Millennial and Gen Z women say they were inspired to convert to Islam by the Israel-Hamas war — and are sharing their religious awakening on TikTok.
Recent converts say the conflict, which began with the killing of 1,200 Israelis on Oct. 7, has become a driving factor in their decision to embrace the Muslim faith.
Many experts said the election was the “ultimate rebellion against the West.”
Among those sharing their journey is a self-described “left-wing queer gremlin” named Alex, who recently purchased a copy of the Quran – despite most interpretations of Islam taking a bleak view of LGBT relationships.
Alex, who began covering her hair with a hijab in accordance with Islamic teachings on modesty, says she began attending pro-Palestinian marches after the Oct. 7 terror attacks and retaliatory strikes in Gaza.
Millennial and Gen Z women, including a self-described “left-wing queer gremlin” named Alex (pictured), detail their conversion to Islam in the wake of the Israel-Hamas conflict
Michelle is pictured after officially converting to Islam and donning her head covering – the so-called hijab – along the way
On October 24, she bought a copy of the Koran and shortly afterwards made her shahada, a commitment to the Muslim faith.
Alex was encouraged to convert after seeing TikToks from Megan Rice, another convert.
Rice announced on October 20 that she planned to read the holy book for the first time.
“It just seems that the Palestinians have this iron faith, even when they are literally losing everything,” she told her 400,000 followers at the time.
Days later, she founded the World Religion Book Club, where she conducts live readings of the Quran. The online community now has 13,000 members.
She told her followers that her conversion “all began” with the Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip in the wake of Hamas.
Many of the videos, mostly from Western women, contain some variation of the hashtag “revert.”
Conversion is the Islamic belief that every person is born into the Muslim faith and therefore every conversion merely represents a return to the religion.
TikTok user Megan Rice was one of the pioneers of the trend. She founded a book club where she conducts live readings of the Quran, which attracted 13,000 members within a few weeks
Rice said she was inspired by the Palestinians’ “iron faith” when she began researching Islam. Within days of reading the Quran, she was officially converted
Among them is Madison Reeves, a 24-year-old mother from Tampa, Florida, who became interested in Islam in September after speaking to a Muslim girl on a voice app.
However, the outbreak of the conflict and the ensuing “genocide,” as she calls it, exacerbated her relapse.
On October 24, the Army veteran posted a video in which she wore a hijab and celebrated her newfound faith.
“It’s a big change,” she told the Free Press.
Lorenzo Vidino, the director of the Extremism Program at George Washington University, is not surprised by the women’s conversion.
“I mean, rebellion is part of being young,” Vidino told the outlet. “What is more rebellious, anti-Western, anti-capitalist and anti-establishment at this point than converting to Islam?”
He declared that the reversal was “the ultimate rebellion against the West.”
In one of her videos, Alex defends herself against criticism that she will fall back into Western ways once the “fad” is over.
Israel launched a wave of devastating airstrikes against Palestinians after the Oct. 7 terrorist attack killed 1,200 people and kidnapped many more, including this elderly citizen, by Hamas
The new converts cited Israeli retaliatory strikes as the motivation for their decision, in which more than 11,000 people were killed, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. They also condemned the West’s “rampant capitalization and colonization” when questioned about their decision
Several women began their journey to Islam after attending pro-Palestine rallies, such as this one in Sacramento, California, calling for a ceasefire
What part of the Western lifestyle do you think I will return to?’ She asks. “Uh, rampant capitalism? All that colonization? Because I hate both of those things.
Vindino also drew parallels between this and “salad bar extremism.”
“You can choose different aspects of different extremist ideologies that are completely incompatible with each other,” he said. “They put it all together in some kind of collage that makes very little sense.”
The phenomenon is not without precedent. According to projections by the Hartford Institute for Religious Research, 8,000 American women converted to Islam in the year after September 11th.
Likewise, there have been several high-profile cases of “Jihadi Johns” and “ISIS brides” heading to the Middle East, including ISIS bride Hoda Muthana from Alabama who traveled to Syria to join ISIS in 2014.
Katherine Dee, an internet historian who studies social trends, said women are more likely to be religious and may be drawn to repentance in real life and online “because it offers them a safe community.”
“I suspect TikTok follows exactly the same pattern,” she added, explaining that there could be a “fandom dynamic” for some religious people who enjoy sharing with an online community.
“It’s less about sincere religious belief,” she explained, and more about “tribalism.”