Catholic-born actress Lindsay Lohan raised not a few eyebrows when she was spotted carrying a Quran during her first day of community service at a New York kids' centre.

People immediately jumped to the conclusion that she had converted to Islam, but Lohan told The Sun that she was simply studying the religion.

"I'm a very spiritual person and I'm really open to learning," she said. "America has portrayed holding a Quran in such a different way to what it actually is."

Even her little sister Ali Lohan, who has converted to Buddhism, is open to learning more about Islam. "We all believe in something and at the end of the day it all ties to a god or a spiritual adviser," she said. "We all have a similar belief in whatever it may be personally. My sister is Buddhist but she is still interested in learning other things from me. It's good to be open-minded."

Should Lohan decide to change her religion, she would be joining several other celebrities who have converted to Islam, such as Janet Jackson, Mike Tyson, Cat Stevens, Jemima Khan, and Cassius Clay.

Earlier, Lohan got the rumour mill going when she professed her interest to enter politics. On her Instagram account (@lindsaylohan), the actress says she might just run for the highest position in the land come 2020. "In #2020 I may run for president. Through ups and downs #YESWECAN lets do this @kanyewest #truespirits thank you for inspiring us to be better people," she writes.

In another post, Lohan shares a photo taken earlier with Kanye West. She then reveals her first agenda as president of the United States: "The first thing I would like to do as president of (America) is take care of all of the children suffering in the world. #queenELIZABETH showed me how by having me in her country."