Jermaine says Michael Jackson was on the verge of converting to Islam

Jermaine Jackson tells The National he believes his brother Michael was in the process of converting to Islam before his death in 2009.

FILE - In this March 5, 2009 file photo, Michael Jackson is shown at a press conference in London. Testimony from AEG Live executive Paul Gongaware on his interactions with Jackson and his negotiations with the singerÕs doctor dominated the fifth week of a civil case against the company filed by the superstarÕs mother, Katherine. On Tuesday May 28, 2013, Gongaware reluctantly acknowledged that he negotiated the $150,000 per month rate that JacksonÕs doctor expected to be paid to serve on the ÒThis Is ItÓ tour. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan, File)
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Jermaine Jackson believes his brother Michael was in the process of converting to Islam before his death in 2009.
Speaking from Morocco's Mawazine Festival, Jackson said his younger brother had been studying Islamic spiritual texts.

“I remember I came back from Saudi Arabia and I brought him a bunch of books about Islam. One thing about Michael is that he reads everything. He read all the books, about six of them, that I gave him.”

“I do know that all of [Michael’s] security and the people that took care of his children became Muslim. As far as him accepting Islam in his heart, I am sure he did,” said Jackson.

Jackson revealed exclusively to The National that talks are underway with potential investors on building a five-star resort on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island that would be dedicated to the legendary family’s musical history.

It would be named Jermajesty after his 12-year-old son.

He also took a swipe at Cirque du Soleil’s Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour. He described the famed Canadian theatre company’s latest production, pairing music and videos of Michael Jackson with acrobatics, as not “up to Michael’s level”.

“It is entertaining but at the same time Michael set the bar so high that no one could get to that point,” he said. “I saw the show and to tell you the truth it just didn’t knock me out.”

The trial in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Jackson’s mother and children against AEG Live and Concerts West continues in California. The suit alleges the company, which acted as the producer and promoter for what was to be Jackson’s final run of shows in London, was negligent in hiring Conrad Murray. The doctor was convicted of involuntary manslaughter after giving Jackson a fatal anesthetic dose in 2009.

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