Charles Le Gai Eaton, who died on February 26 aged 89, was a father figure to many white British converts to Islam and was regarded as one of contemporary Islam's most sophisticated thinkers.  A Charterhouse and Cambridge-educated former diplomat, Eaton became a Muslim in 1951 after studying the religion and spending a year in Cairo. Also known by the Muslim name Hassan Abdul-Hakeem, he went on to write several books and, as a consultant at the Islamic Cultural Centre at Regent's Park Mosque in London, played an important role in addressing public misconceptions about Islam. Eaton spent 22 years at the centre, surviving the radicalisation of many younger members of the congregation