Converts to Islam

From WikiIslam

A number of converts to Islam have appeared in the media due to their involvement in terrorism or terrorist organizations. Although terrorism is not exclusive to the Islamic ideology, it should be noted that a disproportionate number of terrorists are Muslims who are motivated by the teachings of Islam. Those who were born into Islam may be ignorant of their religion and its requirements, therefore they are the Muslims who are most likely to interpret Islam in a peaceful way. However, many converts to Islam are more zealous; learning as much about their new found faith as they can. When they do that, the only conclusion that they can draw is that Islam's deity endorses terrorism and rewards the terrorists. As a result, these converts often turn to terrorism and violence; often showing hatred for their own countries, people and their former way of life.

This page lists converts who are, or have been, involved in terrorism.

Original Name	Country of Origin	Name after conversion to Islam	Activities	More Information
David Hicks	Australia	Muhammed Dawood	Undertook terrorist training in al Qaeda-linked camps and served with the ruling Taliban regime in Afghanistan in 2001. He was then detained by the United States Government in Guantanamo Bay until 2007 when he became the first to be tried and convicted under the U.S. Military Commissions Act of 2006.	Jihad" diary reveals David Hicks terror training
Jill Courtney	Australia		Arrested at her suburban Sydney home on Friday in a swoop by federal and local police operating under anti-terrorism laws. She was charged with conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to cause explosives to be placed in or near a public place.	Sydney bomb plotter charged
Shane Kent	Australia		Pled guilty to being a member of a terror cell led by Islamic cleric Abdul Nacer Benbrika, and admitted involvement in the cell’s plan to place bombs at a major football event in Melbourne: the Australian Grand Final in 2005, which attracted nearly 100,000 fans and a TV audience of millions.	Australian Islamist admits football terror plot
Thomas Jack Terrence	Australia	Unknown	Thomas was the first Australian to be convicted under anti-terrorism laws introduced in Australia after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. He was sentenced on 31 March 2006 to five years prison with a non-parole period of two years.	Thomas convicted over al-Qaeda funds
Muriel Degauque	Belgium	Myriam	Failed suicide car bomb attack in Iraq. Detonated her explosive vest amid an American military patrol in the town of Baquba, wounding one American soldier.	Raised as Catholic in Belgium, She Died as a Muslim Bomber
Pascal Cruypeninck	Belgium		Sentenced in 2008. He convinced his fiancée to convert and tried to get her to go to Iraq on a suicide mission.	Belgium became the basis of jihadism in Europe
Steven Vikash Chand	Canada	Abdul Shakur	Chand was one of 17 people accused of being members of an alleged homegrown terrorist cell, plotting attacks in southern Ontario. Chand is officially charged with belonging to a terrorist group, receiving training and recruiting others to participate in terrorist activity.	Terror suspect served in Canadian military
Willie Virgile Brigitte	France		A French convert to Islam who associated with al-Qaeda in Pakistan and was possibly involved in a plot to conduct a terrorist operation in Australia	He faces the far-reaching charge of associating with terrorist groups.
Robert Richard Pierre	France	Abu Abderrahmane	Found guilty of recruiting and training terror volunteers, and planning to carry out terror attacks in Morocco and to overthrow the government.	Morocco Tries Frenchman On Terrorism Charges
David CourTailler	France		Trained in al Qaeda’s notorious Khalden training camp. He recruited volunteers to Afghanistan in the late 90s’ and was found guilty of conspiring with criminals engaged in a terrorist enterprise.	A Paris court has sentenced a French convert to Islam to four years in jail
Jerome CourTailler	France		Trained in al Qaeda’s notorious Khalden training camp. Convicted of recruiting Islamic volunteers to Al Qaeda and planning attacks against USA targets in Holland and Belgium.	Dutch court jails terror supporters
Thomas Barnouin	France	Thomas Abdelhakim	Initial indoctrination in Southwest France and then at Medina University. Captured by Syrian intelligence officials at an al-Qaeda safe house in Syria. Convicted of "criminal conspiracy for terrorist purposes." He was sentenced along with five other native French converts to Islam.	French Converts To Islam Convicted Of Running Iraqi Jihad Network
Steven Smyrek	Germany	Abdel Karim	Spent two months in a terrorist training camp in order to deal with machine guns and explosives. Convicted of planning a suicide mission for Hezbollah.	From small criminals to aspiring holy warriors
Dhiren Barot	India	Abu Musa al-Hindi	Dhiren Barot of London UK, Pled guilty to conspiring to murder people in terrorist attacks by targeting major financial institutions in the United States, including the World Bank and International Monetary Fund headquarters in Washington, the New York Stock Exchange and the Citigroup building in Manhattan and also setting off a 'dirty bomb' in the United Kingdom.	Dhiren Barot pleads guilty to US, UK bomb plots
Germaine Lindsay	Jamaica	Jamal Lindsay	UK citizen and one of the Suicide bombers in the 7/7 attack which killed 52 people and injured hundreds.	Suicide bombers' 'ordinary' lives
Wadih el-Hage	Lebanon	Abd'al Sabur	A member of al-Qaida. Became a mujahideen fighter in Afghanistan. Linked to the killing of Dr. Rashad Khalifa. A weapon purchased by him was also used in the killing of rabbi Meir Kahane. Believed to have become a key aide to Bin Laden & also to have been trying to obtain chemical weapons for the terrorist group. 1 of 4 involved in the 1998 United States embassy bombings. Found guilty of belonging to a worldwide conspiracy to kill Americans and destroy U.S. property.	Four embassy bombers get life
Jermaine Walters	Netherlands		Hofstad member and brother of convicted terrorist Jason Walters. Arrested (aged 17) in connection with a plot to assassinate Dutch MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali during a New Year's 2005 celebration.	The 'Hofstad' group - background and profiles
Jason Walters	Netherlands	Jamal Walters	Hofstad member. Arrested, after a long 14 hour siege in The Hague, where hand grenades were thrown at police. Walters planned to assassinate Dutch political figures he deemed anti-Muslim, including Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Geert Wilders. Both, outspoken critics of Islam. Convicted on charges of terrorism.	From Quiet Teen to Terrorist Suspect
Unnamed male (due to young age)	Netherlands	Maik R	Sent threatening emails to Lower House members Hirsi Ali and Geert Wilders. He had also hidden a self made explosive device in his parents home. An Amsterdam court has placed him in a juvenile pyschiatric hospital.	Dutch convert to Islam who made bombs and threatened politicians had 'obsessive identification' with Islam
Hilarion del Rosario	the Philippines	Ahmad Islam Santos	Founder of the Rajah Solaiman Movement, a radical group of Muslim converts from Christianity, blamed for the sinking of a ferry near Manila in which more than 100 people died in February 2004, the worst terror attack in the mainly Roman Catholic country. Suspected of planning further attacks during the long holiday which marks the Roman Catholic All Saints Day and the end of Ramadan for Muslims.	Philippines says arrests Islamic militant leader
Pio Abogne De Vera	the Philippines		Alleged leader of the Rajah Solaiman Movement, a radical group of Muslim converts from Christianity. Participated in terrorist acts conducted by Jemaah Islamiyah. Planned a terror plot to bomb night spots in the capital during the Christmas holidays. De Vera's group is blamed for the sinking of a ferry near Manila in which more than 100 people died in February 2004, the worst terror attack in the mainly Roman Catholic country.	The Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee
Christian Ganczarski	Poland		Al-Qaeda member. Responsible for recruiting fighters in Krefeld and Essen in West Germany. Charged under the nation's "association with terrorism" legislation for his role in the April 11, 2002, bombing of the Ghriba synagogue in Djerba, Tunisia. The attack claimed 21 lives, including 14 German and two French nationals.	Polish-Born Muslim Convert Sentenced for Leading Role in Tunisian Synagogue Bombing
Andre Vladimirovich Bataloff	Russia		Arrested in Afghanistan in a truck carrying 1,000 pounds of explosives. Disguised himself in a burqa, the traditional veil worn by Afghan women. Planned to carry out a suicide bombing.	Foreign Fighters of Harsher Bent Bolster Taliban
Pavel Kosolapov	Russia		He converted to Islam in the 1990's and became a close associate of Shamil Basayev, the terrorist mastermind behind the Beslan school siege. He was one of four, accused of blowing up the Moscow to St Petersburg Nevsky Express train in 2007, which injured sixty passengers, thirty of whom required hospitalization. Also suspected by Russian authorities of planning several suicide operations in Chechnya. According to Russian authorities, he was also responsible for the train bombing in November 2009 in Russia which killed 25 people.	Top terrorist warlord linked to 2007 train bombing, Former soldier suspected of train bombing
Vladimir Khodov	Russia	Abdullah	Joined the Taliban training camp in Galashki (Ingushetia). Caught on film and identified as the prime suspect behind a terrorist attack in Vladikavkaz, which killed an army cadet and a female civilian. Also considered to have been one of the leaders in the Beslan school hostage crisis.	Suspect behind Feb 3 bombing in Vladikavkaz named
Kerim Chatty	Sweden	Same	Was suspected of attempted hijacking of an aircraft in 2002. He was subsequently released from police custody and the preliminary inquiry regarding attempted hijacking was dropped. Chatty was arrested at the Stockholm-Västerås Airport on August 29, 2002, as he was trying to board a Ryanair Flight 685 headed to the London Stansted Airport, with a loaded pistol in his hand luggage, contained in a bag of toiletries	Raised eyebrows at the decision by a court in Sweden to order the release of a suspected hijacker
Lennox Philip	Trinidad and Tobago	Yasin Abu Bakr	Is the leader of the Jamaat al Muslimeen a Muslim group in Trinidad and Tobago. The group has long-standing links with Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi. Under the leadership of Abu Bakr and Bilaal Abdullah, the group staged an attempted coup d’état in 1990	For many Trinidadians, the name of Muslim group Jamaat Al Muslimeen which’s leader is Yasin Abu Bakr still conveys fear and shock, a reminder of its attempted coup more than 10 years ago that left two dozen people dead.
Andrew Ibrahim	UK		Quantities of Hexamethylene Triperoxide Diamine (HMTD), a homemade explosive, along with two homemade vests, ball bearings, air gun pellets, nails and screws, wired circuitry, batteries and electric bulb filaments found at residence.	White British Converts to Islam Pose Suicide-Bombing Threat in UK
Brian Young	UK	Umar Islam	One of a group of plotters with apparent ties to Pakistan. The group planned to smuggle liquid explosives onto between 6 and 10 airliners departing the UK bound for the US. The bombers would detonate the explosives en route. Charged with Conspiracy to commit murder and acts of terrorism. Pled guilty to the allegation of conspiring to inflict public problems.	Three plead guilty to jet bomb plot
Don Stewart-Whyte	UK	Abdul Waheed	Half-brother to model Heather Stewart-Whyte and one of a group of plotters with apparent ties to Pakistan. The group planned to smuggle liquid explosives onto between 6 and 10 airliners departing the UK bound for the US. The bombers would detonate the explosives en route. Charged with preparing acts of terrorism. He is also charged with possession of a firearm, silencer and magazine clip.	My love for terror suspect
Nicky Reilly	UK	Mohammed Rasheed	Attempted to detonate three bombs in a crowded restaurant in Exeter. Only one of the devices exploded, lightly wounding Reilly as he handled it in the restaurant’s toilet.	White British Converts to Islam Pose Suicide-Bombing Threat in UK
Oliver Savant	UK	Ibrahim Savant	One of a group of plotters with apparent ties to Pakistan. The group planned to smuggle liquid explosives onto between 6 and 10 airliners departing the UK bound for the US. The bombers would detonate the explosives en route. Charged with Conspiracy to commit murder and acts of terrorism. Pled guilty to the allegation of conspiring to inflict public problems.	Three plead guilty to jet bomb plot
Rakan Ben Williams	UK	Unknown	The Global Islamic Media Front has threatened [the West] on the Internet by means of its new soldier, whom it calls Rakan Ben Williams, “[after] the coming attack there will be no one to analyze and investigate, because the mind and the heart will be unable to comprehend it.	Warning of Rakan Ben Williams
Richard Reid	UK	Abdel Rahim	Pled guilty to a failed suicide attack, in which he tried to blow up a commercial flight using explosives hidden in his shoes.	Bomb suspect 'part of network'
Simon Keeler	UK	Suleiman	A member of al-Muhajiroun. Found guilty of inciting terrorism and encouraging funding of terrorism	White British Converts to Islam Pose Suicide-Bombing Threat in UK
Jack Roche	UK		Jemaah Islamiah member and Al-Qaeda associate, personally acquainted with Osama bin Laden. Convicted of plotting to bomb the Israeli embassy in Canberra.	British-born man admits bomb plot
	USA	Abu Usama	Abu Usamah has been accused of preaching messages of hate towards non-Muslims. On 14 January 2007, a documentary by Channel 4 entitled Undercover Mosque was aired attributing to him various comments, such as stating that Osama bin Laden was better than a "million George Bushes and a thousand Tony Blairs," or that non-Muslims were "pathological liars.	Radical cleric praises Bin Laden
Adam Yahiye Gadahn	USA	Azzām al-Amrīki	English-speaking senior operative, cultural interpreter, spokesman and media advisor for the Islamic terrorist group Al-Qaeda. Indicted by a federal grand jury for the capital crime of treason for aiding an enemy of the United States. Has appeared in a number of videos produced by Al-Qaeda.	"To Americans and the rest of Christendom we say, either repent or suffer the consequences in this world and the next"
Allen Walter Lyon	USA	Hammad Abdur-Raheem	A convicted member of a militant jihadist network in Northern Virginia.	U.S. Judge Reduces 'Va. Jihad' Sentences
Bryan Neal Vinas	USA	Bashir al-Ameriki	An American-born New Yorker and al Qaeda member, who trained to become a suicide bomber. Fought side-by-side with terrorists in Afghanistan and supplied the terror network with information about New York's public transit system, according to federal prosecutors. Charged for a rocket attack on U.S. forces in Afghanistan.	New Yorker Joined Al Qaida in Attacks on Troops
Carlos Bledsoe	USA	Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad	A 24-year-old Little Rock resident, facing a first-degree murder charge and 15 counts of engaging in a terrorist act, for the shooting of 2 soldiers at a Little Rock military recruiting center.	Gunman Kills Soldier Outside Recruiting Station
Charles Brooks Jr.	USA	Unknown	Was a convicted murderer who was the first person executed by lethal injection in the world. He had been to prison before, serving time at the United States Penitentiary, Leavenworth for illegal possession of firearms.	Convicted murderer became 1st U.S. prisoner to be executed by lethal injection
Charles Patrick Boyd	USA		Charles converted to Islam in 1981. In June 1991, he and his brother Daniel Patrick Boyd who was also a convert were accused of robbing a branch of United Bank in a Peshawar suburb in Pakistan. According to prosecutors, the brothers trained in terrorist camps and fought the Soviet Union.	Brother defends accused terror head
Christopher Paul	USA	Abdulmalek	Christopher Paul has agreed to plead guilty to a charge of conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction. Federal prosecutors say that Paul worked with Iyman Faris and Nuradin Abdi, who plotted to help raise money and provide equipment for the terrorist organization. Authorities say he traveled to Pakistan and Afghanistan for training as a terrorist.	Worthington man agrees to plead guilty to terrorism charge
Clement Rodney Hampton-el	USA	Rashid	Travelled to Afghanistan for training to fight jihad. Assisted in the bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993.	Terror Ties Of Miami, Florida Muslim Group Go Deep
Cleven Raphael Holt	USA	Isa Abdullah Ali	After serving with the U.S. Army in Korea, converted to Islam and joined the Afghan fight against the Soviets. Forced by an injury back to Washington, he soon left for Lebanon, where he worked with the Amal militia and Hezbollah.	Hundreds of Americans have followed the path to jihad
Daniel Patrick Boyd	USA	Saifullah	Arrested and charged with conspiring to provide material support to terrorists overseas; Boyd and his son, Zakariya Boyd, traveled to Gaza in March 2006, where the elder Boyd "attempted to enter Palestine in order to introduce his son to individuals who also believed that violent jihad was a personal obligation.". Daniel was recorded saying "I love jihad. I love to stand there and fight for the sake of Allah." [1]	Seven North Carolinians charged in terror plot
David T. Belfield	USA	Dawud Salahuddin	Assassinated an Iranian critic of Ayatollah Khomeini and fled to Iran.	Airbrushing a killer
Derrick Shareef	USA	Talib Abu Salaam Ibn Shareef	Arrested by federal agents on charges of planning to set off hand grenades at an Illinois shopping mall on Dec. 22 as part of his plan to commit "violent jihad" against civilians.	Feds Arrest Man They Say Planned to Detonate Grenades in Illinois Shopping Mall
Earnest James Ujaama	USA		Pled guilty to the charge of conspiring to provide goods and services to the Taliban.	Earnest Ujaama sentenced
Gregory Patterson	USA		Member of Islamic terrorist group Jam’iyyat Ul-Islam Is-Saheeh (The Association of True Islam) Arrested for armed robbery of gas stations, to fund terror operations. Pled guilty to plotting terror attacks against U.S. military facilities, Israeli offices and Jewish synagogues.	Terrorism and the Times: What's Not Fit To Print
Hiram Torres	USA	Mohammed Salman	Suspected member of Harkat ul- Mujahedeen, a Pakistani group with ties to Al Qaeda. Died while participating in armed jihad in Afghanistan.	Missing New Jersey Man's Name Turns Up in Kabul
Jeff Fort	USA	Unknown	He was convicted in 1987 of conspiring with Libya to perform acts of domestic terrorism.	Found guilty and sentenced to 80 years, which he’s currently serving in a maximum security federal prison
Jeffrey Leon Battle	USA		A member of a terrorist group dubbed the "Portland Seven." pled guilty to seditious conspiracy and levying war against the United States. He had planned to kill hundreds of Jews at a Portland-area synagogue or Jewish school.	Terror suspects led quiet lives
John Allen	USA	Muhammad	Carried out the 2002 Beltway sniper attacks, killing 10 people. Muhammad and Malvo were arrested in connection with the attacks on October 24, 2002, following tips from alert citizens.	Snipers who murdered 10 people in a killing spree that terrorised Washington
John Walker Lindh	USA	Suleyman al-Faris	Spent seven weeks at an al Qaeda camp "al Farooq" and had met Osama Bin Laden. Originally indicted by a federal grand jury on ten charges, including conspiring to support terrorist organizations and conspiring to murder Americans. Offered a plea bargain, and pled guilty to serving in the Taliban army and carrying weapons.	The case of the Taliban American
José Padilla	USA	Abdullah al-Muhajir	On August 16, 2007, José Padilla was found guilty, by a federal jury, of charges against him that he conspired to kill people in an overseas jihad and to fund and support overseas terrorism.	Jose Padilla, a US Muslim convert, has been sentenced to more than 17 years in prison for plotting to kill people overseas and of supporting terrorism
Kevin Lamar James	USA		Founder of Islamic terrorist group Jam’iyyat Ul-Islam Is-Saheeh (The Association of True Islam) Pled guilty to plotting terror attacks against U.S. military facilities, Israeli offices and Jewish synagogues.	Man who formed terrorist group sentenced to 16 years in federal prison
Levar Washington	USA		Member of Islamic terrorist group Jam’iyyat Ul-Islam Is-Saheeh (The Association of True Islam) Arrested for armed robbery of gas stations, to fund terror operations. Pled guilty to plotting terror attacks against U.S. military facilities, Israeli offices and Jewish synagogues.	2 Plead Guilty In Southern Calif. Terror Plot
Mark Fidel Kools	USA	Hasan Karim Akbar	A sergeant in the U.S. Army. Found guilty of a grenade and rifle attack on members of the 101st Airborne Division, that killed two of his officers and wounded 14 others at an army camp in Kuwait.	Sgt. Hassan Akbar Sentenced to Death for Kuwait Attack
Michael Finton	USA	Talib Islam	A 29 year old Decatur, Illinois man, arrested in a plot to detonate a car bomb in front of the state capitol. Talib Islam drove a van which he believed contained 1 ton of high explosives and parked it in front of the target.	Man in bomb plot studied many religions before choosing Islam
October Martinique Lewis	USA		A member of a terrorist group dubbed the "Portland Seven." pled guilty to six counts of money laundering and admitted to transferring money abroad to Jeffrey Leon Battle, her ex-husband, in order to assist him in his efforts to aid the Taliban.	Terror suspects led quiet lives
Patrice Lumumba Ford	USA		A member of a terrorist group dubbed the "Portland Seven." pled guilty to seditious conspiracy and levying war against the United States. Admitted that after the September 11th attacks, he purchased a shotgun and then conducted weapons training on two occasions at a gravel pit in Washougal, Washington.	Two sentenced for trying to join Taliban
Randall Chapman	USA	Seifullah Chapman	A member of a militant jihadist network in Northern Virginia. Conspiracy to possess and use a firearm in connection with a crime of violence.	U.S. Judge Reduces 'Va. Jihad' Sentences
Randall Todd Royer	USA		A member of a militant jihadist network in Northern Virginia. pled guilty to the charges of using and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and with carrying an explosive during the commission of a felony.	Two Defendants in Virginia Jihad Case Plead Guilty
Ryan Gibson Anderson	USA	Amir Abdul Rashid	A Specialist in the U.S. 81st Armored Brigade of the United States Army National Guard. Found guilty on five counts of attempting to aid and provide intelligence to al-Qaeda (including methods for killing soldiers.)	Soldier Guilty Of Al Qaeda Aid
Vincent Mosby	USA		23 year old convert to Islam married a 14 year old and had sex with her 3 times. He was charged with statutory rape	Man charged with statutory rape in ‘marriage’ to 14-year-old girl
Wesley Cook	USA	Mumia Abu-Jamal	Was convicted and sentenced to death for the December 9, 1981 murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner. Before his arrest he was a member of the Black nationalist Black Panther Party	Four witnesses who saw all or part of the shooting implicated Abu-Jamal
Ilich Ramírez Sánchez	Venezuela	Unknown	Ramírez Sánchez achieved notoriety for a 1975 raid on the OPEC headquarters in Vienna, resulting in the death of three people. For many years he was among the most wanted international fugitives. He is now serving a life sentence in Clairvaux Prison in northeast France.	Ramirez Sanchez is to be tried in France over a series of bombings in the 1980s that left at least 11 dead

For a general list of converts to Islam please see Wikipedia's article: List of converts to Islam

[edit] Groups

• Rajah Solaiman Movement: A group of Christian converts to Islam who were behind the 2004 Manila ferry bombing that killed 116 people in Philippines' worst terror attack. ^[2]. Also see Wikipedia article on the group: Rajah Sulaiman movement

[edit] Terrorism in Europe

It is believed some 60 French citizens have left France to join the jihad overseas since 2003.^[3] At least 12 have been killed (including two suicide bombers) while another 30 have returned home to incarceration in French prisons. ^[4]

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Qur'an, Hadith and Scholars:
  • Jihad
  • Muhammad the Mass Murderer
  • Muhammad the Terrorist
  • Muhammad the Warmonger
  • Treatment of Dhimmis
• Fastest growing religion
• Fake Conversions

[edit] External Links

• Europe Fears Islamic Converts May Give Cover for Extremism - New York Times