British brothers tell of polar opposite lives as one has converted to Islam while the other attends far-right EDL rallies
HE IS a British dad who converted to Islam after marrying his Pakistani wife and now makes his stepsons follow strict Muslim rules.
While his brother is an supporter of the far-right group the English Defence League who has taken part in a demonstration outside a mosque.
And Abdul Rahmaan Tobin and Lee Hadley have revealed how despite growing up together, their lives have taken very different paths.
The pair are set to feature on the Channel 4 series Extremely British Muslims that has been showing life centred around one of Birmingham's biggest mosques.
The two men were brought up together in Dudley in the West Midlands by their single mother and at that time Abdul was still known by his old name Sean.
However, in 2009 he converted to Islam after marrying his Pakistani wife and became stepdad to her two sons.
He lives his life by the Koran, getting up at the crack of dawn every day and even following Islamic rules such as always stepping into a bathroom with his left foot first.
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Abdul, who now lives in Birmingham, also tries to educate his two stepsons to live their lives in a similar way but the pair seem reluctant, especially when having to go to early morning prayers.
And in tomorrow night's episode of Extremely British Muslims, viewers will see Abdul, 33, visit his brother Lee, 30, from Cradley Heath, who has been an English Defence League supporter.
Four months after Abdul converted, Lee attended an EDL demo in Dudley, where violence erupted between riot police and the group, who were protesting against plans for a mosque.
And in the show, Lee admits it's a shock that his brother has converted Islam and changed his life completely.
He says:"His name is Sean to me. I will never call him Abdul.
"We were just normal teenagers that liked going out and getting wrecked. Drinking and taking drugs. We did.
"I would think that for people thinking how we was as kids, and they saw someone like you (pointing to Abdul), they would take the p***. We wasn't used to seeing Muslims. Especially white Muslims with a ginger beard.
"When he first told me I was shocked because he's white and English, it's not a normal thing to do.
"I wouldn't say I supported him, I don't agree with it really but he's still my brother.
Asked what he thought about Muslims before Abdul converted, Lee said: "They were bad. You would hear things about stoning women to death and 7/7, London bombings.
"You would just see things on TV and they would all blame Muslims.
"I've been to two EDL protests in Dudley and about eight others around the country.
"I went because of what I was seeing on the news about terrorists made me a bit angry and I wanted to hear what other people had to say.
"I wouldn't say I was a member but I would say I support them. I'd never disown Sean but we have drifted away since he became Muslim."
While probed about if he would like to find out more about Abdul's life and visiting mosques, he replied: "No, I haven't got time. I don't think so."
While Abdul added: "For any of his friends to see him in a mosque, that would maybe look bad.
"I can understand that both the EDL and Islam can both provide that sense of brotherhood.
"But I would say that nothing compares to Islam when it comes to brotherhood. In fact, Islam is a complete way of life.
"He (Lee) is a natural, he really speaks his mind and says how he feels. He is a good kid, he's a family man.
"He has a lot of questions, he has a hard time accepting that Islam promotes peace and he looks at other aspects, the negative side that he hears about in the media. But he's open about it and I respect that about him."
The episode will also feature Mohammed Imtiaz, who runs a telephone helpline for people wanting to check Islamic rules with imams.
While 20-year-old youth worker Sidrah, who was born and raised in Britain, will tell her story of choosing to wear a niqab (face veil), when she is out in public.
Extremely British Muslims airs Thursdays at 10pm on Channel 4.