Shaun King, an American human rights activist, has recently decided to convert to Islam amid Israel’s aggression toward Palestine. He is also one of the vocal voices in the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States.
King chose to become a convert after being moved by the suffering of Palestinian residents in the Gaza Strip due to Israeli aggression over the past six months.
Who is Shaun King?
Shaun King was born in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and is a graduate of Morehouse College. He later became a Christian pastor at a church in 2008 and served for four years. During his time as a pastor, King also founded a social assistance organization called HopeMob.org. He frequently utilized social media to attract new followers and earned the nickname “The Facebook Pastor.”
After completing his graduate studies at Arizona State University, King decided to become a writer. He once worked as a contributor for various local media companies.
King actively contributed to various local media outlets until 2017 when the ‘Citizens’ Committee for Children in New York’ awarded him the Samuel Peabody Award for his contributions.
According to The Famous People, King has actively supported various social movements since 2013, particularly protesting against violence and racism towards the Black community in the US.
King stated that his background in establishing the organization was based on his experience of being a victim of racism and hatred during his youth in Kentucky, USA.
His work in the human rights movement did not end there. He also launched the Justice Together organization, a platform to identify police brutality against civilians. However, the organization was disbanded in 2016.
Later, he released a book titled ‘Make Change’ as a guide for the movements he had supported thus far. He used this book as a turning point to remain active in supporting humanitarian and social movements in the US.
To this day, he remains actively voicing his support for the Black Lives Matter movement against discrimination in the US.
The Former Pastor Turned Convert
King decided to embrace Islam on Monday (11/3) after witnessing the suffering of Palestinian residents in the Gaza Strip due to Israeli aggression.
The former Christian pastor chose to become a convert alongside his wife, Rai King, a day before Ramadan. Both recited the two sentences of the Shahada at the Valley Ranch Islamic Center in Dallas, Texas, guided by Imam Omar Suleiman.
Since the Israeli aggression on Palestine, King has frequently spoken out in defense of the Palestinian people. He has utilized social media channels like TikTok as a means to counter disinformation resulting from propaganda.
King felt moved by witnessing the resilience of Palestinians suffering from Israeli atrocities.
“It touched me in such a profound way to see people in the most dangerous and traumatic place on the planet right now. They could only see the rubble and the bodies of their families, but they could still see meaning and purpose in life. Their incredibly strong faith and devotion to Islam not only opened my heart but the hearts of millions of people around the world,” King said on his Instagram account.
He also revealed that the company Meta wanted to shut down his Instagram account after he voiced his support for Palestinians on the platform.
