Shaun King, a former fundraiser for the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement who is held in disgrace by some of its adherents, announced on Monday that he has converted to Islam ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. This follows months of anti-Israel messaging from the activist and his suspension from Instagram, which King claims was due to his posts in support of Gaza.
Shaun allegedly converted with his wife Rai this Sunday at a mosque in Texas, with the ceremony overseen by Palestinian-American imam Omar Suleiman. King directly compared his conversion to that of Malcolm X, and said “I don’t know that I would be here today without the past six months of suffering and pain and trauma that we’ve seen in Gaza.”
“First, this decision has been years in the making for Shaun and I both and was initiated by the deep kindness of our Muslim friends over the years,” Rai King later wrote on Instagram. “I see Islam simply as a way for me to more deeply and intentionally connect with God after so many years of feeling lost in my faith.”
“Free Palestine,” she wrote at the end.
Learn the benefits of becoming a Valuetainment Member and subscribe today!
King followed up with posts on his Telegram channel. “We have received hundreds of messages from all over the world of men, women, and children that want to convert to Islam with us. This warms our heart,” he wrote. “On this channel, and on other platforms, I will begin sharing our journey with Islam this Ramadan, OK? I’m just a beginner, but would love to share our hearts with you. But I will soon (as in a few minutes) get back to sharing news from Palestine and showing you all more and more ways to step up our support.”
In October 2023, King claimed that he helped free two American hostages, Judith and Natalie Raanan, from the hands of Hamas by working “frantically behind the scenes to help make this possible.” The Illinois mother and daughter were visiting Israel when the terrorist group attacked Israel on October 7th.
The family of the girls claimed King had fabricated the story. “First and foremost, we make it clear that he is lying! Our family does not and did not have anything to do with him, neither directly nor indirectly. Not to him and not to anything he claims to represent,” they told TMZ.
King’s philanthropic endeavors have been questioned in the past, such as when his racial justice nonprofit amassed $6.7 million in the wake of the death of George Floyd and in turn granted him and all his associates six-figure salaries. But King adamantly defended his claims and posted screenshots with Ben Ranaan, Natalie’s brother, allegedly showing he provided him with contacts. King claimed the Ranaan family was distancing itself from him due to backlash from “Israelis.”
King was banned from Instagram in December which he claimed was because of his pro-Palestine posts. “I’m grateful, I’m safe, and I’ve been through much harder times than being banned from Instagram,” he said in a video posted to a friend’s account. “[Meta has] decided to stand in the way of those of us who are fighting for the human rights and dignity of Palestinians.”
“Frustrated that Instagram has banned me for fighting for Palestine, and speaking up for the human rights and dignity of Palestinians, but I refuse to betray my values and principles by staying silent about this genocide and the war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank,” he wrote in the post’s caption. King claimed he had his “attorneys and other people” involved in the situation, adding that he would like to rejoin it but “not if that means compromising my values speaking up for Palestinians.”
Meta told the New York Post that King’s account was suspended due to “multiple instances of praise for designated entities in violation of our policies.”
As Ramadan begins in many Islamic countries, leaders are using the moment to highlight their displeasure with the ongoing war in Gaza. Saudi King Salman said, “As it pains us that the month of Ramadan falls this year, in light of the attacks our brothers in Palestine are suffering from, we stress the need for the international community to assume its responsibilities, to stop these brutal crimes, and provide safe humanitarian and relief corridors.”
Shane Devine is a writer covering politics, economics, and culture for Valuetainment. Follow Shane on X (Twitter).
Add comment