Irish singer Sinead O’Connor has revealed she has renounced Catholicism and converted to Islam, changing her name to ‘Shuhada’ Davitt.’
In a message posted to Twitter, O’Connor, who last year changed her legal name to Magda Davitt, said she had ditched the Catholic Church for good. According to The Irish Post, The 51-year-old was previously ordained a priest by a breakaway Catholic sect, the Irish Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church, in the late 1990s.
“This is to announce that I am proud to have become a Muslim,” she wrote. “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’,” she added.
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’
— Shuhada’ Davitt (@MagdaDavitt77) October 19, 2018
The musician, who underwent intensive mental health treatment in the US last year with the help of Dr Phil, went on to post a video of herself singing the azan.
“Here is my 1st attempt at singing the Azan,” she wrote. “I got some pronunciation wrong because emotions took me from my page… but there’ll be hundreds of others onstage to come.”
Here is my 1st attempt at singing the Azan. I got some pronouncition wrong because emotions took me from my page… but there’ll be hundreds of others onstage to come … https://t.co/vDFyheqOOc
— Shuhada’ Davitt (@MagdaDavitt77) October 19, 2018
O’Connor also shared that she had received her first Hijab with the help of a friend in Dublin.
“My best friend, Elaine just gave me my 1st Hijab and she got chills all over her body when I put it on. Not gonna post a photo because is intensely personal,” she wrote, adding, “And I’m an ugly old hag. But I’m a very, very, very happy old hag.”
My best friend, Elaine just gave me my 1st Hijab and she got chills all over her body when I put it on. Not gonna post a photo because is intensely personal. And I’m an ugly old hag. But I’m a very, very, very happy old hag.
— Shuhada’ Davitt (@MagdaDavitt77) October 20, 2018
However, the next day, O’Connor went onto post pictures of herself with the hijab.
Happy pic.twitter.com/VkJsj2IFAi
— Shuhada’ Davitt (@MagdaDavitt77) October 23, 2018
— Shuhada’ Davitt (@MagdaDavitt77) October 25, 2018
Later, she also thanked her fans and the Muslim Ummah for their support.
“Thank you so much to all my Muslim brothers and sisters who have been so kind as to welcome me to Ummah today on this page. You can’t begin to imagine how much your tenderness means to me,” she wrote on Twitter.
Thank you so much to all my Muslim brothers and sisters who have been so kind as to welcome me to Ummah today on this page. You can’t begin to imagine how much your tenderness means to me ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
— Shuhada’ Davitt (@MagdaDavitt77) October 25, 2018
Sinéad Marie Bernadette O’Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter who rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra. As Sinéad O’Connor, she achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a new arrangement of Prince’s song Nothing Compares 2 U.