Shakira is one of the most celebrated artists of all time. Throughout her career, Shakira has delivered multiple hit songs and sold more than 100 million albums. However, the Baranquilla-born singer has rarely opened up about her religion and her faith. In this article, we take a closer look at Shakira’s religion and her ethnicity.
While Shakira doesn’t talk much about her faith, she did open up about it during an interview with Elle where she talked about her ex-boyfriend, Gerard Pique. Talking about the former Barcelona star, the Colombian songwriter explained how she started believing in God after meeting Pique. She said, “I think, if you can prove the existence of God, it can only be proven through love. I even had lost my faith for a while. I was becoming an agnostic.“
Gérard Pique: “The first time I met Shakira was in Madrid when we were filming the video for ‘Waka Waka’ before the 2010 World Cup and I asked for her number. She arrived in South Africa before us as she was singing at the opening ceremony. pic.twitter.com/0Vcgn0EFAQ
— Jack Engineer ✍️ (@Jack_mugisa) November 20, 2022
She further continued, “And it was really hard, because I was always very religious. And for a few years, maybe because it sounds so corny, I was not feeling the love like it was supposed to be, I started to think that there was no God. And suddenly I meet Gerard and the sun comes out. ” However, Shakira and Pique ended their decade-long relationship in June last year.
Shakira will settle down with her two children, Sasha and Milan, in Miami. Despite going through the tough phase of her breakup, Shakira is now basking in the success of her latest songs titled ‘Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53‘ and ‘TQG.’
Is Shakira from a Muslim family?
Shakira was born to a mixed cultural and ethnic family. Born in Barranquilla on February 2, 1977, Shakira doesn’t belong to a Muslim family. Moreover, she was raised as a Roman Catholic and as a child, she attended a Catholic school. As a child, the Wherever Whenever singer reportedly used to perform in front of Catholic nuns at her school.
Shakira was rejected from her school choir because the teacher thought she sounded like a goat. pic.twitter.com/WbbrS4GzKK
— WTF Facts (@mrwtffacts) February 7, 2021
During an interview, Shakira even once said, “I believe in God, very much. I am very spiritual. I pray, I meditate, I do all of those things. ” However, despite being exposed to both religions from her childhood, she has never disclosed her religion in public
Where are Shakira’s parents from?
Shakira was born as the only child of William Mebarak Chadid and Nidia Ripoll Torrado. However, she does have eight step-siblings from her father’s previous marriage. While Shakira was born in Colombia, her ethnic roots can be traced back to Lebanon and Spain. Shakira’s mother, Nidia Ripoll, was born and raised in Colombia but her ancestors belong to Spain and Italy.
Meanwhile, her father, William Mebarak, was born and raised in New York, America. However, his parents hail from Lebanon. Thus, Shakira herself has Lebanese and Spanish ancestry, despite holding a Colombian passport. Her Catholic faith comes from her mother, Nidia, who is a practicing Christian. William, on the other hand, is rumored to be a Muslim.
Does Shakira speak Arabic?
Shakira is a polyglot who is well-versed in as many as seven different languages. Being Colombian by birth, her mother tongue is Spanish. However, the Grammy Award-winning singer can also speak English, French, Italian, and Portuguese. As per reports, she can also speak Catalan, a language she learned from her ex-boyfriend, Gerard Pique.
Moreover, as Shakira’s father hails from Lebanon, the Hips Don’t Lie singer also knows Arabic. As a matter of fact, her name is derived from the Arabic language. The name ‘Shakira’ is a feminine variation of ‘Shakir’, which in Arabic means “grateful.” Owing to her multilingualism, Shakira has also sung in different languages throughout her career.
