Sinead O’Connor has apologised for previously saying she doesn’t want to “spend any more time with white people” after converting to Islam.
The singer, who now goes by the name Shuhada’ Davitt, said she was “angry and unwell” when she made the remarks on Twitter in October last year.
Addressing the matter on social media, she explained how she had been “trigged” by Islamophobia she’d experienced after announcing her conversion to the religion last year.
She tweeted: “As regards to remarks I made while angry and unwell, about white people… They were not true at the time and they are not true now.
“I was triggered as a result of islamophobia dumped on me.”
“I apologise for hurt caused,” she continued. “That was one of many crazy tweets lord knows.”
The Nothing Compares 2 U star had previously written online: “I’m terribly sorry. What I’m about to say is something so racist I never thought my soul could ever feel it.
“But truly I never wanna spend time with white people again (if that’s what non-muslims are called). Not for one moment, for any reason. They are disgusting.”
When Sinead announced her change of name last year, she described finding Islam as a “natural conclusion of any intelligent theologian’s journey” in a post on Twitter.
The singer has spoken about religion many times during her career.
In 1992, she ripped up a picture of Pope John Paul II during an appearance on US show Saturday Night Live.
Seven years later, she was ordained as a priest by a Catholic group unconnected to the Roman Catholic Church, of which she has been a vocal critic.
Talking about discovering Islam during an appearance on Ireland’s Late Late Show last week, she said: “I never thought I’d join another religion. I left Islam till last as I had so much prejudice about Islam, you know.
“I read chapter two of the Qu’ran and I realised I’m home, and that I’ve been a Muslim all my life. There’s a way of thinking.
“You can be a Muslim without actually being a Muslim as it’s a headset.
“A Muslim is someone who believes nothing should be worshipped except God.
“In the same way I would have embraced Christianity, there’s things I like and things I don’t like; things I identify with and things I don’t.”
The singer has also been candid about her struggles with her mental health in recent years.
In 2017, she posted a tearful 12-minute video message, in which she discussed how she had experienced suicidal feelings for two years, and opened up about how alone she felt after losing custody of her teenage son.
Useful websites and helplines:
- Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393
- Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI – this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill.)
- The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email: help@themix.org.uk
- Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0300 5000 927 (open Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on www.rethink.org.
