George Galloway, the newly elected MP for West Bradford, has denied that he took part in a ceremony years ago to convert to Islam. Mr Galloway, whose family background is Roman Catholic, is undeniably popular with British Muslims, particularly the young, but whether he is a Muslim is something he does not consider to be anyone else’s business.
The topic was aired in the current issue of New Statesman magazine by the journalist Jemima Khan, who interviewed Galloway in Bradford.
She wrote: “He converted more than 10 years ago in a ceremony at a hotel in Kilburn, north-west London, attended by members of the Muslim Association of Great Britain. Those close to him know this. The rest of the world, including his Muslim constituents, does not.”
In the days ahead of his shock landslide by-election victory last month, a letter – which Mr Galloway denies being behind – went out to voters highlighting his record of support for Palestine, his work for “the freedom of Kashmir” and his abstention from alcohol.
He had a “nikah” (a Muslim marriage ceremony), despite the fact that a non-Muslim man cannot marry a Muslim woman under Islamic law. As for calling his “secretary” his “special adviser”, this is how she asked to be described in an email to Jemima Khan.”
–Agencies