Fatima Cates: the unearthed story of England’s first Muslim convert

More than a century after her disappearance, the story of Fatima Cates finally finds its place in British collective memory. This resident of Liverpool of Irish origin, the first woman to convert to Islam in England, left her mark on Victorian history before passing away at the age of 35 in 1901. Born Frances Elizabeth Murray in a modest background, she committed herself to first in the temperance movement, which fought against alcoholism. It was during a conference on “The Great Abstainer of Arabia” that she discovered Islam. Her conversion led to bullying and violence on the streets of Liverpool, where she even had to hide her Koran to protect it from her own family.

Co-founder of the first mosque in England, her commitment particularly resonates today. A Koranic school now bears his name in London, while a new headstone has been funded by Liverpool’s Muslim community. A tribute which testifies to a desire to rehabilitate these little-known figures of British history. His journey is now the subject of academic study and is inspiring a new generation of British converts. At Liverpool’s Abdullah Quilliam Mosque, which she helped found, a choir even sings songs she composed, bridging the gap between the Victorian era and today’s multicultural Britain.