Islamic, Culture, Tradition, and Theology
Wiz Khalifa is one of the most popular DJs in the Hollywood today. Aside from being a Hollywood DJ, Wiz Khalifa is also known as a popular record artist. Most of his songs are rap, party, and hip hop songs. This is why he is such a prominent icon for young people and even adults who are a fan of hip hop music. By now, based on the number record hits he has released and his numerous partnerships and jams with other prominent Hollywood recordings artists, composers, and even bands, it can already be said that he is already a successful man.
He was born on September 8, 1987 (i.e. he is currently 27 years old) and was named Cameron Jibril Thomaz. He was born in North Dakota and grew up in a military family, thanks to his father’s job. He has experienced living in numerous countries with Germany and Japan being some of them but he calls Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania his home . One of the most controversial issues surrounding Wiz Khalifa and his identity as a prominent DJ and recording artist is his former religion. He was initially baptized under an Islamic congregation.
Often, the controversial things people in the media talk about is his way of life, why he decided to change his religion, and how he managed and why he decided to live the kind of life he lived starting when he was still in his teenage years despite the restrictions brought about by the teachings of Islam. Islam is practically one of the most conservative and restricting religions in the world. As a concrete example of how conservative the Islamic religion can be when it comes to issues related to ethics and morality, a woman caught committing adultery may be sentenced to death through stoning and other forms of capital punishment for activities perceived as immoral—sometimes in a public place in some extremist Islamic countries .
Wiz Khalifa is a man that you can rarely hear talk about his political and religious views. He does things that he believe is right. For example, he together with some other famous DJs and hip hop artists have always openly supported and even endorsed the legalization of marijuana or what is also famous for the term weed . Some of his critics say that the main reason why he left Islam and changed his religion is because he thought Islam is too conservative a religion for him.
In a way, this makes sense because if we are going to base our judgment on his current actions, majority, if not all of which are only allowed in liberal societies and religions (if any), he would not be able to do all of that if he is still under the Islamic religion. If we are going to compare his life before and after the period when he changed his religion, we can definitely see that it (his lifestyle) changed into a more liberal one. It is worth noting, however, that in despite the fact that he already changed his religion, he did not totally forget about his previous religion (Islam). In fact, in some of his songs, he still mentions and tries to spread something about Islam. One of the most sensible questions to ask here is whether the Muslims hate him for leaving Islam. The safest answer to that question would be it depends. Muslim extremists or those who are very conservative when it comes to religious topics and issues are the ones who are most likely mad at him for what he did but for the typical Muslims or those who are used to living in a liberal and globalized society, it would still depend.
Works Cited
Format Magazine. "Wiz Khalifa." Format Magazine Urban Art Fashion, n.d.
Martin, P. "Wiz Khalifa and Snoop Dogg Talk Marriage and Politics." KYSDC.com, 2011.
U.S. State Department. "Human Rights Report: Saudi Arabia." U.S. State Department, 2011.
