Did Roberto Carlos really convert to Islam?
Graphics: Agamir Somoy
Brazilian footballer Roberto Carlos has converted to Islam. The claim has been circulating for several days. The news has appeared on social media as well as in several international media outlets. However, verification found no evidence that the claim is true.
What is being claimed
It is being claimed that Roberto Carlos converted to Islam about four weeks ago after meeting Sheikh Jihad Hamadeh, a well known figure in Brazil’s Muslim community.
At the same time, several photos from what appeared to be his wedding ceremony conducted according to Islamic rituals in the presence of a Qazi were also circulated on social media.
Turkish lawmaker Ali Sahin also posted about the matter on X, formerly Twitter, two days ago, claiming, “We met with representatives of the Muslim community in Brazil. Legendary footballer Roberto Carlos has become a Muslim...We met with Sheikh Jihad Hamadeh, who lives in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and is one of the 500 most influential figures in the Islamic world.”
Many people in Bangladesh also posted the reports on their personal accounts and pages. Those posts welcomed Roberto Carlos for converting to Islam.
Agamir Somoy searched at least 30 accounts and pages on social media. The search found that some of the accounts and pages had shared photos, some had shared videos, while others had created videos using AI and circulated them as news.
Among them, a post from a Facebook account named “Just Hasib” had been shared 123 times and received 7,700 reactions as of the time this report was written.
What really happened?
While verifying the claim, Agamir Somoy found a statement from Roberto Carlos in a report published by a Saudi daily newspaper. He clearly said that he has the utmost respect for Islam and that seeing his wife pray is a wonderful experience for him. However, he said the rumors circulating about his conversion to Islam are not true.
A report by Saudi daily Okaz said Brazilian football legend Roberto Carlos had revealed the truth behind the rumors that he converted to Islam after marrying Moroccan football agent Souhaila Tahiri.
Football news international web portal Goal.com reported, citing the Okaz report, that the claim that Roberto Carlos had converted to Islam is not true.
Later, this afternoon Bangladesh time, Turkish lawmaker Ali Sahin said in a post on X that during his visit to Brazil, Sheikh Jihad Hamadeh showed him the video and claimed that Roberto Carlos had converted to Islam. He later shared it on social media. However, he said he had no intention of putting Carlos in an uncomfortable situation.Meanwhile, Roberto Carlos explained the video to Okaz, saying their wedding ceremony was organized according to multiple traditions. Since members of his family are Catholic, arrangements were made in accordance with their religious beliefs, while a separate ceremony was also held following the religious traditions of his wife and Muslim friends.
Considering all the information, it is clear that the claim that Roberto Carlos converted to Islam is misleading. A video from their family wedding ceremony is giving a false impression.
