Former anti-Muslim Dutch politician converts to Islam

A former far-right Dutch politician announced on Monday that he has converted to Islam.

Writing a book on Islam changed the views of Joram van Klaveren, 39, on Islam, and he converted last October, local media reported.

Van Klaveren served as a member of parliament for the far-right Freedom Party (PVV) from 2010 to 2014.

He resigned after PVV leader Geert Wilders' racist remarks about Moroccans and set up his own party, but failed to win a seat in the 2017 national elections, and quit politics.

Van Klaveren's said during writing he came across many things "that made my view on Islam falter," he told Dutch radio. 

Van Klaveren's decision follows in the footsteps of Arnoud van Doorn, another former PVV member who converted to Islam.

Van Doorn praised van Klaveren on Twitter, saying he never thought that he would see so many converts from his former party.