and Brandon (Marlon’s twin who died soon after birth). He is the fourth of ten children.
Jermaine and his brothers, Tito and Jackie, used their father’s guitar to covertly practice tunes. In contrast, their father put in long shifts as a crane operator.
Jermaine Jackson has been married three times: to Hazel Gorday (1973), Alejandra Oiaza (1995), and Halima Rashid (m.2004).
Hazel Gordy, a Motown founder, Berry Gordy’s daughter, was Jermaine’s first marriage from 1973 to 1988. They have three children: Jermaine La Jaune ‘Jay’ Jr., born in 1977; Autumn Joi, in 1978; and Jaimy Jermaine in 1987.
From 1986 until 1986, Jermaine was in a relationship with Margaret Maldonado. He had two sons together: Jeremy, born in 1986, and Jourdynn Michael, in 1989.
Alejandra Genevieve Oaziaza was his second marriage. Oaziaza and Randy, with whom she had a son and a daughter, were dating when Jermaine and Alejandra Genevieve began dating.
They had two sons: Jaafar Jermiah, born in 1996, and Jermajesty Jermaine in 2000. Furthermore, in 2004, Jermaine met Halima Rashid, to who he proposed and married five months later.
However, in 2015, Rashid was arrested for alleged domestic violence and soon filed for divorce the following year. They didn’t bear a child.
He was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness. Still, he became a Muslim in 1989 after visiting Bahrain and being moved by the local kids’ devotion to their faith.

Jermaine Jackson's Religion

Jackson, like the rest of his family, was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness. In 1989, he converted to Islam after a trip to Bahrain. He was impressed by the local children’s devotion to their religion.
Jermaine Jackson is a proud Muslim. The brother of the late king of pop, Michael Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, converted to Islam from Christianity. Jermain also believes that his Brother Michael Jackson was in the process of converting to Islam before his death in 2009
Jermaine brings his younger brother Michael’s books about Islam, and he reads everything, all six of them.

“I do know that all of [Michael’s] security and the people that took care of his children became Muslim. As far as him accepting Islam in his heart, I am sure he did,” said Jackson.

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