Brit Saudi ambassador converts to Islam and travels to Mecca with wife
Fawziah al-Bakr wrote, 'the first British ambassador in the KSA [Kingdom of Saudi Arabia] to do haj after converting to Islam, thanks be to God'
BRITAIN’S ambassador to Saudi Arabia has converted to Islam and travelled to Mecca with his wife, it has been revealed.
Simon Collis, 60, and his wife, Huda Mujarkech, were pictured dressed in the traditional white Ihram robes of a pilgrim and standing in front of the royal seal at the gate of the British Consulate in Saudi Arabia’s holiest city.
He is believed to be the first British diplomat of his ran to perform the holiest rite for Muslims, the haj pilgrimage.
The image was posted on the account of a prominent Saudi Arabian women’s rights activist, Fawziah al-Bakr, who wrote: “The first British ambassador in the KSA [Kingdom of Saudi Arabia] to do haj after converting to Islam.
"Simon Collis with his wife Mrs Huda in Mecca. Thanks be to God.”
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Mr Collis confirmed saying he converted to Islam after 30 years of living in Muslim societies and the British diplomat can now use the title for those who have completed the haj, becoming Ambassador Haji Collis.
It is believed he converted before his marriage in 2011, as it is a requirement for those marrying a Muslim women to do so.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office confirmed the news but declined to offer comment saying only that Mr Collis’s religion was a private matter.