Their journey to Islam

• Created the Baba Ali comedy character on YouTube
• Used humour to address serious religious questions
• Became a businessman and game developer after reverting

The full story

Ali Ardekani was an Iranian-born American who found Islam after a life that included everything from nightclubs to a suicide attempt. He turned his experience into comedy — the Baba Ali character, an outsize personality with a serious religious message. He was one of the first to use online video to make Islam accessible to a Western audience that would never walk into a mosque. His work pioneered a format that thousands of creators now use.