9 Famous Americans You Probably Didnt Know Were Muslim (businessinsider/these-9-famous-americans-are-all-muslim-2014-10 ) On the sports field and at awards ceremonies, its common to hear people thanking God. Thanks to Allah is heard less often. Still, there are more than 2.5 million American Muslims, making it the third-largest religion in the US. While Muslims account for just 0.8% of the population, they have faced rising discrimination and prejudice since the 9/11 attacks 13 years ago. With the rise of groups like the Islamic State now seeking to promote their brand of violent extremism, that may be unlikely to end anytime soon. A recent poll reported that 62% of Americans didnt personally know a Muslim, so heres a list of 10 Muslim Americans you probably will know. Dr. Oz Jason Kempin/Getty Dr. Mehmet Oz, host of The Dr Oz Show and vice chair and professor of surgery at Columbia University, was born in Ohio to Turkish parents. His mothers family was fiercely secular, while his fathers family treated Islam as much more central to their lives. Dr. Oz has said he has struggled with his religious understanding but describes his beliefs as a mystical form of Islam closely related to Sufism. Shaquille O’Neal Getty Images O’Neal has rarely spoken publicly about being a Muslim, but in 2010 he did reveal he intended to take the Islamic pilgrimage known as the Hajj to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The Saudi government bars all non-Muslims from visiting Mecca. Fareed Zakaria Getty Images/Stephen Lovekin The Indian-born journalist Zakaria hosts his own show on CNN, is an editor at large for Time magazine, and writes a foreign-affairs column for The Washington Post. Zakaria was raised by Muslim parents, though he has said he doesnt consider himself a particularly religious person. Ellen Burstyn Frazer Harrison/Getty Burstyn, an Emmy-winning actress, appears to follow a loose form of Sufi Islam, The Wall Street Journal has reported. Burstyn, known for The Exorcist, Requiem For A Dream, and Political Animals, says she believes in aspects from many major religions. Aasif Mandvi Reuters / Jonathan Ernst Mandvi, an actor and comedian, is best known for his role as a Daily Show correspondent. Mandvi was born in India and spent much of his childhood in the UK before his family ultimately moved to Tampa, Florida. Mandvi told the Tampa Bay Times, My experience on The Daily Show is that ... sometimes you get the thing that you want, but in a way that you never expected to get it. Like an important time to say something as a Muslim-American, as a brown person, as an immigrant. I feel like a lot of my work is about [exploring] that gap between cultures ... I just want to keep building on that, he said. Akon Getty Images / Leonard Adam A self-described spiritual man, the rapper Akon has weaved his religious beliefs into his music. In his song Senegal, he raps, So what you know about how God comes first in our lives, everything that we do is for Allah. Dave Chappelle Joshua Roberts / Getty Images The comedian Chapelle has spoken about his beliefs on occasion but tends to shy away from talking about being a Muslim. I dont normally talk about my religion publicly because I dont want people to associate me and my flaws with this beautiful thing, he told Time magazine in 2005. In a later interview the comedian said a trip to Africa had crystallized his beliefs. “I’m a Muslim — I don’t necessarily practice the way a good Muslim is supposed to practice, but I believe in these tenants,” Chapelle said. Ice Cube Getty Images / Christopher Polk Rapper Ice Cube converted to Islam in the 1990s. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Ice Cube has said: What I call myself is a natural Muslim, because it’s just me and God. You know, going to the mosque, the ritual and the tradition, it’s just not in me to do. So I don’t do it. T-Pain William Wei, Business Insider Grammy Award-winning rapper T-Pain was born Faheem Rasheed Najm and grew up in Tallahassee, Florida. He says most people arent aware that he was raised a Muslim. People don’t even know. Me, Busta Rhymes, Lupe Fiasco — they don’t even know we are Muslim. People think a Muslim has to have a turban or a big beard. It’s stupid, T-Pain said. However, T-Pain has also expressed broad beliefs in aspects of many religions, and he has also said he doesnt like that religion separates people.
Posted on: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 19:30:28 +0000
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