Are any of y’all familiar with freedom of religion? The term refers to the right to choose which religion to believe without interference from other parties such as the government.
Despite a few setbacks such as being conflicted with their family members’ cultural values as well as other people’s shallow perceptions, we do believe that these individuals had their own reasons on coming out with such drastic decisions.
Famous celebrities are not excluded in this case. For those who are curious, check out the list of popular public figures who surprised everyone by changing their religious faith throughout the years.
Here are 8 of them:
1. Salmafina Sunan
Controversial Indonesian celebrity Salmafina Sunan decided to change her religion from Muslim to Christian, which in turn has received massive reactions from netizens. Prior to that, the 20-year-old caused a stir after removing her hijab following her divorce with ex-husband Taqy Malik.
The news of Salmafina’s conversion to Christianity circulated in mid-2019. Recently, she was asked by one of her followers her thoughts on celebrating Christmas for the first time. Her response was shocking, though. She revealed that this would be her second time celebrating the festive season.
2. Nafa Urbach
Actress-singer Nafa Urbach is also among other notable celebrities who have changed their religion. The “Hatiku Bagai Terpenjara” singer got married to ex-athlete Zack Lee at the Immanuel Church, Central Jakarta on 16th February 2007.
Both Nafa and Zack had different religious backgrounds – Nafa was born a Muslim while Zack is a Christian. Following the spread of her marriage news, the “Aishiteru” star announced that she had converted to Christianity.
3. Deddy Corbuzier
On the other hand, hunky radio announcer-actor Deddy Corbuzier had officially changed his religion to Islam in mid-June 2019. He underwent the process of reciting the shahada (Muslims’ ritual of professing faith to the God) at the Ora Aji boarding school in Yogyakarta. The ceremony was held in public, by the 42-year-old’s friend Gus Miftah, who is also the headmaster of the religious institution.
4. Jay Kim
Korean vlogger and YouTube personality Jay Kim (김재한) surprised his fans after announcing that he had converted to Islam in September 2019. The former K-pop star posted a video of him reciting the shahada in front of the members of the Seoul Central Mosque on his YouTube channel and Instagram.
Additionally, he revealed that he had changed his name to Daud Kim after converting.
5. Fano KIFLYF TV
Fellow YouTuber Fano (real name Delfano Charies) who found fame through his channel KIFLYF TV has officially embraced Islam in November 2019. It was reported that he had a tough time in coming out with the decision.
Fano recited the shahada in front of his family members and friends. He took to his Instagram to express his gratitude to everyone who supported his journey, especially his beloved mother.
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6. Roger Danuarta
The “Anakku Bukan Anakku” actor has long planned to embrace Islam way before tying the knot with wifey Cut Meyriska. This was confirmed by the Mualaf Centre Yogyakarta (MCY) after being contacted by the media in back in October 2018.
Roger shared in an interview that he had to ask for his parents’ permissions first before converting. Not only that, the 37-year-old revealed that he was moved by Muslims’ lifestyle after seeing his close friends as well as colleagues in the local entertainment scene.
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7. Steve Emmanuel
Back in March 2019 during the proceeding of his ongoing drug abuse case, the Indo-American heartthrob shocked everyone when he referred himself as a Christian, 11 years after converting to Islam in 2008. However, sister Karenina Sunny clarified that Steve answered the judges’ question according to the details written on his identification card.
8. Celine Evangelista
The actress-model caught everyone’s attention when she made her appearance in a public event clad in full hijab. For those who don’t know, Celine actually grew up as a Catholic.
In response, the 27-year-old took to her YouTube channel to clarify everyone’s misunderstanding. According to Celine, she felt really comfortable wearing the headpiece. In addition, she assured that she wanted to pay her respect to the Muslims who were celebrating the holy month of Ramadan at that time.
Source: Murai.
