Former Brazil and Real Madrid defender Roberto Carlos has rejected reports that he converted to Islam after marrying Moroccan woman Suheyla al-Tahiri.
The 53-year-old was responding to claims circulated by Turkish media that he had recited the shahada during a meeting with Sheikh Jihad Hamada in Sao Paulo. The shahada is the declaration associated with conversion to Islam.
The story gained wider attention after Turkish MP Ali Sahin published the claim, saying he was repeating information attributed to Sheikh Hamada. Reports suggested that Roberto Carlos had embraced Islam following his marriage to al-Tahiri.
However, the former Brazil international has now described the information as unreliable and denied that the reports accurately reflected what happened.
Roberto Carlos also offered an explanation of the arrangements at his wedding. He said the ceremony included different elements to take account of the Catholic traditions followed by members of his family, as well as the religious beliefs of his wife and her friends.
The clarification is the first time Roberto Carlos has publicly addressed the reports linking his marriage to an alleged change of religion. The claims had been based on the account attributed to Sheikh Hamada and were then amplified through Ali Sahin’s publication before being reported by Turkish media.
At the centre of the speculation was the alleged recitation of the shahada at the meeting in Sao Paulo. Roberto Carlos has rejected that account, while also explaining that the wedding involved more than one ceremonial tradition because of the different religious backgrounds of those attending.
His comments therefore distinguish between the religious elements included in the wedding and the separate claim that he had converted to Islam. According to Roberto Carlos, the ceremony reflected both the Catholic traditions of his family and the beliefs of Suheyla al-Tahiri and her friends, rather than confirming the reports that he had adopted the Muslim faith.
The former defender is widely known for his career with Brazil and Real Madrid, but the issue addressed in his latest comments concerns his private life and the interpretation placed on his wedding ceremony. The claims were not supported by his own account, which characterised them as inaccurate.
No further details were provided about the meeting with Sheikh Jihad Hamada beyond the reports that prompted the speculation. Roberto Carlos’s response makes clear that he does not accept the version of events circulated in Turkey or the suggestion that he recited the shahada as part of a conversion.
