10 Western celebrities you didn't know were Muslim

Currently, there are an estimated 1.8 billion Muslims in the world - roughly 24 percent of the global citizenry  - which make up a majority of the population in 49 countries.

Whether they've passively spoken about their faith or are well-known for practicing Islam, here are ten celebrities who have confirmed they either grew up Muslim or converted to the religion in recent years:

The Palestinian-American supermodel sisters Bella and Gigi Hadid follow the same faith as their father, Mohamed Hadid, who arrived in the U.S. as a refugee at the age of 14.

Bella Hadid was especially vocal about her faith when U.S. President Donald Trump called for a travel ban, targeting people from numerous Muslim-majority countries.

She reaffirmed her identity as a Muslim in an interview with Porter magazine. The 21-year-old Palestinian-American fashion model told the publication that her father raised her and her siblings with Islam as an important part of their lives.

Kourtney Kardashian's boyfriend Younes Bendjima has stolen the spotlight through his social media platforms ... by practicing Islam and documenting his faith online.

He grabbed the attention of Muslim women after revealing that he goes to prayer and tries his best to follow the teachings of Islam. During Ramadan, the 25-year-old model and boxer shared a number of stories on Instagram dedicated to the holy month.

When she married Qatari businessman Wissam Al Mana, Janet Jackson had reportedly converted to Islam in preparation for the birth of their son, Eissa, which translates to "God is salvation" in Arabic.

While the singer doesn't speak much about her personal life, her brother, Jermaine Jackson, converted in 1989 after a trip to Bahrain.

During his incarceration for rape between 1992 and 1995, former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson converted to Islam, taking the name Malik Abdul Aziz.

"I'm very grateful to be a Muslim. Allah doesn't need me, I need Allah," he once said. In 2010, Tyson traveled to Mecca to perform Umrah, the minor Islamic pilgrimage.

Renowned singer and songwriter Akon grew up Muslim in Senegal and explained that entering the music industry was considered problematic by a number of people in his hometown.

"I was born a Muslim and depending on what part of Senegal you came from, music was considered haram [forbidden] and there has always been a debate about Islam and music," he told The National. 

"I never looked at the performing aspect of the music itself but on the intention. Even if you look at the daily prayers in Islam, we pray in melody, when we hear the call to prayer in any part of the world, it is also done with melody, so no one can tell me that music is haram. This is my personal point of view and I am not speaking for anyone else," he added.

American rapper Busta Rhymes expressed his faith in an interview with Hollywood TV in 2007.

"I try to really just understand every aspect about the most-high. For me, the most-high is Allah ... And I live my life by Islam," he said.

The American television doctor Mehmet Oz - the son of Turkish immigrants - once admitted that growing up Muslim was not easy as a child.

"I've struggled a lot with my Muslim identity. As a Turk, growing up in America with one parent from one side of the religious wall and one parent from the other side, and of course America clearly supporting the secular background, I found myself tugged more and more towards the spiritual side of the religion, rather than the legal side of the religion," Oz told PBS' Faces of America show.

American rapper and actor Ice Cube converted to Islam in the 1990s but maintained that he does not practice the faith as much as he should.

"What I call myself is a natural Muslim. Because it's just me and God. You know, going to the mosque, the ritual and the tradition, it's just not in me to do. So, I don't do it," he said.

The 25-year-old pop star, singer and songwriter Zayn Malik has - on more than one instance - maintained his Muslim heritage. 

Born to a Pakistani father, and a British mother who converted to Islam, the former One Direction star has also previously faced threats due to his roots.

"I'm not currently practicing [Islam] but I was raised in the Islamic faith, so it will always be with me. But I'm just me. I don't want to be defined by my religion or my cultural background," Zayn told the Evening Standard.

Retired professional American basketball player Shaquille O'Neal was raised by a Baptist mother and a Muslim stepfather.

"You believe what they believe, you respect what they respect, and you respect that person as a man or a woman, and you'll make it far in life. Fact is I'm Muslim, I'm Jewish, I'm Buddhist, I'm everybody 'cause I'm a people person," he said.

Ironically, his middle name, Rashaun, translates to "little one" in Arabic. He has talked about his intentions to perform Hajj in the past but has also expressed openness to all religions.