British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia converts to Islam

(Baonghean.vn) - Simon Collins, the British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, has confirmed that he converted to Islam after a long period working as a diplomat in Muslim countries, including Iraq and Syria.

The photo shows Mr. Collins with his wife during their pilgrimage to Mecca. Photo: Twitter

Simon Collins was the first British diplomat to perform the venerable Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. His wife, Huda Mujarkesh, is a Syrian Muslim.

The photo of him and his wife in traditional white attire during the pilgrimage was posted on social media on September 12th by Fawziah al-Bakr, a Saudi Arabian women's rights activist.

Collins began his term as Ambassador to Riyadh in 2015. Prior to that, he was the UK's representative in Syria until the escalation of hostilities from 2011-2012. He also served as the UK Ambassador to Qatar and was a member of the British diplomatic mission in Bahrain, Tunisia, India, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates.

After news of Collins' conversion to Islam spread widely, he thanked those who sent congratulations and said he decided to convert to Islam "after 30 years living in Muslim society." Among those who sent congratulations to Collins were two members of the Saudi Arabian royal family.

After converting and performing the pilgrimage rituals, Mr. Collins can now be addressed with the honorific title "Ambassador Haji Collins," reserved for those who have visited the holy site of Islam.

According to officials at the London Mosque in England, they hope that, given his unique position, Collins can demonstrate the importance of fostering good relations between Muslims and non-Muslims.

However, Collins was not the first British diplomat to convert to Islam.

The first British diplomat to convert to Islam was Abdullah William Quilliam, the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century, due to his dissatisfaction with British imperial policies towards Sudan. In the 1950s, Charles le Gai Eaton also converted to Islam before working in India, Trinidad and Ghana.

Diep Khanh

(According to RT)