US engineer converts to Islam in Saudi

A US technology engineer in Saudi Arabia converted to Islam, saying he was impressed by the way people kissed the head of their seniors.

Stuart Elby, 33, a robot engineer at the German Siemens company in the Gulf kingdom, named himself Omar and went to the mosque in Riyadh on Friday with Saudi friends and some members of a government Islamic guidance centre.

“He prayed with them at the mosque for the first time after they showed him how to pray…he asked many questions and appeared impressed when he saw that people were kissing the forehead of their seniors,”
Sabq daily said.

It said friends told him that the kiss signifies respect for the elderly and that lifting the witness finger while praying refers to the “oneness of God,”