Gai Eaton passes away

By ARAB NEWS

Published: Feb 27, 2010 11:28 PM Updated: Feb 27, 2010 11:28 PM

LONDON: Charles le Gai Eaton, also known as Hasan Abdul Hakeem, died on Friday. He was 89.

A popular writer and Muslim convert, Gai Eaton is celebrated for playing a significant role in Islam in Britain and has been referred to as the “closest towering patriarch in articulating Islam for modern Britain.”

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.

“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,” said Muhammad Abdul Bari, secretary-general of the UK’s Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) in his statement of condolence.

Following his conversion in 1951, Gai Eaton served as an inspiration to the Muslim community in the West. Gai Eaton’s books include “Islam and the Destiny of Man,” “King of the Castle” and “Remembering God.”

“He was also a pillar of the British Muslim community, serving as a consultant to the Islamic Cultural Center.

The MCB owes much to personalities such as Gai Eaton who gave sage advice in the formulation of the MCB’s constitution and its founding, ensuring that, from the very start, the MCB serves Britain’s diverse communities,” said Abdul Bari.

British Muslims Mourn the Passing Away of Hasan Charles Le Gai Eaton

The Muslim community in Britain receives with great distress the news of the passing away of Hasan Charles Le Gai Eaton (1921 -2010) on Friday the 26th February. “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.

Dr Abdul Bari said: "After his conversion in 1951, Gai Eaton has served as an inspiration to the Muslim community. His seminal books Islam and the Destiny of Man, King of the Castle, and Remembering God presented the role of Islam and faith in the modern world. He was also a pillar of the British Muslim community, serving as a consultant to the Islamic Cultural Centre. The Muslim Council of Britain owes much to personalities such as Gai Eaton who gave sage advice in the formulation of the MCB's constitution and its founding, ensuring that, from the very start, the MCB serves Britain’s diverse communities. He will be missed, but his intellectual and institutional legacy will continue. Inna lillahi wa innaa ilayhi raji'un - "Indeed, to Allah we Belong and to Him we will most certain return."

Source : MCB