Janet Jackson’s Son Born To Wissam Al Mana: Peeking Into The Pop Artist’s Increasingly Islamic Family Life

Pop artist Janet Jackson gave birth to her first child at age 50 on January 3. She has always been very leery of the spotlight and has kept her private life away from the limelight. In fact, she did not provide details about her pregnancy, nor has she given out information as to where her son was born. She only announced her pregnancy last year through a video.

After two failed marriages, the first with singer James DeBarge in the 80s and the second with the singer Rene Elizondo Jr. (1991-2000), Janet Jackson married Wissam Al Mana, a Qatari businessman, in 2012.

Later on, when the 50-year-old artist was expecting her first child during her “Unbreakable World Tour,” she claimed that there would be a slight change of plan since she was working on expanding her family. Janet Jackson and her husband wanted to keep the pregnancy a secret, but the cancellation of Janet’s tour accompanied a revealing statement.

“We are in the second part of my tour and we have had an unexpected change. I think you (the fans) should be the first to know. My husband and I are thinking about our family, so we will have to postpone the tour,” said the artist through a video.

A series of false rumors followed, claiming that Janet had a cancerous tumor and was making up a false pregnancy to hide her illness from the public.

Janet and Wissam announced their first-born son and have decided to name him Eissa Al Mana. Wissam also explained that Janet had an uncomplicated, stress-free, and healthy birth and is presently resting. In a brief statement regarding their marriage, the couple remarked that they are “excited to introduce their son to the world.” However, at the time of birth, the couple did not want to give out more details of the delivery. They did not want to share any photos or information as to where the child was born or how much he weighed.

Eissa’s birth seems to confirm that Janet Jackson has come or is in the process of embracing the Muslim religion. Sources close to his family revealed that Janet and her husband performed traditional rituals dictated by the religion after a child is born. Wissam even stated that Eissa was immediately baptized under Islam.

As soon as the child was born, Wissam reportedly whispered the call to prayer (Adhan) in his son’s right ear. As part of the customs, an animal was also allegedly sacrificed after Eissa’s birth. Wissam them supposedly whispered “Allah” in the baby’s ear. The parents reportedly sacrificed a goat, a tradition that follows after the birth of any Muslim as a gesture to please and pay gratitude to the Lord.

These events have not only raised a lot of questions in the public but have allegedly triggered a conflict between Wissam’s family and Janet’s family. Jackson, who married the billionaire from Qatar in 2012, has for some years been showing that she was adopting Muslim customs. She had been seen wearing Muslim women’s clothing such as burkas in public, leaving provocative clothing behind. Jackson had also integrated Muslim phrases into some of her songs and live performances.

Reports suggest that the baby’s name is what seems to have first caused problems among the two families because Jackson’s family wanted Janet to name her son after her deceased brother, Michael Jackson. Whereas Wissam opposed this decision and in turn asserted that according to the Muslim tradition, it is the father who chooses the name of the newborn baby. He further stated that he would not allow the baby to have a Christian name.

[Featured Image by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images]