British ambassador to Saudi Arabia becomes first senior diplomat to perform Hajj

Collis who recently converted to Islam, is still serving as British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia

Simon Collis, who recently converted to Islam, has become the first British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj while still on duty in the Kingdom.

Writer and activist Fawziah al Bakr posted pictures of Collis and his wife Huda Mujarkech dressed in ihram on Twitter. “The first British ambassador to the Kingdom performing Hajj after converting to Islam: Simon Collis with his wife Huda in Makkah,” the tweet read.

أول سفير بريطاني للمملكة يؤدي فريضة الحج بعد اسلامه:سيمون كوليز مع زوجته السيدة هدي في مكة. الحمدلله pic.twitter.com/Gk3323d3ce

— Dr. Fawziah Albakr | د.فوزية البكر (@fawziah1) September 12, 2016

Collis, who, according to his official biography, joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1978 after studying Arabic, has served mainly in the Middle East and South Asia.

From Asia, Africa and points in between, nearly 1.5 million Muslims began the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia on September 10, undeterred by last year’s deadly stampede.

Muslims around the world celebrated the Eidul Azha holiday on Monday, one of the two most important festivals of the Islamic calendar.



Marking the willingness of Ibrahim (AS) to sacrifice his son on God’s command, Muslims mark the holiday by slaughtering animals such as sheep and goats. The meat is shared among family and friends and also donated to the poor.

This article originally appeared on Gulf News.