Soheila Taheri, the wife of Brazilian football legend Roberto Carlos, has rejected reports claiming that her husband converted to Islam and called for an end to the rumors.
Taheri said claims circulating on social media about Roberto Carlos changing his religion are false and urged people to verify information before making statements about an individual’s religious beliefs.
The rumor emerged after Ali Şahin, a member of Turkey’s Justice and Development Party, posted on X that he had heard during a visit to Brazil that Roberto Carlos had converted to Islam after marrying Taheri.
Şahin claimed that Roberto Carlos had met a man identified as Sheikh Jihad Hamadeh, recited the Shahada and converted to Islam.
Roberto Carlos rejected the claim several hours after it was published, saying that he has great respect for Islam but has not converted.
He also said his wedding ceremony reflected the beliefs of both families, with his family being Catholic and his wife’s family being Muslim.
Taheri separately rejected the allegations, saying she does not know any cleric named Jihad Hamadeh. She also denied a story claiming that the cleric had visited Roberto Carlos in a hospital and recited the Quran to him.
Taheri stressed that respecting Islam and discussing the Quran does not mean converting to the religion.
She urged media outlets and social media users to verify claims before publishing information about people’s religious beliefs and said she would prefer to keep her and Roberto Carlos’ private life away from media attention.
The claims therefore remain unsupported, while both Roberto Carlos and his wife have publicly denied that he converted to Islam.
