Western Muslims
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Western Muslims are Muslims who reside in the West. Ever since the rise of Islam, Muslims have lived in parts of the West alongside Jews and Christians. Until the twentieth century, very few Muslims had ever lived in Western Europe, with the main exceptions being southern Italy, Ottoman Greece, and Al-Andalus, the period of Islamic rule of the Iberian Peninsula, which includes Spain and Portugal. The scientific and literary accomplishments of this period are often seen as an important influence on the development of the Renaissance.
Western Muslims appeared during the time when Spain and other countries were conquered by Muslims.
The numbers of Western Muslims greatly decreased after the completion of the Reconquista, as non-Christians were forced to convert to Catholicism or leave the Iberian Peninsula during the persecutions of the Spanish Inquisition of the 15th century. For centuries afterwards, there were very few Muslims to be found in the West until the 20th Century, when Muslim populations began to expand throughout the West, mostly due to large-scale immigration, but also due to conversion by non-Muslims.
This page is an incomplete list of people identified as Muslims and does not differentiate between Sunni Muslims, Shia Muslims, or any other subcategory. This list takes a wide definition of a Muslim by including most individuals who might be in some way be identified as Muslim, but acknowledges that more restrictive definitions may be applied by the reader. For information on Islam and Muslims in various parts of the world, please see Islam by country.
Famous Western Muslims include:
Contents |
[edit] Historical Figures
[edit] Theologians and Philosophers
- Reza Aslan
- Jamal Badawi
- Coleman Barks
- Mohamed Elmasry
- Yusuf Estes, Islamic lecturer
- Robert Friedman
- Roger Garaudy, French Philosopher.
- Rene Guenon, philosopher and scholar.
- Hamza Yusuf Hanson, influential modern-day Islamic scholar.
- Kabir Helminski
- Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller, modern-day Islamic scholar.
- Ingrid Mattson (converted)
- Gary Miller (Abdul-Ahad Omar) Former Christian priest and missionary
- Warith Deen Muhammad, leader of one of the largest Muslim organizations in the United States.
- Tariq Ramadan, Islamic scholar and philosopher, hailed by Time Magazine as one of the Next 100 Innovators of the 21st Century. [1]
- Zaid Shakir, modern-day Islamic scholar.
- A. E. Souaiaia , University of Iowa , USA
- Siraj Wahaj, American Muslim, influential Islamic leader.
- Alexander Russell Webb (converted)
- Suhaib Webb, modern-day Islamic scholar. (converted)
[edit] Political Activists
- Malcolm X, influential African American/Pan-Africanist and human rights activist.
[edit] Historiographers, political scientists, and sociologists
[edit] Scientists, Philosophers, and Mathematicians
[edit] Military
- Claude Alexandre de Bonneval, was a French army officer.
- Jacques-Francois Menou, was a French general.
- Suleiman Pasha, was a French-born Egyptian commander.
[edit] Politics
- Haji Abid is the Mayor of Luton (UK)
- Baron Ahmed - Member of the House of Lords (UK)
- Waheed Alli, Baron Alli - Politician, Labour peer and media mogul
- Sadiq Khan is the Labour MP for Tooting (UK)
- Khalid Mahmood is the Labour MP for Birmingham Perry Bar (UK)
- Shahid Malik is the Labour MP for Dewsbury (UK)
- Sir Iqbal Sacranie is the General Secretary of the Muslim Council of Britain (UK)
- Mohammad Sarwar is the Labour MP for Glasgow Central (UK)
- John Eren is the Australian Labour Party MP for Geelong (Australia)
- Adem Somyürek is the Australian Labour Party MP for Eumemmerring (Australia)
- Sayeeda Warsi is the Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party (UK)
- Manzila Uddin, Baroness Uddin - Peer in the UK
[edit] The Various Arts
[edit] Writers and Poets
- Rukhsana Khan
- Jeffrey Lang
- Yahiya Emerick
- Ruqaiyyah Waris Maqsood
- Martin Lings
- Murad Wilfred Hofmann
- Michael Wolfe, journalist.
- Muhammad Asad, statesman, author, journalist.
- Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall, Islamic and Middle-East scholar, novelist, and translator of the Qur'an to the English Language.
- William Abdullah Quilliam, Liverpool novelist and solicitor who founded England's first mosque.
- Dawud Wharnsby Ali, poet/singer-songwriter
- Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore, poet.
- Tariq Ramadan Visiting Professor, Oxford University
- Rahat Kurd
- Coleman Barks
- Camille Helminski
- Outlandish
- Everlast
- Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, Swiss traveller and orientalist.
- Isabelle Eberhardt
- Mohja Khaf, Poet and English Lit Professoe, La Fayette Arkansas
- Anab Whitehouse
[edit] Entertainers
- Ahmad, rapper
- Akon, R&B singer
- Art Blakey, musician
- Azhar Usman, comedian
- Danny Thompson, musician
- Dave Chappelle, comedian
- Dawud Wharnsby Ali, Canadian musician
- Everlast, musician
- John Coltrane, jazz saxophonist
- Lupe Fiasco, rapper
- Jermaine Jackson
- Freeway, rapper
- Wesley Snipes, actor.
- Mos Def, rapper and actor
- Napoleon (Of Tupac's Outlawz) former rapper
- Native Deen, Hip-Hop trio band
- Outlandish, rapper
- MajorMajors, alternative rock band
- Preacher Moss, comedian
- Ahmad Jamal, American jazz pianist.
- Richard Thompson, musician
- Shazia Mirza, comedian
- Cat Stevens, known as Yusuf Islam, British singer-songwriter
- Philippe Fragione, is a French rapper.
- Peter Murphy
- MC Ren, rapper and hip hop producer.
[edit] Television
- Moustapha Akkad, producer, director and actor.
- Aasif Mandvi, actor.
- Yvonne Ridley, British journalist who converted to Islam after being held prisoner by the Taliban.
- Jamel Debbouze
- Zarqa Nawaz, Filmmaker
[edit] Other
- Peter Sanders, photographer.
- According to Richard Hakluyt's The voyage made to Tripolis, John Nelson was the first English convert to Islam.
- W.H. Quillam, Liverpool soilicitor
- Maurice Béjart, French choreographer.
- Nick Stephen
[edit] Business Figures
- Ahmad Adaya, Real Estate Mogul and Philanthropist
- Bijan, high-end men's clothing
- Ahmed Fahour, banking
- Ayhan Hakimoglu, armaments
- John Ilhan, mobiles
- Jawed Karim, co-founder of YouTube
- Farooq Kathwari, furniture
- Nemir Kirdar, venture capital
[edit] Sport Figures
[edit] Basketball
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, NBA.
- Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, NBA.
- Tariq Abdul-Wahad, NBA.
- Shareef Abdur-Rahim, NBA.
- Larry Johnson, NBA.
- Nazr Mohammed, NBA.
- Mehmet Okur, NBA.
- Hakeem Olajuwon, NBA.
- Ahmad Rashad, NBA.
- Hedo Turkoglu, NBA.
- Ersan Ilyasova, NBA
- Rasheed Wallace,NBA
[edit] Boxing
- Laila Ali, current female super middleweight champion and daughter of Muhammad Ali.
- Muhammad Ali, three-time world heavyweight champion nicknamed "The Greatest" and voted as one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential figures of the 20th century.
- Naseem Hamed, former world bantamweight and featherweight champion.
- Amir Khan, former IBF inter-continental light welterweight champion and current world lightweight #14 seed.
- Mohammed Medjadi, current French super featherweight champion
- Matthew Saad Muhammad, former world light heavyweight champion.
- Dwight Muhammad Qawi, former world light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion.
- Hasim Rahman, two-time world heavyweight champion.
- Jermaine Taylor, current world middleweight champion.
- Mike Tyson, two-time world heavyweight champion.
- Danny Williams, former Commonwealth heavyweight champion.
[edit] Football/Soccer
- Nicolas Anelka, footballer for Bolton Wanderers.
- Julien Faubert
- Bruno Metsu, French football manager.
- Franck Ribéry, footballer for Olympique de Marseille.
- Kolo Toure, footballer for Arsenal.
- Philippe Troussier, French football manager.
- Zinedine Zidane, three-time FIFA World Player of the Year
[edit] American Football
- Khalid Abdullah, NFL.
- Rabih Abdullah, NFL.
- Fakhir Brown, NFL.
- Az-Zahir Hakim, NFL.
- Ahmad Rashad, NFL.
- Saleem Rashid, NFL.
[edit] Ice Hockey
[edit] Rugby League
[edit] Tennis
- Andre Agassi, former World No. 1 tennis player[citation needed]
- Marat Safin, professional tennis player.
- Younis alyanoui
[edit] Wrestling
[edit] Others
- Jose Padilla aka Abdullah al-Muhajir
- John Walker Lindh, the American Taliban.
- Maher Arar
- Monia Mazigh
- Rahim Jaffer
- Louis Farrakhan, Nation of Islam.
- Andre S. Belcher-El (Husaam Udeen Waliyullah) - NBUF, Moorish Science Temple of America, Inc. - Black Liberation Theology, Husaam Udeen Abdullah Abdul-Mutaal Abdul-Salaam Abdul-Azeez Abdul-Raafi' Mujaahid Waliyullah
[edit] See also
- Islam in Christian countries
- Islam in Europe
- Islam in the United Kingdom
- List of American Muslims
- List of converts to Islam
- List of Muslims
- List of Islamic and Muslim related topics
- List of Islamic terms in Arabic
- List of people by belief
[edit] External links
- http://www.masud.co.uk/ISLAM/bmh/bmh.htm - British Muslim Heritage, articles by indigenous British Muslims.
- http://www.islamia-pri.brent.sch.uk/british_muslims.html - A history of Islam in Britain, including biographies and pictures of early British converts to Islam.
- http://www.islamia-pri.brent.sch.uk/mrbritmuslims.html - Pictures of several early converts to Islam within the British Isles.
- http://www.theamericanmuslim.org - The American Muslim (TAM), an organization specializing for American Muslim, by convert Safiya Godlas.
- http://store.talkislam.com/b8032.html - Western Muslims and the Future of Islam written by Tariq Ramadan, book.
- http://www.arabia.pl/english - Islam in Europe. Arab issues, culture, politics and society.