Joram van Klaveren: The Former anti-Islam Dutch politician who converted to Islam!
Unexpected surely happens and surprises us all every single time. A former member of Geert Wilders' far-right Dutch party has now converted to Islam and this news is escalating over all social media platforms and taking over the top headlines. He converted after writing a book on the fastest growing religion as reported in Politico. He made the switch whilst writing a book against Islam. Van Klaveren told Dutch radio:
“During that writing, I came across more and more things that made my view on Islam falter.”
Jorem Van Klaveren was a member of parliament for the Freedom Party (PVV), led by anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders, from 2010 to 2014. He resigned after PVV leader Geert Wilders’ racist remarks about Moroccans; Wilders' asked supporters during a rally in 2014 if they wanted more or fewer Moroccans in the Netherlands, to which “Fewer! Fewer! Fewer!” was chanted by the crowd. Van Klaveren then set up his own party, but failed to win a seat in the 2017 national elections, and so, he quit politics.
During his time in the far-right party, he had harsh views on Islam, saying “Islam is a lie” and “The Quran is poison.” When he was asked about whether he feels guilty, Van Klaveren said he had been “simply wrong” adding:
“PVV policy: everything that was wrong had to be linked to Islam in one way or another.”
Converting to Islam, he followed in the footsteps of Arnoud Van Doorn, another former PVV member who converted to Islam in April 2012. This was also posted in Ilmfeed. Van Doorn praised van Klaveren on Twitter, saying he never thought that he would see so many converts from his former party.
Former PVV official Arnoud van Doorn also converted to Islam in 2012 and soon made the pilgrimage to perform Hajj.
Both politicians are not the only members of European far-right parties who have found Islam. Maxence Buttey, a councilor in the eastern Paris suburb of Noisy-le-Grand, also converted to Islam in January 2016, sending a video message to fellow officials of anti-immigration Front National party to praise the Muslims’ Holy Book, Qur’an (see also: Al Quran Online), and asking them to join him. Arthur Wagner, another member of a far-right German party, also converted to Islam in 2018, leaving his position on the party’s national executive committee.
“In previous years I had developed a great aversion to Islam…But as a God seeker I always felt a certain unrest. And that gradually disappeared. It felt a bit like coming home, in a religious sense.”
Learn more about his journey here.
Alas, Van Klaveren joins many more in history who have gone from hating Muslims to becoming one after learning about what Islam really is. Alhamdullilah! May Allah (SWT) keep guiding us all towards the right path. In 2018, Sinéad O'Connor converted as well astonishing many across the world. May Allah (SWT) guide and make more people the members of Muslim Ummah. Ameen.
