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Mahershala Ali becomes first Muslim actor to win Oscar
Amid all the glitz, glam and controversy of the 2017 Oscars, Mahershala Ali has become the first Muslim actor to take home one of the venerated trophies.
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Mahershala Ali accepts the award for best actor in a supporting role for his work in Moonlight. (Invision/AP/Chris Pizzello)
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mid all the glitz, glam and controversy of the 2017 Oscars, Mahershala Ali has become the first Muslim actor to take home one of the venerated trophies.
Winning in the Best Supporting Actor category for his work in Moonlight, which won Best Picture, Ali did not mention his faith in his Oscars acceptance speech. He instead thanked all of his teachers, along with his wife, who gave birth to their daughter only last week.
"I think what I've learned from working on Moonlight is we see what happens when you persecute people,” Ali said in his reference to his faith when he accepted a Screen Actors Guild Award back in January. “They fold into themselves. And what I was so grateful about in having the opportunity to play Juan was playing a gentleman who saw a young man folding into himself as a result of the persecution of his community."
Read also: Take two: 'Moonlight' wins best picture at Academy Awards
Mahershala Ali thanks his wife, celebrates newborn daughter during #Oscars acceptance speech https://t.co/LOhkJ3ZP65 pic.twitter.com/BFToiQdsKl
— ABC News (@ABC) February 27, 2017
Ali was born Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore and was raised a Christian, before converting to Islam in 1999. "My mother is an ordained minister. I'm a Muslim. She didn't do backflips when I called her to tell her I converted 17 years ago," he said as quoted by CNN.
"But I tell you now, you put things to the side, and I'm able to see her and she's able to see me. We love each other. The love has grown. And that stuff is minutia. It's not that important."(sul/kes)
