Overview
- Roberto Carlos told the Saudi paper Okaz, as reported by AFP and Goal, that the conversion rumors are untrue and that he respects Islam while noting his wife prays.
- The claims originated in Turkish newspapers and a post by MP Ali Sahin that attributed to Sheikh Jihad Hamada an account that Carlos recited the Shahada and chose Islam.
- Carlos said the couple held multiple wedding events to respect both his Catholic family and his wife Souhaila El Tahiri’s Muslim friends after their limited ceremony on 25 July.
- News outlets relied on secondary accounts from Turkish press and social posts; Carlos’s on-the-record denial is the only primary statement and there is no independent evidence confirming a conversion.
- The episode highlights how cross-border media and social amplification can turn private religious matters about public figures into fast-moving international claims and underscores the need for direct verification.