Roberto Carlos has confirmed that he has not converted to Islam, but has immense respect for it.
Brazilian football icon Roberto Carlos has refuted widespread reports suggesting he has embraced Islam, clarifying that while he holds deep respect for the faith, assertions that he converted following his marriage to Moroccan football representative Souhaila El Tahiri are inaccurate.
In exclusive remarks to the Saudi publication Okaz, the former Real Madrid and Brazil defender responded to speculation that had proliferated across Turkish media and various social platforms.
“I hold the deepest respect for Islam, and witnessing my wife in prayer is a beautiful thing, but the rumors regarding my conversion are simply not true,” Carlos stated in his interview with Okaz.
His statement directly challenges numerous media reports alleging that the 53-year-old had accepted Islam approximately one month prior by reciting the Shahada in the presence of Sheikh Jihad Hamada, a well-known leader within Brazil’s Muslim population.
The narrative received additional prominence when Ali Şahin, a Turkish parliamentarian affiliated with the governing Justice and Development Party (AK Party), asserted that he had been informed of Carlos’s supposed conversion during discussions with delegates from Brazil’s Islamic community.
Per Şahin’s account, Hamada indicated that Carlos had maintained communication with him over an extended period before meeting with him roughly four weeks earlier, at which point he allegedly pronounced the Shahada and embraced the Muslim faith.
Following these claims, Şahin publicly extended congratulations to the former Brazilian international, offering wishes for peace, wellbeing, and prosperity for him and his loved ones.
Social media had further amplified the conjecture after photographs surfaced appearing to show Carlos participating in an Islamic matrimonial rite.
However, Carlos clarified to Okaz that he and El Tahiri organized their nuptials in multiple formats to honor the religious traditions of both their families.
The couple arranged one ceremony suited to his Catholic relatives alongside another conducted appropriately for his wife and their Muslim acquaintances, he explained.
Carlos also shared insights into the origins of his relationship with El Tahiri, noting that their initial encounter occurred at a professional gathering related to football.
He characterized El Tahiri as an accomplished business professional and confirmed that they have maintained both a personal and working partnership for the past two years.
El Tahiri holds FIFA accreditation as a football agent, with her work encompassing career management for players and various football ventures. News of their romantic involvement initially surfaced earlier this year, while images from their wedding festivities have since attracted considerable attention online.
Widely considered among the finest left-backs the sport has ever seen, Carlos enjoyed the pinnacle of his club success with Real Madrid and played an instrumental role in Brazil’s triumphant 2002 FIFA World Cup campaign.
Additionally, he maintains notable connections to Turkish football through his playing tenure with Fenerbahçe from 2007 to 2009.
POSTED UPDATED AFTER CONFIRMATION FROM ROBERTO CARLOS.
WhatsApp Channel
ChatGPT
Instagram
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Claude
Ask Gemini AI
Ask Grok AI
Support the officially authentic Islamic website.
Support our mission to spread Islamic knowledge. Your donation helps our volunteer writers and infrastructure. Contribute now.
