Sinead O'Connor converts to Islam and changes name to Shuhada'
Irish singer Sinead O'Connor has announced her conversion to Islam, changing her name to Shuhada' Davitt.
"This is to announce that I am proud to have become a Muslim," she wrote on Twitter on October 19. "This is the natural conclusion of any intelligent theologian's journey. All scripture study leads to Islam. Which makes all other scriptures redundant."
The singer added: "I will be given (another) new name. It will be Shuhada'." She spells her new name, which means "martyrs" in Arabic, with an apostrophe at the end.
Last year, O'Connor changed her name to Magda Davitt, a name she took to be "free of parental curses."
The "Nothing Compares 2 U" singer has replaced her Twitter profile picture with a photo that reads "Wear a hijab just do it" alongside the Nike logo.
Her recent posts have included her singing the Islamic call to prayer, the Azan, and depicted her wearing a hijab.
The 51-year-old has tweeted that she is "very, very happy," and apologized for mispronouncing some Arabic words during her recitation of the Azan.
Although her embrace of Islam attracted criticism and anti-Islamic remarks, it was broadly welcomed by fellow Muslims online.
"Salaam (a greeting that means "peace") and keep up the good work," said Immy Khan. "You have 1.7 billion brothers and sisters now."
On Thursday Davitt tweeted: "Thank you so much to all my Muslim brothers and sisters who have been so kind as to welcome me to Ummah (the Muslim community) today on this page. You can't begin to imagine how much your tenderness means to me."
The singer formally known as O'Connor made headlines in 1992 when she ripped up a picture of Pope John Paul II during an appearance on a US television show.
Later she said in an interview with TIME that she was prompted to do so by the Catholic Church's record of child abuse.
She was then ordained a priest by a bishop of the fringe Catholic Latin Tridentine Church in Lourdes, France, in 1999, in which she was renamed Mother Bernadette Mary, according to the Irish Independent.
The Catholic Church dismissed the ordination of the singer at the time as "bizarre and absurd."
In 2011, she again criticized the Catholic Church over the child sex abuse scandal, in an article for the Sunday Independent.
She dubbed the Vatican "a nest of devils," calling for the creation of an "alternative church'," and lamenting that "Christ is being murdered by liars" in the Vatican.
Pope Francis spoke during his visit to Ireland earlier this year of his shame over the "appalling crimes" of historic child abuse in the Catholic Church and said outrage was justified.
In 2015, the mother of four posted on her Facebook page that she had overdosed in the wake of a custody battle involving her youngest son and his father, Irish musician Donal Lunny. Police later said they had located O'Connor and she was "safe and sound."
The following year, O'Connor was reported missing in Chicago when she did not return from a bike ride, but police found her a day later.
Last year, she posted a tearful video of herself discussing her mental illness, which sparked concern among friends and family.
The footage shows her crying in a motel room and lamenting that her family has abandoned her in the wake of mental health issues.
"People who suffer from mental illness are the most vulnerable people on Earth," O'Connor said. "You've got to take care of us. We're not like everybody."
courtesy : edition.cnn.com
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Sheena Bora case: Indrani Mukerjea moves SC, seeks permission to travel abroad
New Delhi, Nov 26: Former media executive Indrani Mukerjea, accused of killing her daughter Sheena Bora, has moved the Supreme Court challenging the Bombay High Court ruling denying her to travel abroad.
A special court on July 19 allowed Mukerjea's plea to travel to Spain and the UK for 10 days between intermittent periods over the next three months.
The CBI approached the high court challenging the order passed by the special court but the high court quashed the special court order on September 27.
Mukerjea has now moved the apex court challenging the high court's verdict.
In her plea filed in the top court through advocate Sana Raees Khan, Mukerjea said she was a British citizen, and sought permission to visit Spain and her home country for "making necessary changes and amendments and taking care of pending work which cannot be transacted without her personal presence".
She argued the activation of a digital certificate was a must for all relevant work and administration in Spain and her physical presence was mandatory.
In its verdict, the high court noted Mukerjea wanted to travel abroad on the ground that she was a British national and was required to execute documents regarding her bank account and perform other work in Spain and the UK.
While setting aside the special court's order, the high court said if Mukerjea wished to perform these works from India, the statutory authorities back home would extend her the necessary support with the assistance of Embassy of Spain and the UK.
Mukerjea was arrested in August 2015 after the murder of Bora came to light. In May 2022, she was granted bail by the Supreme Court.
She has denied the allegations.
Bora (24) was allegedly strangled to death in a car by Mukerjea, her then-driver Shyamvar Rai and former husband Sanjeev Khanna in April 2012 in Mumbai. Her body was then burnt in a forest in the neighbouring Raigad district, according to the prosecution.
Bora was Mukerjea's daughter from her previous relationship.
The killing came to light in 2015 when Rai reportedly revealed about it during interrogation by police after his arrest in a separate case registered under the Arms Act.
Mukerjea's ex-husband Peter Mukerjea was also arrested for allegedly being a part of the conspiracy linked to the murder, probed by the CBI.
All the accused are currently out on bail.
