Charles Le Gai Eaton – A towering British Muslim passes on

(March 3, 2010) – The Muslim community in Britain are mourning the death of Hasan Charles Le Gai Eaton (1921 -2010) on Friday the 26th February. He was 89.

“A philosopher, author of genius and profound insight, Gai Eaton was widely revered by the community as the closest thing to a towering patriarch in articulating Islam for modern Britain”, observed Dr. Muhammad Abdul Bari, the Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain in his statement of condolence.

“He was also a pillar of the British Muslim community, serving as a consultant to the Islamic Cultural Centre”, he said.

Born in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1921 and raised as an agnostic by his parents. Gai Eaton was educated at Charterhouse and King’s College, Cambridge.

He worked for many years as a teacher and journalist in Jamaica and Egypt, and joined the British Diplomatic service in 1949. He converted to Islam in 1951.

Gai Eaton’s books include Islam and the Destiny of Man, King of the Castle and Remembering God.

Many British Muslims regard his books as influential.