NewsBite

Advertisement

This was published 6 years ago

Sinead O'Connor has converted to Islam, changed her name

Singer Sinead O'Connor has announced she has converted to Islam and changed her name.

The Irish performer, known for her song Nothing Compares 2U, released the news via Twitter and revealed she is now called Shuhada' Davitt.

Sinead O'Connor said she has converted to Islam.

Sinead O'Connor said she has converted to Islam.Credit: Twitter

The 51-year-old said: "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'."

The tweet, posted on October 19, was followed by messages apparently from the Koran as well as selfies of O'Connor wearing a hijab. Her Twitter profile also includes a message to her followers: "Wear a hijab. Just do it," alongside the Nike logo.

She has also changed the name of her Twitter page to Shuhada' Davitt.

Sinead O'Connor performs in 2014.

Sinead O'Connor performs in 2014.Credit: AP

O'Connor shared a picture of herself standing in front of a board with a message reading: "You have taken my body, you have taken my mind, you have taken my children but you will never take my voice."

In a video posted to the social media platform, she sang the Azan, or call to prayer, later apologising for any pronunciation mistakes.

Advertisement

She said the "emotions took me from my page but they'll be hundreds of others onstage to come".

On Thursday, she thanked her "Muslim brothers and sisters who have been so kind as to welcome me".

O'Connor has a history of mental health issues. In June 2016 she dismissed reports she was missing and had threatened to jump off a bridge, calling the report "false and malicious gossip".

In December 2015, she wrote on Facebook that she had been detained in hospital for a mental health evaluation.

A month earlier she wrote another Facebook post claiming she had overdosed on pills in a hotel room in Ireland. She was later found safe and taken to hospital.

O'Connor was ordained as a priest in 1999 by a Catholic group not connected to the Roman Catholic Church, of which she has been a vocal critic.

She ripped up a picture of Pope John Paul II during a Saturday Night Live appearance in 1992.

PA

Most Viewed in Culture

Loading

Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/link/follow-20170101-p50cbg