Lauren Booth

Lauren Booth, born Sarah Jane Booth on 22 July 1967, is an English broadcaster, journalist, and activist. She holds both a British passport and a VIP Palestinian Authority passport.

Early Life and Family

Lauren Booth was born and raised in Golders Green, North West London, an area with a predominantly Jewish population. She is a half-sister of Cherie Blair, the wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Her father is actor Tony Booth. Booth's upbringing was secular; she was not raised in any particular religion. Her father was raised Catholic, while her mother, who was purported to be Jewish, was Christian. Her parents were never married. She has a sister named Emma, in addition to Cherie Blair and five other half-sisters.

Education and Early Career

Booth trained as an actress at the London Academy of Performing Arts. Following her training, she spent several years touring Europe with various regional theatre companies.

Media Career

Booth transitioned to journalism in 1997, beginning her writing career with the London Evening Standard, where she contributed a column titled "About Town." In 1999, she started writing for the political magazine New Statesman, a position she held for four years. During this period, she also authored columns and features for The Mail on Sunday.

In 2006, Booth participated as a contestant on the ITV reality show "I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!". Between 2006 and 2008, she presented "In Focus" on the UK's Islam Channel. She has been associated with Press TV, an Iranian-owned broadcaster, since 2008, hosting "Between The Headlines." From 2010 to 2012, she presented "Remember Palestine" and "Diaspora." In 2014, Booth created and hosted her own series "Talking Booth" on British Muslim TV. That same year, she accepted a senior producer role at Al Jazeera in Doha, although she was dismissed a few months later.

Activism

Booth is known for her outspoken opposition to the Iraq War and has spoken at numerous rallies against the invasion. She is a supporter of the Stop the War Coalition. In August 2008, she traveled to Gaza by ship from Cyprus along with 46 activists to draw attention to the Gaza blockade. During this visit, she delivered hearing aids and balloons to a school for the deaf. She was refused entry into Israel and Egypt and claimed that Israel's refusal to allow her to leave Gaza was in breach of Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which pertains to freedom of movement. She characterized Gaza as "the largest concentration camp in the world today." During her stay, she received a Palestinian VIP passport from Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. Booth exited Gaza through the Rafah border crossing into Egypt on 20 September 2008.

In 2009, she returned to Gaza with the aid convoy Viva Palestina, organized by British politician George Galloway. Since 2012, she has served as Chair of Trustees for the charity Peace Trail, which she co-founded. She has participated in multiple visits to support students and families in the region.

Conversion to Islam

In 2010, Booth converted to Islam and adopted the faith publicly, often wearing a hijab. She has stated that her experiences in Palestine influenced her spiritual awakening. On 23 October 2010, she appeared at the Islam Channel's Global Peace and Unity event, declaring, "My name is Lauren Booth, and I am a Muslim." In June 2011, she joined Cageprisoners as a patron; however, she was no longer associated with the organization from 2015 onward.

Controversies

Lauren Booth, along with her husband Sohale Ahmed, who is also a trustee of Peace Trail, was disqualified from trustee positions after the Charity Commission reported an inability to account for approximately half of the charity's income.