Charles le Gai Eaton was a British diplomat, writer and Sufist Islamic scholar.
Background
Born in Lausanne, Switzerland, and raised in London under the name Gai, Eaton was the son of the married Francis Errington and his mistress, Ruth. To hide her son"s illegitimacy, Ruth claimed that she had been married to a Canadian, Charles Eaton (an invention of Errington"s, by then supposedly deceased), and that Charles had fathered the child. Eaton knew Errington only as a friend of the family until the age of 16, when his mother revealed the truth of his parentage.
Career
Diplomatic career
As a diplomat, Eaton"s postings included the Colonial Office outpost in Jamaica and the Deputy High Commission office in Madras, India, as well as others in Trinidad and Ghana. Eaton returned to the United Kingdom permanently in 1974 and retired from his diplomatic career three years later. Academic career
Eaton was a consultant to the Islamic Cultural Centre at Regent"s Park Mosque in London for 22 years.
Regarding the 2003 invasion of Iraq, in an interview with Emel magazine, he stated, "I am very torn either way and I cannot quite make up my mind what I think.. was our monster, it should have been for us to deal with him.
The constant arrival of uneducated, non English-speaking immigrants from the subcontinent makes that more difficult."
He frequently contributed articles to the quarterly journal on comparative religion and traditional studies, Studies in Comparative Religion. Personal life
Eaton was the grandson of the author and journalist J. East. Preston Muddock.