An American pastor turned Muslim preacher has said the friendly treatment he received while visiting Saudi Arabia led him to convert to Islam.

Samuel Earle Shropshire made the comments in an interview with semi-official Saudi news website Sabq published on Tuesday.

The 70-year-old explained that when he first travelled to Jeddah in 2011 to work as an editor for a new translation of the Quran he was wary due to the negative image portrayed of Muslims in the US media.

"I soon realised that reality was completely different from what I had seen in the media," he said.

"I saw good people, who take the initiative to greet people and are generous regardless of whether you are Muslim or not."

He added that hospitality he received in Jeddah coupled with his work on the Quran led him to embrace Islam.

"Saudis worship only one God and they have good morals," he said.

Shropshire, who now lives in Saudi Arabia, is the founder of non-profit organisation Muslim Voice for Peace & Reconciliation.

Saudi Arabia, which imposes a strict interpretation of Islam, is home to the two holiest sites in the religion - Mecca and Medina.

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