‘Oh my God, I am home’:When Sinead O’Connor found her true calling in Islam

Irish singer Sinead O’Connor, who enchanted the world with her soul-stirring music, has passed away at the age of 56. Beyond her mesmerising voice, her life was one of unyielding activism and an eventual embrace of Islam, a journey rooted in truth and profound Islamic values she had unknowingly embodied from the start.

Throughout her illustrious career, O’Connor was never one to shy away from speaking her mind and using her platform to address critical issues.

In 1992, she stunned the world by tearing up a photo of Pope John Paul II during a live appearance on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live”, boldly denouncing the Catholic Church as an adversary.

Long before sexual abuse allegations against the clergy were widely reported, she fearlessly stood as a critic against an institution that had often turned a blind eye to the suffering of victims.

Her activism extended beyond the church. O’Connor challenged societal norms with her iconic shaved head and shapeless wardrobe, shunning popular culture’s notion of femininity and empowering countless young women to embrace their authentic selves.

Journey through Islam: Unintentionally Muslim all along

In 2018, she made headlines again, this time for a personal transformation that would profoundly impact her life.

She publicly announced her conversion to Islam and revealed her new name, Shuhada’ Davitt.

Yet, her journey to Islam was not a sudden shift but a realisation of her lifelong connection to Islamic values, even before formally embracing the faith.

In a now-deleted tweet, she confidently declared, “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.”

A year later, in a candid late-night show interview, O’Connor shared her spiritual journey, reminiscing about her religious upbringing and quest for a deeper understanding of God.

She had explored various scriptures in search of truth, finding solace in different teachings. “I started studying scriptures from different religious, trying to find the ‘truth’ about God. I never thought I would join a religion, but I left Islam until last because I had so much prejudice about Islam.”

However, it was the Quran that resonated deeply within her, making her feel like she had finally found her spiritual home. “But then when I started reading, and I read just chapter two alone of the Quran, and I realised, Oh my God, I am home.”

“I had been a Muslim all my life and didn’t realise it,” she stated passionately. For her, Islam was not just a religion but a way of thinking, a mindset that she had unknowingly carried throughout her life.

She emphasised how Islam affirmed the original versions of previous scriptures, which had been tampered with over time, an aspect that deeply resonated with her personal childhood memories of religion.

Before officially embracing Islam, O’Connor had unknowingly embodied many Islamic values throughout her life. Her activism against the Catholic Church’s abuse scandals and the music industry’s pressure to conform to gender norms, challenging the objectification of women and the obsession with physical appearance, can be seen as reflections of her innate Islamic values of justice, self-respect, modesty and inner strength.

As we remember Sinead O'Connor, we celebrate her inspiring transformation into Islam, which revealed the profound Islamic values she had embodied even before her official conversion. Her journey reflects the power of self-discovery and the authenticity of embracing one's true identity.

Her legacy as a fearless truth-teller and a voice for critical issues stands tall, leaving an indelible mark on the world.

As we bid farewell to an iconic artist and an extraordinary soul, her message of courage, conviction, and embracing truth will continue to inspire generations to come.