Canberra – Shermon Burgess, one of Australia’s most notorious anti-Islam activists and former leader of the far-right group United Patriots Front, has converted to Islam.
„Islam is pure [sic] and directly linked to Allah. The West has lost its way, people are depressed and try to solve all life’s problems with alcohol, drugs, porn and sex,“ he wrote on Facebook.
„Islam frees you from all that and allows you to have meaning again. It brings the light back into your soul and reignites the passion of life in your heart.“
Burgess became nationally known in the 2010s for his involvement in the now-defunct far-right nationalist groups United Patriots Front (UPF), Reclaim Australia and the Australian Defence League.
He also played a central role in the 2015 anti-Islam protests against the construction of a mosque in Bendigo. At the height of the protests, his social media page „The Great Aussie Patriot“ shared racist, inflammatory content with tens of thousands of followers.
Half a decade later, Burgess‘ personal Facebook account is now adorned with the Shahada. The shahada is the Arabic word for the Muslim’s profession of faith, making it the most important foundation of their faith. It is part of the acceptance into Islam, the call to prayer and the daily obligatory prayers of the faithful.
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Dutch Islamophobe becomes Muslim
Already three years ago, another Islamophobe became a Muslim.
A former member of Geert Wilders‘ far-right Dutch party announced at the time that he had converted to Islam.
Joram Van Klaveren said he made the switch from critic to convert when he wrote a book about Islam. „While writing, I came across more and more things that shook my opinion about Islam,“ he told Dutch radio.
Van Klaveren was a member of parliament for the Party for Freedom (PVV) from 2010 to 2014, but left the party after Wilders asked his supporters at a 2014 rally whether they wanted more or fewer Moroccans in the Netherlands, to which the crowd chanted „Less! Less! Less!“
Van Klaveren was a fierce critic of Islam during his time as a PVV politician, saying „Islam is a lie“ and „The Koran is poison.“
Asked if he felt guilty about these remarks, Van Klaveren said he was „simply wrong,“ adding that it was „PVV politics: everything that was wrong had to be linked to Islam in one way or another.“
Arnoud van Doorn, another former PVV official, had earlier converted to Islam. Van Doorn congratulated Van Klaveren via Twitter on his decision, writing, „[I] never thought the PVV would become a hotbed for converts.“
Also interesting
– Islam –Prominent U.S. priest converts to Islam
Hilarion Heagy described his decision as a „conversion to Islam“ and said it was „like coming home.“
https://nex24.news/2023/05/prominent-us-priest-converted-to-islam/
