Oliver Stone's Son Sean Converts to Islam

By Emma Koonse, Christian Post Reporter Thursday, February 16, 2012

Director Oliver Stone's son Sean has become a Shiite Muslim.

The son of the revered director is also a filmmaker in his own right. Stone's decision to convert came after shooting a documentary in Iran. He underwent a ceremony in the Iranian city of Isfahan on Tuesday to pronounce the Shahada, the testimony of faith, and has adopted a new name, Ali, as his Muslim first name.

Stone's mother, Elizabeth, is Christian, while his father is Jewish.

The 27-year-old has not explained the reasons behind his change in religion, but he told Agence France-Presse, "The conversion to Islam is not abandoning Christianity or Judaism, which I was born with. It means I have accepted Mohammad and other prophets."

Upon his return to the U.S., Stone staunchly defended Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, while speaking to The Wrap.

"He did come to America to extend a hand," said Stone. "And there's a lot of mistranslation, literally, I've seen it."

"Ahmadinejad will say something and it will be mistranslated. A lot of this bull----, mistranslation," he continued to explain. "It's an aggressive attitude on both parts, mostly on the American side."

The filmmaker returned to Iran earlier this month for the Fajr International Film Festival.

His conversion has sparked "Hollywood conversion" theories as he has joined the ranks of hundreds of other celebrities who have converted to other religions before him.

Julia Roberts announced her conversion to Hinduism in 2010, while Madonna switched from her lifelong Catholicism to Kabbalah in the 1990s, among many others. Many critics believe that Hollywood embraces religious conversions with greater ease, reported The Guardian.

Stone has appeared as an actor in his father's films "W," "The Doors," and "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps."

Oliver Stone is best known for directing films such as "Midnight Express" and "Natural Born Killers."

The Academy Award-winning director has been involved in controversy as his work often involves contemporary political and cultural issues. Also, Stone's past includes problems with the law over illegal drugs, resulting in his forced rehabilitation.

In addition to Sean, Stone has a son, Michael Jack, and Sean's half-sister, Tara.