10 Celebrities Who Should Be Muslim

Some Muslims look down on celebrities as spoiled, sinful, proponents of evil entertainment.

And in some ways, they are.

But there are many celebrities who spend their money and time on good causes. In fact, very often those good causes directly benefit Muslims.

So rather than say bad things about these guys, perhaps it’s better if we pray for their guidance instead.

There are some celebrities that have encouraged wars against Muslims. For example, both Tom Cruise and Stephen Spielberg backed President George W. Bush’s war against Iraq.

But there were many more celebrities who spoke out against this war and are trying to bring stability to places like Darfur.

Trying to slog through all of these political issues and how certain celebrities feel about them would take too long and bore me to tears. Instead, I’ll just make a list of celebrities whose actions and passions indicate they have a lot of good in them and will hopefully one day accept Islam.

1. Bono

The things Bono gets involved in is stupendous. This guy is always promoting some humanitarian cause, usually in Africa or Haiti or some other poor nation. I can’t list every good cause he’s promoted, but just take a look at some of them:

1. DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa).
2. Conspiracy for Hope.
3. Hope for Haiti.
4. And a whole bunch of UN stuff…

2. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie

This couple are almost as famous for their charitable work as they are for their entertaining movies and very public personal lives. I’m going to overlook the fact that they’re not married and just highlight some of the good things they’ve done together over the years.

1. Brad Pitt was involved in the 2005 Kashmir earthquake.
2. Make It Right Foundation (for Hurricane Katrina victims).
3. Donated to Doctors Without Borders.
4. Adopted several children from the developing world.
5. Angelina Jolie is a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR (United Nations High Commission on Refugees).

3. Oprah Winfrey

I’m not a fan of Oprah Winfrey, but her philanthropic work cannot be denied. Just off the top of my head I know she has founded schools for girls in South Africa and has donated millions of dollars for various social causes and humanitarian efforts.

4. Ludacris

This rapper gets props just for setting Fox News commentator Bill O’Reilly straight.

But Ludacris is also known for being involved in several local humanitarian projects. He has been involved in Dosomething.org and founded the Ludacris Foundation.

5. Michael Moore

I don’t know what projects and causes Michael Moore has donated to, but his movies are enough to put him in the top five of this list. His films have highlighted several causes that Muslims should be interested in including:

1. Bowling For Columbine – Highlights the dangers and effects of America’s gun-loving culture.
2. Sicko – Exposes the inadequacy and failures of America’s profit oriented health care industry.
3. Fahrenheit 911 – Do I really need to explain?

6. Jackie Chan

He’s known for his martial arts movies and exciting action flicks. But Jackie Chan actually spends a lot of money on local causes. This is an example that many Muslims in the West should emulate.

Too often, foreign-born Muslims send their Sadaqa and Zakaah back home, totally ignoring the plight of homeless and poverty-stricken people here in America. Just like Jackie Chan tries to help those closest to him, Muslims should do the same.

7. Alicia Keys

Like many of the people on this list, singer Alicia Keys focuses a lot of her money and attention on Africa. In fact, she has partnered with Bono on AIDS/HIV projects in Africa.

It is unfortunate that many Muslims seem to be unaware or unconcerned about how badly AIDS/HIV is plaguing Africa. Of course, we know that these diseases are punishments from Allah for immoral acts. Nonetheless, that does not mean we cannot help those who are suffering from AIDS, especially child victims.

8. Matt Damon

Matt Damon is involved in at least two major ecological causes. One is to help bring clean drinking water to impoverished parts of the world. The other is to help save trees from being used in junk mail.

I’m not too familiar with the second one, but the first is very vital and extremely important to many Muslims. We all know how vital water is in Muslim life. Not just for drinking, but also for religious reasons such as wudu and ghusl.

9. Madonna

This was a hard one for me to choose. Mostly because she practices kabala (Jewish mysticism), and has espoused moral stances that go directly against Islamic principles.

But the fact is she does give a lot of her time and money for good causes. Because of this, I have to hope that one day she, like the other people on this list, will be guided towards Islam.

Just thought of another blog idea: “Madonna’s Most Un-Islamic Songs.”

“Papa Don’t Preach” and “Like A Virgin” belong at the top of that list.

10. Ben Affleck

Like most celebrities, Ben Affleck is very liberal. But I don’t want to dwell on his political activities (he’s one of the most politically active individuals on this list).

However, like his buddy Matt Damon, Ben supports many genuine causes. He has founded organizations to support research to cure A-T (a really traumatic disease that afflicts young children), humanitarian relief in the Congo, and of course environmental issues (I did say he was a liberal).

His relationships…now that’s another story.

Honorable mentions:

1. Former President Jimmy Carter – One of the few politicians brave enough to speak out against Israel.
2. Former President Bill Clinton – At least we know he wouldn’t be against polygamy (sorry, I couldn’t help it). But seriously, he has helped to raise a lot of money for causes that involve Muslims, including the Southeast Asia Tsunami. And lets not forget he led the charge against the Serbs (a little late) and Croats back in the late 90′s.
3. Susan Sarandon – She was against the Iraq war from the beginning, and she supports a lot of other noble causes.
4. Sean Penn – He was against the Iraq war and has been involved in various humanitarian causes.
5. Chris Webber – It was hard to find any non-Muslim athletes to put on this list (for some reason these guys just don’t seem to want to get involved in anything controversial). I do remember an interview Chris Webber did a long time ago when he mentioned he admired Malcolm X. He also has a charitable organization that helps local youth.

Those Who Are Good In Jahiliyya Are Good In Islam

All of these people have displayed admirable qualities that we all should emulate. If any of them were to accept Islam, they would certainly be good Muslims, Inshallah.

Perhaps it may seem impossible, but it has happened before. There are several athletes and rappers who became Muslim, even after hitting the big time. Of course, there’s still the rumors that Michael Jackson was Muslim also.

Not to mention the current President of the United States.

If you can think of any other celebrities or famous people who should become Muslim, please share their names in the comments below.