When Sinead O’Connor converted to Islam in 2018, it marked the end of a long journey in search of spiritual fulfilment.
She uttered the shahada – the Islamic declaration of faith – at the Islamic Centre of Ireland alongside Shaykh Umar Al Qadri, chief imam of the organisation.
Aged 51 at the time, the singer responsible for such hits as Nothing Compares 2 U and The Emperor's New Clothes went on to announce her embrace of the faith on her social media channels, as well as changing her name to Shuhada, Arabic for witness or martyr.
Video footage of her giving the shahada, uploaded to YouTube, gained heart-breaking prominence with the news of her death on July 26, aged 57.
O’Connor was found “unresponsive” at her home in Herne Hill, south-east London, on Wednesday. Police called to the residence said her death was not being treated as suspicious.
According to Al Qadri, despite O'Connor's reported struggles, her devotion to the faith will leave a legacy as important as her body of work.
“She spent the last years of her life as a Muslim woman and phenomenal artist," he said.
“A hijab-wearing woman who represents the very diverse and inclusive world that we are in today. I think that she should be remembered for that.”
As for O'Connor herself, she described her embrace of Islam as the “natural conclusion of any intelligent theologian’s journey".
It was also a journey O'Connor recorded in song.
Songs of faith
Faith and spirituality abounded O’Connor’s three-decade body of work, with the singer taking her inspiration from various spiritual texts, including the Bible.
Her lyrics were often written from the viewpoint of a seeker, whether of love, salvation and acceptance.
Her eclectic 2000 album, Faith and Courage, had her grappling with her beliefs in an increasingly cynical world.
In the gentle opener, The Healing Room, O’Connor whispers over minimal electronic beats: “I have a universe inside me / Where I can go and spirit guides me / There I can ask oh any question / I get the answers if I listen.”
While over the lush keyboards in Hold Back the Night, O'Connor croons "I want to walk into the light / Day has turned cold / So hold back the night".
O'Connor was more forthright in her acoustically driven 2007 album Theology, a collection of songs inspired by the Psalms of the Old Testament.
If You Had a Vineyard is based on passages from Isaiah and Jeremiah, while Whomsoever Dwells contains lyrics from her favourite, Psalm 91.
“Whatever I may say about religion I actually love religion,” she said in an interview with the website Cross Rhythms. “I'm very inspired by love in the different religions and so if I critique it, it's not from the point of not liking it - you know what I mean? But I think that sometimes the nature of the God character can be portrayed perhaps inaccurately, in a way which can be off-putting to a lot of people.”
O'Connor's search for inner peace, which she spoke of in her work and which eluded most of her troubled life, began to bear fruit in her final album, I'm Not Bossy, I'm the Boss.
Released in 2014, it was by far her most optimistic and sprightly collection of songs in a decade with its lyrical themes of self-love and redemption. This was best encapsulated in her radio-friendly single, Take Me to the Church, in which, over driving guitars, she declares a newfound artistic vision.
“I'm gonna sing songs of loving and forgiving/ Songs of eating and of drinking/ Songs of living, songs of calling in the night/ Cause' songs are like a bolt of light/ And love's the only love you should invite.”
The success of that album resulted in O'Connor making her debut performance in the UAE in 2015.
In her potent interview with The National, O'Connor said she was a fiercely minded individual who says what she means.
This can, perhaps, put to rest any suggestions that her embrace of Islam was nothing other than a considered and deliberate decision.
"I think everything through before I act,” she said.
“I think it comes with being Irish – we are opinionated people and not the kind to keep our mouths shut, so it would be against my nature to not speak out.”
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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