Politician who said 'the Quran is poison' announces he has become a Muslim after trying to write anti-Islam book
A Dutch MP who was formerly a member of anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders‘ far-right party has announced he has converted to Islam.
Joram van Klaveren had denounced Islam as “a lie” and said “the Quran is poison” during his time as a politician for the Freedom Party (PVV).
However, the 40-year-old has now said he had become a Muslim while writing what was intended to be an anti-Islam book.
“During that writing I came across more and more things that made my view on Islam falter,” he told Dutch TV show NieuwLicht.
Mr Wilders compared his former right-hand man’s conversion to “a vegetarian going to work in a slaughterhouse”, RTL TV reported.
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Mr Van Klaveren was an MP for the PVV between 2010 and 2014, but left after Mr Wilders asked supporters if they wanted fewer Moroccans in the Netherlandsduring a rally in 2014.
When the crowd shouted back “fewer”, Mr Wilders smiled and answered: “Then we’ll fix it.” He has since been convicted of inciting hatred and discrimination.
Geert Wilders (R) compared his former right-hand man’s conversion to ‘a vegetarian going to work in a slaughterhouse’ (MARTIJN BEEKMAN/AFP/Getty Images)
He added: “But that was PVV policy: everything that did not work had to be linked to Islam in one way or another.”
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Mr Van Klaveren’s book, which he initially intended to be anti-Islam, will now be called Apostate: From Christianity to Islam in the Time of Secular Terror.
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