'I realised I was always Muslim,' says Irish singer Sinead O'Connor

Irish singer Sinead O’Connor appeared on Ireland's The Late Late Show where she discussed her conversion to Islam while donning the Muslim headscarf on national television.

O’Connor, who converted to Islam October last year and changed her name to Shuhada Davitt, said her conversion was natural because upon studying the religion, she realised she was always a Muslim.

“The word ‘revert’ refers to the idea that if you were to study the Qur’an you would realise that you were a Muslim all your life and you didn’t realise it. That’s what happened to me,” she on national TV.

Despite her growing up in a religious environment, O’Connor was unable to reconcile with her Catholic beliefs, leading her onto a spiritual journey to find her true connection God.

“I am 52. I grew up in a very different Ireland to the one that exists now and it was a very oppressed country religiously speaking. And everybody was miserable; nobody was getting any joy in God”, Sinead explained.

“My experience of ageing is that as my body is getting older, I am getting younger,” she added.

She also spoke about her professional career as a singer, which saw a comeback recently after a long hiatus. 

“I was really working so hard for years, I was burnt out. So it is a bit of a, I suppose a comeback,” she said.

“I actually thought nobody would be interested anymore. I really thought nobody was going to buy any tickets to the shows. I really thought I wouldn’t even get any shows, that nobody would hire me.”

O'Connor also sang on the show while wearing a pink hijab - said to be a favourite hijab colour of the Prophet Muhammed’s wife Aisha - in a move that saw many express support for the talented new Muslim online.

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