This month of Ramadan is not only the time when many begin their journey to become better Muslims but it’s also when many begin learning about the Islamic faith, especially after witnessing the horror of what’s going on in Gaza lately. While it was not confirmed that the atrocities were what led to his conversion, this famous rapper made it known that he has come to accept Islam as his new religion.
Over the weekend, American rapper Lil Jon posted on his Instagram page to officially announce to his 1 million followers that he has converted to Islam. In his post, the rapper thanked everyone in the community for their overwhelming support. “Thank you so much brothers and sisters for the outpouring of love and positivity,” he wrote. However, he has yet to reveal his new name.
According to several reports, the “Turn Down For What” artist recited the Shahada (the Islamic declaration of faith) in both Arabic and English last Friday (15th March) at the King Fahad Mosque in Culver City, Los Angeles. A video of the conversion was posted on YouTube where the Grammy winner was said to have appeared in front of a large congregation during the Shahada recitation.
Not long after making the announcement, his Instagram post was flooded with love and support from his Muslim fans and fellow artists. Many congratulated him on his conversion and wished him nothing but the best in his new beginning. Those on Twitter, however, suspected that he might have done something wrong and that he was using religion as a way to shield himself from backlash.
The suspicion rose because there have been cases of male celebs who were accused of alleged crimes suddenly converting to Islam. A famous example would be former K-pop star Jay Kim, now famously known as Daud Kim, who converted to Islam back in 2019 but was hit with sexual assault allegations the following year.
There is currently no information or rumours to suggest that Lil Jon, real name Jonathan H. Smith, is guilty of any serious crimes recently and the 53-year-old has yet to share his story of what made him decide to convert. Let’s hope that he’s actually found peace in his new faith rather than using it as a shield as claimed by netizens.
Sources: Instagram, YouTube, Twitter (1)(2), MoroccoWorldNews
