Charles le Gai Eaton

Charles Le Gai Eaton (Hasan le Gai Eaton or Hassan Abdul Hakeem) (1 January 1921 – 26 February 2010)^[1] was born in Lausanne, Switzerland and raised as an agnostic by his parents.^[2] He received his education at Charterhouse and at King's College, Cambridge. He worked for many years as a teacher and journalist in Jamaica and Egypt. He then joined the British Diplomatic Service.^[3]

Eaton converted to Islam in 1951. He served as a consultant to the Islamic Cultural Centre in London.^[4] In 1996 he served on a committee that drafted the constitution of the Muslim Council of Britain^[5]

He was however often critical of mainstream British Muslim opinion, and felt that Muslims themselves should have sorted out Saddam Hussain. Regarding the invasion of Iraq, in an interview with emel magazine he said, "I am very torn either way and I cannot quite make up my mind what I think... He was our monster, it should have been for us to deal with him.”^[6] In the same article Eaton also called for the creation of a British Islamic identity, "it is time for the Muslims in Britain to settle down, to find their own way, to form a real community and to discover a specifically British way of living Islam... This is no curry-island.”

His books include Islam and the Destiny of Man (listed on Q News' list of "10 books to take to university"^[7]), King of the Castle, and Remembering God. Many converts to Islam in the United Kingdom have been inspired by his books^[3], which are also expositions of Islam for Western readers, secular or believing. He also frequently contributed articles to the quarterly journal on comparative religion and traditional studies, Studies in Comparative Religion.

There is a short autobiography at Salaam Books^[8]. His last book and autobiography A Bad Beginning and the Path to Islam was published by Archetype in January 2010.^[9] He is the father of Leo Eaton, a director and producer of documentary films.^[10]

Sources and references

1. ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/religion-obituaries/7539134/Gai-Eaton.html
2. ^ Islam and the Destiny of Man, Charles Le Gai Eaton
3. ^ ^{a b} Islamic Britain lures top people, The Sunday Times, February 22, 2004
4. ^ Islam Is The “Middle Way”, Hassan Gai Eaton's Speech, London; Leeds; Manchester, 16–18 December 2005
5. ^ The MCB – its history, structure and workings
6. ^ The Talented Mr Gai Eaton emel magazine, September 2003
7. ^ [1], Q-News, Issue 368, Sept–Oct 2006, p. 36
8. ^ Salaam Books
9. ^ Archetype
10. ^ Eaton Creative

External links

• Tribute to the British Muslim Gai Eaton: Glamour and Humility
• Telegraph obituary

Persondata
Name	Eaton, Charles le Gai
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1 January 1921
Place of birth
Date of death	26 February 2010
Place of death