He is a 19 year old British boy band member and international star, famous for his singing, dancing, good looks -- and now for his religion.
Zayn Malik, of One Direction, has recently been accused of using social media "to proselytize Islam to his primarily female fans around the world."
Conservative political commentator and radio talk show host Debbie Schlussel wrote on her website that Malik is purposely using his power to convert young girls to Islam.
"He’s no dummy. He knows the power he has over these mindless girls and is using that influence to preach the Islamic faith to them and try to convert them. It’s dangerous. And there’s a reason he tweeted that he didn’t have a girlfriend on the same day he tweeted Islamic preaching. Hey, if you convert to Islam, you can be my girltoy."
Her evidence?
Tweets from last August in which Malik wishes people Ramadan Mubarak, which translates to Happy Ramadan; and another tweet in which he cites the Shahada, the essential creedal statement of Islam, which Schlussel calls the "militant statement Muslims say in their prayers every day."
Other evidence of his Islamic recruitment according to Schlussel includes his "arabic tattoos and frequent donning of the keffiyeh, the official garb of Islamic terrorism."
Schlussel also accuses Malik of infusing 'jihad' into his music, yet songs titled "Gotta be you," and "Tell me a Lie" don't quite reek of Islamic fundamentalism.
Sheila Musaji of The American Muslim commented that Malik isn't the first singer to openly speak of his faith.
"Pat Boone of “Blue Suede Shoes” fame certainly wore his Christianity on his sleeve. Elvis also sang gospel songs. Both of these were certainly “teen hearthrobs” for my generation. Madonna talks about Kabbala. A contemporary “mega pop star”, Justin Bieber is proudly Christian. Bieber’s new film “Never Say Never” is packed with Christian themes, and he has a tattoo that says Jeshua (Jesus) in Hebrew. I don’t know if he has sent out any Christian tweets, but he has certainly spoken publicly about his faith."