Ashley Chin

Ashley Anthony Chin (born 21 August 1982), also known as Muslim Belal, is an English actor, screenwriter, spoken word performance poet and former rapper of Jamaican descent.

Early life
Chin was born in Gypsy Hill, London, England. His parents are from Jamaica, he was named after his paternal grandfather who was Chinese. He grew up with his mother, Andrea Ellis, and elder sister, Kareena Chin, in a South London council estate. He was brought up as a Christian, however spent his youth being involved in gang culture.

Chin achieved an A grade in GCSE drama and left school at the age of 15. In 1999, Chin and his family moved to Thornton Heath, Surrey.

Chin had a talent for poetry, which he started developing from the age of 12. In 2001, he and a friend set up a music studio, for a band, where Chin used to play keyboards and different sound boards. The former street gang and musical collective was called SMS 'South Man Syndicate' (later known as South Muslim Soldiers), and he was known at the time as Smalls.

Acting career
In 1999, Chin began his acting career in the BBC film Storm Damage directed by Lennie James. He then made his theatre debut as the role of Young Mal in Roy Williams' Lift Off at the Royal Court Theatre. In 2007, he played Razer in Bola Agbaje's Laurence Olivier award-winning play Gone Too Far! – a role which he subsequently reprised in 2008. He also played the role of Carl Wilkins in Roy Williams' There's Only One Wayne Matthews at the Polka Theatre. In August 2007, he played the role of Seales in BBC Radio 4's radio adaptation of E. R. Braithwaite's novel To Sir, With Love.

Chin's television credits include The Bill, HolbyBlue, The Fixer, Law & Order: UK and Waking the Dead, Silent Witness    and Casualty. On film he has played supporting roles in Cherry Tree Lane and Anuvahood, and also a cameo in Sket. He was also selected as the 2010 Trailblazer at the Edinburgh International Film Festival for the role of Asad in Cherry Tree Lane.

In 2011, Chin co-wrote and starred in Victim with Michael Maris. On 22 June 2012, the film was released in UK cinemas. In April 2012, Chin co-starred in The Boxer, a seven-minute short film, alongside Paul Barber.

From October to December 2012, he played the role of Escalante in Frank McGuinness's Damned By Despair (English translated version of Tirso de Molina's 1625 play El Condenado por Desconfiado) at the Royal National Theatre. In October and November 2012, he was involved in filming of Destiny Ekaragha's adaptation of Bola Agbaje's play Gone Too Far.

In 2013, Chin he played a supporting roles in Fedz and Starred Up.

From May to August 2013, he played the role of Mercutio in a National Theatre production of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet in Ben Power's version for young audiences.

Poetry and music career
Since his conversion to Islam, Chin has adopted the name Muslim Belal. In December 2005, under this stage name, he performed at the inaugural Global Peace and Unity Event in the ExCeL Exhibition Centre organised by Islam Channel. In July 2008, he performed at the Islam Expo in Olympia, London. In February and March 2009, he toured with other Nasheed artists, including Mecca2Medina and Poetic Pilgrimage on the "I am Malcolm X Tour".

In 2009, he released From the Streets to Islam, a CD in which he is being interviewed and responds to the questions by rapping. This was a preview to launching his first album Pray Hard, released in August 2009 by Halal Dawa Records. In the same month, a collaborative charity single "Feed the World, Feed the Fasting" was released by Muslim Aid. The song featured Chin along with artists Rizwan Hussain, Abdullah Rolle, Khaleel Muhammad, Labbayk and Mecca2Medina. In October and November 2009, he supported Shaam on their UK tour.

In October 2010, he performed at the Global Peace and Unity Event, where he also launched his second album The Transition.

In February 2011, Muslim Belal took his talents to the United States and performed at the Saint Louis University Muslim Student Association Annual Conference. This performance was the first of its kind and developed an international audience.

In November 2013, he performed at the Global Peace and Unity Event, where he launched his very best of compilation album Black Slave.

In May 2015, his third album My Sumaya was released. It is a charity album with all the proceeds going towards feeding the most vulnerable children in Eastern Sudan.

Chin's poetry combines spiritualism with social issues and his own personal history.

Chin also works as a life coach and delivers workshops and talks at youth clubs, universities and events.

Personal life
In 2002, at the age of 19, Chin converted to Islam. In 2004, he travelled to Egypt and lived there for a year to study Islam.

His mother and elder sister have also converted to Islam. He is a Manchester United Football Club fan.

In June 2010, Chin performed Umrah (the second largest Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia). Between July 2011 to May 2012, Chin resided in Kuwait City, Kuwait.

In July 2013, he appeared on Channel 4's Ramadan Reflections. In February 2014, Chin set up a charity ABC Life. In June 2014, he visited Pakistan to deliver a lecture and record television interviews at Dreamworld Family Resort in Karachi.