The other day a British tabloid, the Sun, reported that Michael Jackson (you know, the guy that had a few hits in the 1970s and early 1980s but is now best known for his scandals, bizarre behaviour and plastic surgery) has converted to Islam. This might not surprise some people, given that his brother Jermaine really has done (and appeared at the recent Global Peace & Unity event in London), but as ever, people have picked up a dubious tabloid story and ran with it despite its tenuous sourcing.
As brother Siddiq Khan points out, on DeenPort:
This is a good example of how the media works at present. Yesterday, when this story was posted on Deenport, one one news source in Australia had picked up the story. At the moment on Google News, its about 905.
No has done a follow-up, no one. This, despite, the fact that the story has been falsely reported over the two decades; the story was derived from the tabloid Sun; that there is one source and he/she is anonymous; that there are at least four people mentioned by name in the story and should have been the focus point of any follow-up to the story. That’s excluding Michael and Jermaine as well.
Yet, nothing has materialised. Most of the media just picked-up (copied and pasted) the story.
This is, of course, the latest in a long line of stories about famous people converting to Islam, most of which were just rumours which have proven to be false. Why on earth do we need to boast about famous converts as if they were any better proof of Islam than an ordinary person, such as a train driver or mechanic or civil servant, and as if any of these people were examples to live by?
And let’s face it, this individual is one of the least exemplary of all of them. Whatever the truth of his behaviour with young boys, Michael Jackson is a flake. As far as his musical career is concerned, he is a has-been; the height of his fame was at a time no young person would remember (people coming of age now were barely born when Bad was released in 1987, let alone Thriller or Off the Wall). Since then, his music is generally regarded as having gone drastically downhill, better characterised by bombastic, preachy songs like Earth Song than by his high-quality pop, and he is better known for his public scandals than his music. Surely he would be an embarrassment to any community he joined, and that would include ours. Obviously, it is not our place to say who should become Muslim and who should not, but I do wonder why some Muslims are so keen for him to convert to Islam, and not someone else.
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I think many people are missing the point about why MJ becoming Muslim would potentially be a good thing - though Allah knows best.
Perhaps for some, their excitement over this rumour is related to its “wow factor” - but not for me. I see it as a huge - and I mean HUGE - dawah opportunity.
No matter what you say about MJ, the guy still has a massive following. It is an undeniable fact. There are millions of people who virtually worship the man (a’authobillah).
Guidance is in the Hands of Allah - but He has guided people to Al-Islam via their leaders before. You must have heard stories of the leader of a tribe becoming Muslim, and then the next day the whole nation follows suit, simply out of their love for him, and their trust in his judgement.
If MJ really became Muslim, insha’Allah, not only would it be wonderful for him, but a whole army of people would be exposed to Islam, because they would want to know more about the religion of their beloved ‘leader’.
I am not saying he deserves the loyalty and trust of his large fan base - but he has it, and if he does accept Islam, the Ummah may benefit from it too, insha’Allah.
It’s not to say his decision to submit is more important than anyone else’s in the sight of Allah - but looking at the past events, it would be pretty neat for this aspect of Islamic history to repeat itself, insha’Allah.
Oh, and wrt confirming the story, I have been trying to myself for the past couple of days, via people who know people connected to story. No word as yet. That’s why I haven’t blogged about it, either on my own blog or MM. No-one should trust the Sun!
Well, if he has converted, let’s hope he’s taken up one of the varieties of islam that forbids music. A religion that silenced Cat Stevens can’t be all bad.
Interestingly, there has always been a fair amount of sympathy for Jackson on the Asperger lists because some Aspies see the media denigration of him as being motivated by the kind of prejudice against social difference that they themselves experience on a day to day basis.
This attack on Jackson’s oddness is significant here, in my view, because the media frenzy is seeking to imply Jackson’s conversion would be proof of Islam’s “otherness”.
Hi,
I normally quite like your articles whether or not I agree with them. But I am quite disappointed with this one. Here is somebody who has been through a lot which no one really knows about as none of us are privy to the details - but you’re article appears to be critical and JUDGEMENTAL of him on a fairly personal level.
Whether he would be an embarresment or not should not be an issue for someone becoming a muslim. In fact if he were it may be a good thing, as he still has a massive following and at the very least it people who may not otherwise be interested in Islam may get the opportunity to see something about Islam.
But on the whole I am quite disappointed about the tone of your article on the guy.
(we don’t care) :)
I would like this story to be true, precisely becuase he IS such a flake. I am not and never have been a ‘fan’, even though I was an impressionable teenager when he was at the height of his success. But I feel desperately sorry for him and that’s why I would really love him to find happiness and a sense of peace through worshipping Allah ta’ala. And Jermaine is our brother and seems like a good bloke so I would be pleased for his sake too, I’m sure it would mean a lot to him. I would be absolutely elated if any member of my family accepted Islam. so insha’Allah it is true, although it looks less likely with each day that passes without verification.
FYI
Jermaine played bass. Randy Jackson played percussion and keyboards.
@Daud: Thanks, I’ve just checked Wikipedia and it turns out that I was thinking of another Randy Jackson (whom I knew of because he played bass on one of Tracy Chapman’s records).
This is not the first time I’ve heard of MJ’s conversion, the first was back in 1993. I see the zionist troll therShites hopes it “silences” him….well schmuck Cat Stevens is playing music again.