Photographers spotted a very pregnant Janet Jackson dressed head-to-toe in Islamic garb while out and about with her husband.
The pop star, known for songs like “Nasty” and the controversial Superbowl XXXVIII halftime show wardrobe malfunction, reportedly converted to Islam after marrying Muslim billionaire Wissam Al Mana in 2012.
“We thank God for our blessing,” the 50-year-old singer told People magazine.
The star’s conversion to Islam reflects a growing international trend.
According to Pew research, Islam is the only major religion expected to increase faster than the world’s population. Islam is expected to increase by 73 percent by 2050 while Christianity is only expected to grow by 35 percent.
Pew also reports demographic projections estimate that Muslims will make up 2.1 percent of the U.S. population by the year 2050, surpassing people who identify as Jewish on the basis of religion as the second-largest faith group in the country (not including people who say they have no religion).
Regarding Christianity, Pew reports:
- The number of Muslims will nearly equal the number of Christians around the world.
- Atheists, agnostics and other people who do not affiliate with any religion—though increasing in countries such as the United States and France—will make up a declining share of the world’s total population.
- The global Buddhist population will be about the same size it was in 2010, while the Hindu and Jewish populations will be larger than they are today.
- In Europe, Muslims will make up 10 percent of the overall population.
- India will retain a Hindu majority but also will have the largest Muslim population of any country in the world, surpassing Indonesia.
- In the United States, Christians will decline from more than three-quarters of the population in 2010 to two-thirds in 2050, and Judaism will no longer be the largest non-Christian religion. Muslims will be more numerous in the U.S. than people who identify as Jewish on the basis of religion.
- Four out of every 10 Christians in the world will live in sub-Saharan Africa.
