Snooker star Ronnie O Sullivan converts to Islam

Society Religion & Philosophy
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Has anyone else heard about this?

O’Sullivan converts to Islam

By Home Affairs Correspondent

Former world snooker champion, Ronnie O’Sullivan, 28, has converted into Islam under the guidance of Khalid Yassin and his close friend, former WBO featherweight champion, Naseem Hamed, Yassin announced on September 12, during a launch of and Islamic Satellite Channel in London. This was also confirmed by Deputy Director of the Centre, Abdus Salam.
The star, nicknamed “the Rocket” made his Shahadah (acknowledgment that there is no diety but Allah and the Muhammad (p) is his Prophet) at the London’s Islamic Cultural Centre last month.
O’Sullivan thrashed Ken Doherty in the final of UK Championship in December 2001 to enter an elite group of fellow professionals. He joined Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry, John Parrott and John Higgins as the only men to have won the World and UK Championships in the same year. In 2000-2001 the 28-year-old stormed to victory in the Champions Cup and followed up that up with wins in the Regal Scottish Masters and China Open.
Ronnie O’Sullivan was not contactable at the time of going to press.

http://www.muslimnews.co.uk/paper/index.php?article=1331

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Glory is to Allah who has guided him to the right path.

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He always was a rather philosophical one.

Great news, he copied that ambidextrous snooker playing bit off me!

One of the most popular sportsmen in the UK, hope he doesn't go for he full beard thing though, could hinder his cuing action.

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All Praise is for Allah.

That’s great news, good for him.

May Allah bless him and keep him firm on Islam, Ameen.

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gr8 news i’m thrilled to bits rocket ronnie is my brov’s fav snooker player and he is also pleased to hear this news may allah guide him towards the correct path ameeeeennnnnnnnn! :mash:

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Yeah I read about this today in the Times. Frank Dobson MP’s son too and the director of the BBC’s son, and another guy.

“Ronnie is a lot better in himself since he converted” Maria (Ronnie’s Mum)

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/login.php?

article copied here;

http://www.muslimnews.co.uk/news/news.php?article=5824

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Chota, Can you please post the above article, in this thread, in its entirety? i was looking for that specific article. i forgot my password for the Times for the zillionth time and i don’t want to go through their million and one steps to retrieve it, (in other words, i am too lazy).

Thanks in advance :blush: Sorry about the inconvenience.

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Naseem hamed helped him along the way

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Ronnie O Sullivan a muslim subhanallah :k:

that must shock the british elite after the continuous onslaught against islam in the British media day in day out, this news must be like a poke in the eye to the establishment!

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Acha here we go, i found some articles regarding him…

O’Sullivan looks to Islam in his search for peace of mind, The Guardian

Ronnie O’Sullivan has converted to Islam in an attempt to find the inner peace that has eluded him since his father began his life sentence for murder in 1991.

The 27-year-old 2001 world champion, brought up as a Roman Catholic, made his act of conversion at the Islamic Cultural Centre in Regent’s Park, London, last month.

His mother, Maria, who was herself briefly jailed for VAT offences in connection with the family pornography business in 1995, confirmed that Prince Naseem Hamed, the former world featherweight boxing champion, had been influential in his conversion. The Sheffield boxer had introduced him to an American, Khalid Yassin, a high-profile Muslim preacher who is involved with others in trying to set up an Islamic satellite television station in Britain.

“Ronnie is a lot better in himself since he converted. I hope it will steady him,” said Mrs O’Sullivan.

Hamed’s influence on O’Sullivan was first apparent at the 2002 Embassy World Championship when he adopted some of the boxer’s habitual pre-fight bombast by making a wholly unjustified attack on Stephen Hendry’s integrity before their semi-final. He also attacked Ian Doyle, his former manager, who still manages Hendry and the current world champion Mark Williams.

Hendry won that semi-final and a few months later O’Sullivan admitted: “I spent two hours with Nas at his gym and the boxing talk got in my head. What I said about Stephen and Ian wasn’t me. It was like somebody else talking. The worst thing now is that Stephen won’t talk to me.”

It was an episode which showed the all too easily suggestible O’Sullivan at his most naive. As a boy prodigy, O’Sullivan did not seem to have a care in the world but his enforced separation from his idolised father engendered bouts of depression from which various forms of self-indulgence provided only fleeting relief.

He spoke longingly of retirement only to acknowledge how much he would miss the thrill of competition but derived some initial benefit from psychotherapy with Mike Brearley, the former England cricket captain, before discontinuing their association in his impatience for quicker results.

Emerging from a four-week stay in the Priory Hospital, Roehampton, he immediately won two tournaments in his best style but his form has remained cyclical.

Depressed on the eve of the 2001 world championship he turned to Prozac which, he admitted, alleviated his anxieties and promoted the ideal state of mind which helped him take the title.

Early this year, O’Sullivan won two tournaments back to back but lost his opening match at the Crucible to Marco Fu and declined invitations to play in lucrative events in Hong Kong and Bangkok last month. His first appearance of the season will therefore be in the LG Cup, which starts at Preston next Saturday.

“When Ronnie’s on song, everybody else looks like a cart horse,” says Steve Davis. For O’Sullivan, snooker is an easy game; unfortunately, for him, life is not.

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Two more:
Snooker champ converts to Islam, The Courier-Mail

Ronnie O’Sullivan converts to Islam, The Mirror

SNOOKER’s Ronnie O’Sullivan has become a Muslim, it was revealed yesterday.

The 27-year-old former world champion, nicknamed The Rocket, found out about the religion through his boxing chum Prince Naseem Hamed.

O’Sullivan hopes his new faith, which bans alcohol, will help him beat his demons of drink, drugs and depression, which have blighted his career.

He declared his belief in Allah at a low-key ceremony at the Islamic Cultural Centre in Regent’s Park in London last month.

Born and raised a Roman Catholic in London’s East End, O’Sullivan was drawn to Islam by former world featherweight boxing champion Prince Naseem.

Naseem gave him a video by a charismatic Muslim preacher Khalid Yassin and he was hooked.

O’Sullivan was not at his home in Chigwell, Essex, last night.

His mother Maria said he did not want to discuss his conversion and was concentrating on his career. She added: "Prince Naseem has been a good friend to Ronnie. He has been the main factor (in the conversion).

“Ronnie is a lot better in himself since he converted. I hope it will steady him.”

O’Sullivan’s coach Derek Hill said: "I didn’t know anything about him converting to become a Muslim - it’s quite a shock.

"But then nothing surprises me about Ronnie. I spoke to him just over a week ago but he didn’t mention it. He has suffered badly from depression in the past and it is an ongoing problem.

“If this can help him then I am all for it. Maybe it will improve his game, which can only be a good thing.” Ronnie is practising very hard at the moment and is concentrating on his game. I wish him all the best."

O’Sullivan was only nine years old when he hit his first snooker milestone - the 100 break - and was just 15 when he became the youngest player to score the maximum break of 147.

But he suffered an unhappy childhood when his father was jailed for life in 1991 for murder.

Two years later, when he was just 17, his mother was jailed for tax offences, leaving him to look after his younger sister.

O’Sullivan won the world championship in 2001, despite battling with depression, but his engagement to girlfriend Bianca Westwood collapsed.

He is one of a host of stars who have turned to Islam.

Boxing legends Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson both converted, as did 60s pop star Cat Stevens, who took the name Yusef Islam, and British socialite Jemima Goldsmith, who married former Pakistan cricket captain Imran Khan.

THE STARS WHO EMBRACED FAITH

Boxing champ Cassius Clay converted to Muhammad Ali in 1965
Singer Cat Stevens took the name Yusuf Islam back in 1973
Marriage to Imran Khan led Jemima Goldsmith to Muslim faith
Heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson also became a Muslim like Ali