From Motown to Mecca: The Story of Jermaine Jackson
Jermaine Jackson
34 years old, from United States
Previous Religion: Jehovah's Witness
My Life Before Islam
Jermaine LaJuane Jackson was born on December 11, 1954, in Gary, Indiana, the fourth child of the family that would become one of the most famous in music history. Raised as a Jehovah's Witness, he grew up with faith at the centre of his household. Alongside his brothers, and especially the young Michael, he formed the Jackson 5, becoming the group's second lead singer and its bassist. Their rise from a steel town to Motown stardom was dazzling, yet for Jermaine the glitter of success would gradually leave a quiet emptiness at the heart of his life, an emptiness that fame alone could not fill.
The Moment of Guidance
As early success carried the Jackson brothers across the world, Jermaine found himself increasingly curious about faith, especially the Islam he encountered during their travels. A journey to Bahrain became a turning point. There he was struck most of all by the devotion of the Muslim children, who prayed and studied their religion with a sincerity and joy he had rarely seen. He began to read and to ask questions, and what he discovered answered a longing he had carried for years. Islam, with its discipline and its direct relationship with the Creator, spoke to him with a clarity nothing else had matched.
Reflections
In 1989, after that journey to Bahrain, Jermaine Jackson embraced Islam, taking the name Muhammad Abdul-Aziz Sharif while continuing to use his family name on stage. He has described himself as a Muslim who walks his own path, carrying his faith quietly through the public world of entertainment. In later years his convictions were reflected in his family life: in 2004 he married his wife Halima in a mosque in Los Angeles, and some of his children bear Muslim names. His conversion, though never advertised, became a known and respected part of his story.
Jackson stayed close to his brothers through the decades, rejoining the Jacksons for the Victory Tour of 1984 and standing beside them through the joys and sorrows of the family's remarkable history. He was the guest of honour at the Muslim Writers Awards in Birmingham in 2008 and has spoken warmly of his faith in interviews. He continued to perform, record, and appear on television, always carrying himself with the dignity of a man who found in Islam a steady centre. His life shows that faith can flourish as naturally backstage as anywhere else in the world.