Following the 2024 by-election, George Galloway, esteemed for his roles as a British politician, broadcaster, and writer, has been serving the Rochdale constituency as its Member of Parliament (MP).

Since 2019, he has taken on the role of leader for the Workers Party of Britain.

Between 1987 and 2010, and then from 2012 to 2015, Galloway represented four different constituencies as an MP. Initially, he was affiliated with the Labour Party before joining and eventually leading the Respect Party from 2004 until it was dissolved in 2016.

Prior to his parliamentary career, he was appointed general secretary of War on Want, a charity based in London, a position he held from 1983 until his election as MP for Glasgow Hillhead (subsequently Glasgow Kelvin) during the 1987 general election.

Galloway faced accusations of racism after leaving a debate at Oxford University upon discovering his debate opponent was Israeli.

This passage delves into discussions surrounding George Galloway’s religious beliefs and further insights into his family life.

Religious Beliefs of George Galloway: Muslim or Jewish?

Galloway often receives inquiries about his faith, to which he responds by emphasizing the personal nature of his religious beliefs and their separation from his political endeavors.

Though raised as a Roman Catholic and still identifying as such, Galloway emphasizes that his religious orientation is a private affair. In 2013, he expressed concerns about not feeling safe in an independent Scotland as a Roman Catholic, citing the historical bias some Scottish nationalists have against Catholics.

It was reported that over a decade ago, Galloway embraced Islam during a ceremony attended by members of the Muslim Association of Great Britain, held at a hotel in Kilburn, northwest London.

Galloway’s fourth marriage was conducted in Amsterdam following Muslim rites.

Interestingly, Galloway does not actively contest claims of his conversion to Islam, a point unchallenged in a recorded exchange. Additionally, he did not clarify why he opted for a Muslim marriage ceremony (a “nikah”), which Islamic law typically reserves for marriages where the male partner is Muslim.

The Family Life of George Galloway

Born in Dundee to an Irish mother, Sheila O’Reilly, and a Scottish trade unionist father, George Galloway Sr., George’s early life was steeped in a working-class environment.

His upbringing in the “Irish quarter” of Dundee, particularly in Lochee, was marked by humble beginnings.

Before securing a position as an electro-mechanical engineer at NCR, Galloway’s father was an electrician. George shared that while his mother harbored skepticism towards British global posturing and supported Irish nationalism, his father was notably patriotic.

Galloway leaned towards his mother’s perspectives, advocating for Sinn Féin and the cause of Irish unification.

The Marital Journey of George Galloway

Throughout his life, Galloway has been married four times. His first marriage was to Elaine Fyffe in 1979, with whom he shares a daughter, Lucy. The couple separated in 1987 and finalized their divorce in 1999.

His second marriage was to Amineh Abu-Zayyad, a Palestinian-born scientist, in 1994 through a non-legally binding Islamic ceremony, followed by an official civil ceremony in March 2000. Their marriage ended in 2009 due to her “unreasonable behavior,” a claim Galloway did not contest.

In 2005, Galloway married Rima Husseini, his former research assistant, in a non-legally recognized Islamic ceremony. Together, they have two sons: Zein and Faris.

His fourth and current wife is Putri Gayatri Pertiwi, a Dutch-Indonesian anthropologist, whom he married in 2012 in Amsterdam.