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Rabat – American writer and activist Shaun King and his wife, Rai King, became Muslims on Monday after delivering a declaration of faith, which was posted on the Instagram page Muslimi as well as on King’s official Facebook account.
The American couple embraced the new faith under the direction of US Muslim scholar Omar Suleiman, a friend of King’s for more than a decade.
“Together, we took Shahada and converted to Islam to start off Ramadan. It was a beautiful, powerful, meaningful day for us that we will never forget,” King wrote, as he and his wife returned home from evening prayers at a mosque in Dallas, Texas.
The American activist added that “we will begin fasting in the morning with over 1 billion Muslims around the world.”
While addressing the crowd, the 44-year-old donned a keffiyeh, a Palestinian head covering, and attributed his decision to the agony, suffering, and trauma that Gaza has endured over the last six months.
“My heart is with my dearest friends in Gaza and I’m proud that we were able to provide meals tonight to thousands and thousands of families from the North to the South in Gaza,” King declared, stressing that he will carry on with his humanitarian aid throughout the entire month of Ramadan.
The activist revealed that his decision to embrace Islam was inspired by the people of Gaza, for their unwavering faith and loyalty to Islam through turmoil. He said that this commitment not only warmed his own heart but also the hearts of millions of people worldwide.
“It has touched me in the most profound ways to see people right now in the most dangerous, traumatic place on the planet still be able to sometimes look at nothing but rubble and the remains of their family, and still see meaning and purpose in life,” he remarked.
King has made no secret of his support for Palestine in its fight against Israel’s siege on Gaza since October 7.
King has often posted on social media about the tragic situation in Gaza and demanded a stop to Israel’s bombardment, which has resulted in at least 30,000 deaths, mostly women and children, and 70,000 injured, as of February 29, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
King had reportedly been censured on social media on multiple instances through shadow banning and posts being taken down. Meta permanently suspended his Instagram account in December of 2023, due to “instances of praise for designated entities in violation of policies,” according to the company’s spokesperson.
King cited the ban as censorship for his outward support of Palestine, constant condemnation of Israel and US funding, as well as his use of terms censored in some American media forums such as genocide and ethnic cleansing. Since the suspension, his global network of millions continue to support and follow him on LinkedIn and Facebook.
