Tony Blair's sister-in-law Lauren Booth converts to Islam in Iran
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LONDON: Former British prime minister Tony Blair's sister-in-law Lauren Booth revealed over the weekend that she has converted to Islam. Booth, who is half-sister to Cherie Blair and a Catholic by birth, switched faith after a recent visit to Iran. A human rights campaigner and journalist, she works for Press TV, Iran's 24-hour English language international news channel.
News of Booth's conversion surfaced after she was showcased at a rally here under the banner of Global Peace and Unity 2010, attended by several Islamic hardliners. It was a propaganda coup for those who militantly propagate Islam.
Booth (43), who has once figured in a reality television contest, told a section of British media, ``I had a delightful experience at a Muslim shrine in Iran six weeks ago. I now pray five times a day and occasionally go to a mosque. And I haven't had an alcoholic drink for 45 days.''
Booth now covers her head and neck with hijab when outside her home (and doesn't rule out wearing a burqa in future), no longer eats pork and reads the Quran every day. She conceded that her decision to convert might create a controversy. ``Every action sparks a reaction,'' she said.
Cherie Blair, a practising Catholic, and her husband Tony, who converted from the Church of England to Roman Catholicism in 2007, were unavailable for comment.
Last month, Booth accused Blair of lacking impartiality in his current role as Middle East envoy. Having earlier protested against Britain's involvement in the 2003 United Stated-led invasion of Iraq, she said her brother-in-law could not be a balanced negotiator between Palestinians and Israelis because he was prejudiced against Muslims.
In a letter published in the Morning Star, a communist daily, she described participating in a rally in Iran where mothers reportedly wept over deaths in Palestinian cities like Rafah and Nablus. "Do you recognise these place names, Tony?'' she asked. `` Israel has massacred children in all these cities in recent years,'' she reminded him.
Broadcaster and journalist Lauren Booth, 43 – Cherie Blair’s half-sister – said she now wears a hijab head covering whenever she leaves her home, prays five times a day and visits her local mosque ‘when I can’.
She decided to become a Muslim six weeks ago after visiting the shrine of Fatima al-Masumeh in the city of Qom.
‘It was a Tuesday evening and I sat down and felt this shot of spiritual morphine, just absolute bliss and joy,’ she told The Mail on Sunday.
When she returned to Britain, she decided to convert immediately.
‘Now I don’t eat pork and I read the Koran every day. I’m on page 60.
‘I also haven’t had a drink in 45 days, the longest period in 25 years. The strange thing is that since I decided to convert I haven’t wanted to touch alcohol, and I was someone who craved a glass of wine or two at the end of a day.’
Refusing to discount the possibility that she might wear a burka, she said: ‘Who knows where my spiritual journey will take me?’
Before her awakening in Iran, she had been ‘sympathetic’ to Islam and has spent considerable time working in Palestine. ‘I was always impressed with the strength and comfort it gave,’ she said of the religion.
Miss Booth, who works for Press TV, the English-language Iranian news channel, has been a vocal opponent of the war in Iraq.
In August 2008 she travelled to Gaza by ship from Cyprus, along with 46 other activists, to highlight Israel’s blockade of the territory. She was subsequently refused entry into both Israel and Egypt.
In 2006 she was a contestant on the ITV reality show I’m A Celebrity . . . Get Me Out Of Here!, donating her fee to the Palestinian relief charity Interpal.
She said she hoped her conversion would help Mr Blair change his presumptions about Islam.
She decided to become a Muslim six weeks ago after visiting the shrine of Fatima al-Masumeh in the city of Qom.
‘It was a Tuesday evening and I sat down and felt this shot of spiritual morphine, just absolute bliss and joy,’ she told The Mail on Sunday.
When she returned to Britain, she decided to convert immediately.
‘Now I don’t eat pork and I read the Koran every day. I’m on page 60.
‘I also haven’t had a drink in 45 days, the longest period in 25 years. The strange thing is that since I decided to convert I haven’t wanted to touch alcohol, and I was someone who craved a glass of wine or two at the end of a day.’
Refusing to discount the possibility that she might wear a burka, she said: ‘Who knows where my spiritual journey will take me?’
Before her awakening in Iran, she had been ‘sympathetic’ to Islam and has spent considerable time working in Palestine. ‘I was always impressed with the strength and comfort it gave,’ she said of the religion.
Miss Booth, who works for Press TV, the English-language Iranian news channel, has been a vocal opponent of the war in Iraq.
In August 2008 she travelled to Gaza by ship from Cyprus, along with 46 other activists, to highlight Israel’s blockade of the territory. She was subsequently refused entry into both Israel and Egypt.
In 2006 she was a contestant on the ITV reality show I’m A Celebrity . . . Get Me Out Of Here!, donating her fee to the Palestinian relief charity Interpal.
She said she hoped her conversion would help Mr Blair change his presumptions about Islam.
Filed Under: Tony Blair's sister-in-law Lauren Booth converts to Islam in Iran
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