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United Kingdom ambassador to Saudi Arabia converts to Islam

The 60-year-old diplomat, who speaks fluent Arabic, confirmed the news in response to messages on Twitter.

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The hajj and the lesser umrah pilgrimages bring millions of Muslims to Saudi Arabia from around the globe every year.

Simon Collis pictured with Syrian wife Huda al-Mujarkech after making the pilgrimage to Mecca.

Later, the British envoy took to Twitter, and thanked supporters and well-wishers, revealing that he had converted to Islam shortly before marrying his wife.

He has been British Ambassador to Iraq, Syria and Qatar. He was the British consul-general in Dubai (2000-2004) and in Basra (2004-2005). He was appointed Ambassador in Doha from 2005 to 2007, in Damascus from 2007 to 2012, and in Baghdad from 2012 to 2014.

He was deputy head of mission in Amman, Jordan from 1996-1999.

He is the first British ambassador to perform Haj, an online portal reported.

Few people knew of Mr Collis’s conversion to Islam before the photograph appeared.

But last year’s haj disaster, and the execution in January of dissident Saudi Shi’ite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, triggered months of scathing Iranian criticism of the kingdom.

Was he raised a Muslim or did he convert?

He was previously the Ambassador to Syria, where he served between 2007 until he was kicked out by President Bashar al-Assad in 2012 when civil war broke out in the country.

It was known by some diplomats and journalists that he had embraced Islam but there had been no official word. He also served in New Delhi as first secretary from 1991 to 1994. He did most of his service in Middle East and South Asia.

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He’s believed to be Britain’s first senior ambassador to carry out the pilgrimage although others have converted to Islam.

Collis becomes first UK ambassador to perform Haj