Lindsay Lohan hints at Islam conversion after Instagram purge

American actress Lindsay Lohan has revitalised rumours that she has converted to Islam after erasing her presence from Instagram and leaving a cryptic religious message for her fans.

Lohan deleted all of her Instagram posts this week days after moving to the United Arab Emirates to start a new chapter in her life.

"Alaikum salam," was all Lohan left for her more than five million followers - the response to the standard greeting among Muslims: As-salam alaikum.

The Actress' representative told Us Weekly that Lohan is "in a period of renewal" and "has been making positive changes in her life."

But have these changes meant a conversion to Islam?

Last month, Lohan told CNN that she had fallen in love with the Middle East and in particular volunteering at camps for Syrian refugees in Turkey.

"I find there is a peace that you find when you see a child that has lost their mother and doesn't even know what that means yet, you know you have to put yourself in someone else's shoes," Lohan said before a New Year's Eve appearance in Dubai.

She added that she was learning the Arabic language and would be living and working in Dubai for the foreseeable future.

"I've met amazing women [in Dubai] that are really strong and have taught me a lot … I don't think people realise how accepted it is for a woman to be a strong woman in the UAE. It is a very appreciated thing," she said.

Last month, Lohan spoke out against the Syrian regime and its ally Russia as a brutal military offensive on the city of Aleppo sparked global outrage.

Lohan said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin were guilty of "war crimes" in Aleppo.

In 2015, Lohan sparked a debate on whether she had converted to Islam after she was spotted with a Quran in New York.

During a trip to Turkey, she wore a hijab while visiting refugees, she also revealed on Turkish TV that she had studied the Quran, adding: "they crucified me for it in America."