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Afvallige - van christendom naar islam in tijden van secularisatie en terreur
Joram van Klaveren, ook wel ‘de kroonprins van Wilders’ genoemd, stond bekend als een steevaste criticaster van de islam. Als voormalig PVV-er en Tweede Kamerlid heeft hij vele islamgerelateerde moties ingediend, waaronder over het sluiten van moskeeen, het verwijderen van de Koran uit het parlement en het bannen van de islam uit Nederland.
Om deze gedachten en opvattingen kracht bij te zetten, is hij - als christen - een kritisch boek over de islam gaan schrijven. Gedurende het schrijven, stuitte hij echter op steeds meer zaken die zijn visie op de islam deden wankelen. In dit boek beschrijft Joram deze persoonlijke en theologische reis en de ontwikkeling die hij heeft doorgemaakt.
Gedurende deze reis passeren vragen de revue als: bestaat God uberhaupt? Is de God van de Koran dezelfde als die van de bijbel? Leert de islam ongelovigen te haten en vrouwen te onderdrukken? Hoe is het negatieve beeld over de islam bij Joram ontstaan? Met welke emotionele en sociale worstelingen heeft hij te maken gehad? En waar heeft deze reis hem uiteindelijk gebracht?
Een must read, voor moslims en niet-moslims.
Om deze gedachten en opvattingen kracht bij te zetten, is hij - als christen - een kritisch boek over de islam gaan schrijven. Gedurende het schrijven, stuitte hij echter op steeds meer zaken die zijn visie op de islam deden wankelen. In dit boek beschrijft Joram deze persoonlijke en theologische reis en de ontwikkeling die hij heeft doorgemaakt.
Gedurende deze reis passeren vragen de revue als: bestaat God uberhaupt? Is de God van de Koran dezelfde als die van de bijbel? Leert de islam ongelovigen te haten en vrouwen te onderdrukken? Hoe is het negatieve beeld over de islam bij Joram ontstaan? Met welke emotionele en sociale worstelingen heeft hij te maken gehad? En waar heeft deze reis hem uiteindelijk gebracht?
Een must read, voor moslims en niet-moslims.
200 pages, Paperback
First published January 31, 2019
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January 15, 2020
My review is also posted on Amazon:
Mr. Joram van Klaveren was the “Crown Prince of Wilders,” the founder of the mis-named Party for Freedom – dedicated to ridding the Netherlands of immigrants and Muslims in particular. Mr. van Klaveren was elected to Parliament and introduced legislation to ban the Quran, stop the building of mosques, and more. Then he converted to Islam.
How does one become a professional Islamophobe? How are people like Geert Wilders and Joram van Klavern created? Men who are educated and intelligent enough to think their way past superficial biases, or even deep biases, and who would be expected to be capable of complex analysis. Can we really just explain them by saying “racists!” or “haters gonna hate”? Joram explains that the horrific violence carried out by terrorists in the name of Islam is often rationalized by Wahhabist ideology – too often the only ideology discussed in Western Muslim circles as a result of the massive petro-dollars supporting it. “… with the result that “my perception of Islam as a religion of violence and exclusion was confirmed and deepened by the community’s own explanation.” In this way, the Muslim community becomes one of their own enemies. Shall we blame moderate Muslims for being absent from the discussion? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe educated Muslims should have engaged in more outreach to the Western communities that welcomed them to their lands, rather than socially wall themselves off from their new countries, creating the perception that they did not want to integrate after all. But it’s hard to be compete against the billions of dollars spent by organized Saudi Wahhabist proselytizers promoting their interpretation of Islam around the world. And every time we in the West fill up our gas tank, we help the Wahhabist cause; not to mention our governments propping up the Wahhabist Saudi government. There is plenty blame to go around. But here we are, with some Muslims employing violence with twisted religious motivations, and some Westerners who have made opposing all of Islam as their life’s goal.
Thankfully, God opens hearts.
Although Mr. van Klaveren started his book with the goal of summarizing the religious basis supporting violent Jihad, he ended up writing a very different book – a small encyclopedia of sorts, listing the twisted rationales Jihadist use to “justify” their crimes and exposing the actual Islamic interpretation that condemns these crimes. Consider some of the chapter sub-titles: “Legitimatizing violence and terror;” “Violence against women;” “Does Islam Teach Hatred of Jews?” Throughout his book, it is delightful for me as a Muslim to see how he aligns terrorist rationales alongside Islamophobic interpretations of Islam – a perfect alignment. Both approach Islam in exactly the same way – with harsh, merciless interpretations of Islamic scriptures.
But along the way, his thinking changed. “I began to see Islam as a positive worldview that did not diametrically oppose ‘my’ Western values and ideas, but ironically enough often formed a historical foundation for them.”
Crucial to the new interpretation he formed of Islam were three Muslim Shaykhs: Muhammad Al-Yaqoubi, Abdal Hakim Murad, and Hamaz Yusef. Shaykh Al-Yaqoubi is a high ranking, erudite Islamic scholar who is also a direct descendant of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him); and Shaykhs Abdal Hakim Murad and Hamza Yusef are founders of Muslim colleges in England and America, respectively. Joram was blessed with Muslim teachers of extraordinary quality. Mr. van Klaveren writes of “great thinkers” who have provided humanity with a rational basis for the existence of God: “…Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Meister Eckhart, Maimonides, al-Ghazali, Ibn Rushd. However there are also contemporary thinkers such as Al-Yaqoubi, William Craig, Abdal Hakim Murad, Alvin Plantinga, and Hamza Yusef.” That he places these three Shaykhs alongside minds like Augustine, Aquinas and al-Ghazali indicated how profoundly they shook his intellectual and spiritual world.
That Joram quotes from Shaykh Al-Yaqoubi’s book Refuting Isis multiple times is an indication of how powerfully the Shaykh repudiates all of the terror group’s Islamic claims to legitimacy. The Parliamentarian who’s goal was to eradicate Islam from Europe says: “I came to regard Islam as a completion of the monotheistic revelations.” Wow, what a turn-around.
Early in the book, Joram asks “who was Muhammad?” Near the end of his book he says “I would like to conclude my personal quest with the following additional to this observation by Kung: Muhammad indeed acted as a Prophet, because he is a Prophet.” As a result of his research, and through much dialogue with Shaykhs A-Yaqoubi, Abdal Hakim Murad and Hamza Yusef, Joram’s understanding of him (pbuh) changed. He summarizes his new thoughts by concluding that a distorted image of Muhammad (pbuh) in the West is the result of three factors: Wahhabi theology, the classical Christian view that Islam is a heretical religion and contemporary “Islam-fearers” (Islamophobes). This is a powerfully toxic mix but one that is cured by seeking truth sincerely. Sincerity is powerful medicine indeed – in the forward to Mr. van Klaveren’s book, Shaykh Hamza Yusef credits Joram’s sincerity in seeking truth with eventually leading him to Truth (capital T), even though he set out (sincerely) to write the final word on the evils of Islam.
Personally I have much admiration for Joram van Klaveren. How can one not? It takes immense courage to make a 180-degree turn publicly. One can only do that if one has real, genuine faith in God. And genuine humility. I was privileged to hear him speak at the Reviving the Islamic Spirit Convention in Toronto, Canada in 2019, and in fact, that’s how I first learned of him. It was touching to hear him talk about telling his family of his conversion to Islam and that telling his grandfather, the family patriarch, was hardest. And his grandfather accepted his conversion! God opens hearts.
This book is a “must read” for those, Muslim or otherwise, who seek to understand current events, comparative religion (as a former Christian theology student, he devotes a large portion of the book comparing and contrasting Christian and Islamic metaphysics), or answers to the question of “where are the moderate Muslims?” (Answer: Wahhabi Salafist are out-spending us and corporate media love sensationalism; rationalism is rarely sensational). It is also an inspirational book about one man’s personal spiritual journey. His conversion will be in the history books as one of the pivotal events in the “clash of cultures” playing out across the globe in our era.
Mr. Joram van Klaveren was the “Crown Prince of Wilders,” the founder of the mis-named Party for Freedom – dedicated to ridding the Netherlands of immigrants and Muslims in particular. Mr. van Klaveren was elected to Parliament and introduced legislation to ban the Quran, stop the building of mosques, and more. Then he converted to Islam.
How does one become a professional Islamophobe? How are people like Geert Wilders and Joram van Klavern created? Men who are educated and intelligent enough to think their way past superficial biases, or even deep biases, and who would be expected to be capable of complex analysis. Can we really just explain them by saying “racists!” or “haters gonna hate”? Joram explains that the horrific violence carried out by terrorists in the name of Islam is often rationalized by Wahhabist ideology – too often the only ideology discussed in Western Muslim circles as a result of the massive petro-dollars supporting it. “… with the result that “my perception of Islam as a religion of violence and exclusion was confirmed and deepened by the community’s own explanation.” In this way, the Muslim community becomes one of their own enemies. Shall we blame moderate Muslims for being absent from the discussion? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe educated Muslims should have engaged in more outreach to the Western communities that welcomed them to their lands, rather than socially wall themselves off from their new countries, creating the perception that they did not want to integrate after all. But it’s hard to be compete against the billions of dollars spent by organized Saudi Wahhabist proselytizers promoting their interpretation of Islam around the world. And every time we in the West fill up our gas tank, we help the Wahhabist cause; not to mention our governments propping up the Wahhabist Saudi government. There is plenty blame to go around. But here we are, with some Muslims employing violence with twisted religious motivations, and some Westerners who have made opposing all of Islam as their life’s goal.
Thankfully, God opens hearts.
Although Mr. van Klaveren started his book with the goal of summarizing the religious basis supporting violent Jihad, he ended up writing a very different book – a small encyclopedia of sorts, listing the twisted rationales Jihadist use to “justify” their crimes and exposing the actual Islamic interpretation that condemns these crimes. Consider some of the chapter sub-titles: “Legitimatizing violence and terror;” “Violence against women;” “Does Islam Teach Hatred of Jews?” Throughout his book, it is delightful for me as a Muslim to see how he aligns terrorist rationales alongside Islamophobic interpretations of Islam – a perfect alignment. Both approach Islam in exactly the same way – with harsh, merciless interpretations of Islamic scriptures.
But along the way, his thinking changed. “I began to see Islam as a positive worldview that did not diametrically oppose ‘my’ Western values and ideas, but ironically enough often formed a historical foundation for them.”
Crucial to the new interpretation he formed of Islam were three Muslim Shaykhs: Muhammad Al-Yaqoubi, Abdal Hakim Murad, and Hamaz Yusef. Shaykh Al-Yaqoubi is a high ranking, erudite Islamic scholar who is also a direct descendant of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him); and Shaykhs Abdal Hakim Murad and Hamza Yusef are founders of Muslim colleges in England and America, respectively. Joram was blessed with Muslim teachers of extraordinary quality. Mr. van Klaveren writes of “great thinkers” who have provided humanity with a rational basis for the existence of God: “…Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Meister Eckhart, Maimonides, al-Ghazali, Ibn Rushd. However there are also contemporary thinkers such as Al-Yaqoubi, William Craig, Abdal Hakim Murad, Alvin Plantinga, and Hamza Yusef.” That he places these three Shaykhs alongside minds like Augustine, Aquinas and al-Ghazali indicated how profoundly they shook his intellectual and spiritual world.
That Joram quotes from Shaykh Al-Yaqoubi’s book Refuting Isis multiple times is an indication of how powerfully the Shaykh repudiates all of the terror group’s Islamic claims to legitimacy. The Parliamentarian who’s goal was to eradicate Islam from Europe says: “I came to regard Islam as a completion of the monotheistic revelations.” Wow, what a turn-around.
Early in the book, Joram asks “who was Muhammad?” Near the end of his book he says “I would like to conclude my personal quest with the following additional to this observation by Kung: Muhammad indeed acted as a Prophet, because he is a Prophet.” As a result of his research, and through much dialogue with Shaykhs A-Yaqoubi, Abdal Hakim Murad and Hamza Yusef, Joram’s understanding of him (pbuh) changed. He summarizes his new thoughts by concluding that a distorted image of Muhammad (pbuh) in the West is the result of three factors: Wahhabi theology, the classical Christian view that Islam is a heretical religion and contemporary “Islam-fearers” (Islamophobes). This is a powerfully toxic mix but one that is cured by seeking truth sincerely. Sincerity is powerful medicine indeed – in the forward to Mr. van Klaveren’s book, Shaykh Hamza Yusef credits Joram’s sincerity in seeking truth with eventually leading him to Truth (capital T), even though he set out (sincerely) to write the final word on the evils of Islam.
Personally I have much admiration for Joram van Klaveren. How can one not? It takes immense courage to make a 180-degree turn publicly. One can only do that if one has real, genuine faith in God. And genuine humility. I was privileged to hear him speak at the Reviving the Islamic Spirit Convention in Toronto, Canada in 2019, and in fact, that’s how I first learned of him. It was touching to hear him talk about telling his family of his conversion to Islam and that telling his grandfather, the family patriarch, was hardest. And his grandfather accepted his conversion! God opens hearts.
This book is a “must read” for those, Muslim or otherwise, who seek to understand current events, comparative religion (as a former Christian theology student, he devotes a large portion of the book comparing and contrasting Christian and Islamic metaphysics), or answers to the question of “where are the moderate Muslims?” (Answer: Wahhabi Salafist are out-spending us and corporate media love sensationalism; rationalism is rarely sensational). It is also an inspirational book about one man’s personal spiritual journey. His conversion will be in the history books as one of the pivotal events in the “clash of cultures” playing out across the globe in our era.
June 4, 2020
What a fascinating read this was for me. Definitely warrants another round for better understanding (because it can get theologically heavy in some parts) but that didn’t deter, instead it spurned me on. Almost everything in the book was brain fodder - his Christian roots and extremely negative perspectives towards Islam, Judaism, atheism, his explanations of the triune of God in Christianity, naturalists, etc. An added plus for me was being able get insight into how those who throughout the 2 millennia were opposed to Islam, formulated their thoughts and reasonings in that regard.
And then in the modern day context when Islam is perhaps most misrepresented (including by those who claim to be Muslims but who in fact do everything against the tenets of Islam), - what better way to understand the reasons behind Islamophobia than to hear it from the staunch Islamophobe himself who was on a major quest to denounce and debunk Islam, and how all that ironically instead brought him to embrace the faith in the end.
In his journey, he tackled all the hard questions - Islam & terrorism, violence against women, was Jesus crucified, Prophet Muhammad’s marriage to Aisha, apostasy, is Christianity anti-Semitic, the Prophet’s relationship with the Jews .. so many big questions with full-bodied answers unlike I have ever read elsewhere. Such emotionally sensitive topics but delivered rationally with objectivity and calm.
I learned a great deal from this book, especially since the writer is armed with a degree in religious studies and was a practising orthodox Protestant, and so many aspects about Christianity that always intrigued me were also addressed. His comparative discussions between Christianity and Islam - such an engaging read. So do give this book a go if this kind of thing fascinates you too. 😊
He did however, erroneously refer to & single out Malaysia’s age for marriage as 21, which clearly isn’t the case, unless the law in this country has been amended in that regard, but I highly doubt so.
And then in the modern day context when Islam is perhaps most misrepresented (including by those who claim to be Muslims but who in fact do everything against the tenets of Islam), - what better way to understand the reasons behind Islamophobia than to hear it from the staunch Islamophobe himself who was on a major quest to denounce and debunk Islam, and how all that ironically instead brought him to embrace the faith in the end.
In his journey, he tackled all the hard questions - Islam & terrorism, violence against women, was Jesus crucified, Prophet Muhammad’s marriage to Aisha, apostasy, is Christianity anti-Semitic, the Prophet’s relationship with the Jews .. so many big questions with full-bodied answers unlike I have ever read elsewhere. Such emotionally sensitive topics but delivered rationally with objectivity and calm.
I learned a great deal from this book, especially since the writer is armed with a degree in religious studies and was a practising orthodox Protestant, and so many aspects about Christianity that always intrigued me were also addressed. His comparative discussions between Christianity and Islam - such an engaging read. So do give this book a go if this kind of thing fascinates you too. 😊
He did however, erroneously refer to & single out Malaysia’s age for marriage as 21, which clearly isn’t the case, unless the law in this country has been amended in that regard, but I highly doubt so.
January 24, 2021
This book is a very interesting case. I always thought that in this age, a post-modern age, where we are always bombarded with information that atheism is the most rational world view, the most likely change, if a person want to change his faith, is toward non-faith. But Joram case disprove this fact, and Hamza Yusuf in the introduction dispelled the often repeated word of Nietzsche that "God is dead", indeed He is still alive in the faith of billions of people.
The book is not much of a memoir, Joram touch only occasionally on his life. He discussed in detail theological questions especially Christian doctrines such as the Triune God, blood sacrifice, that have been bothering him since he was young. He also discussed (this I benefit very much from) various charges that been used to discredit Islam, including terrorism, anti-semitism, and also oppression of women.
So in short I think the book discussed more on theological question, its not really a memoir. The book is very readable, a good read indeed, the language is plain and easy to understand. There is also glossary in the end to help you if you are not familiar with the term used.
The book is not much of a memoir, Joram touch only occasionally on his life. He discussed in detail theological questions especially Christian doctrines such as the Triune God, blood sacrifice, that have been bothering him since he was young. He also discussed (this I benefit very much from) various charges that been used to discredit Islam, including terrorism, anti-semitism, and also oppression of women.
So in short I think the book discussed more on theological question, its not really a memoir. The book is very readable, a good read indeed, the language is plain and easy to understand. There is also glossary in the end to help you if you are not familiar with the term used.
April 5, 2022
Erg interessant, mooi en goed beschreven. Ikzelf ben ook bekeerd en kom uit een christelijk gezin (moeder katholiek en ging vroeger regelmatig naar de kerk). Ik heb dus ook dat meegekregen vanuit huis. Nog interessanter is dat hij eigenlijk een kritisch boek over de islam wilde schrijven - en zich vervolgens bekeerd tot de islam.
In het begin was het moeilijk inkomen, na een aantal hoofdstukken zat ik er lekker in. Zeker een aanrader voor moslims, maar ook voor mensen die wel geloven in God maar zich niet toerekenen tot een geloof.
In het begin was het moeilijk inkomen, na een aantal hoofdstukken zat ik er lekker in. Zeker een aanrader voor moslims, maar ook voor mensen die wel geloven in God maar zich niet toerekenen tot een geloof.
February 22, 2021
Interessante kijk op de islam, maar nog te weinig uitgediept. Als doelredenatie komt het op mij over. Daarnaast had ik ook meer over zijn persoonlijke verhaal willen weten.
December 22, 2021
The sincerity in searching for truth lead author to read, listen and talk to Muslim scholars, to write an accurate critic on the bad islam, if you are honest and sincere in writing about a subject you must involve the subject matter experts if you are not one of them, building your view about Islam using outsiders sources (either extremists or christian critics whose knowledge are blurred, personal, lacking proper sources and biased) is not true and not sincere.
One of the best books I've ever read, the details, accuracy and effort exerted in searching for the truth are amazing.
One of the best books I've ever read, the details, accuracy and effort exerted in searching for the truth are amazing.
March 4, 2019
Het boek begint wat taai, maar komt vanaf het vierde hoofdstuk goed op gang. (Voor)oordelen over de islam worden sterk beredeneerd weerlegd. Het boek is geschreven vanuit de ratio: logische argumenten, it makes sense. Voor moslims een opfrisser over hoe het ook al weer zat met heikele kwesties, en voor niet-moslims biedt het een makkelijk volgbaar nieuw licht op diezelfde heikele kwesties.
June 2, 2025
Dr. Zaini Ujang once mentioned that he read 100 books just to write one — and he has written more than 50 books 😳
Joram van Klaveren, once dubbed “the crown prince of Wilders,” was a former member of the Dutch Parliament whose political mission was to ban Islam from the Netherlands. With a background in Religious Studies, he was openly hostile toward Islam, largely shaped by events involving Islamic extremism.
After leaving Parliament (though still active in politics), he decided to write a book on the “darker sides” of Islam. Like any intelligent and rational person, he began by studying Islam seriously — including topics like the oppression of women, violence, antisemitism, Wahhabi ideology, and the Qur’an itself.
But the more he read, the more uncomfortable he became — not with Islam, but with the gaps in his own Christian beliefs. The hidayah (divine guidance) granted to him by Allah slowly shifted the direction of his research. He could no longer object to the Prophet Muhammad or the core message of tawhid (the oneness of God).
In the end, the book that was meant to criticise Islam became the very book that explained and defended it — answering many of the misconceptions held by secular and Western critics. His journey through the Qur’an, tafsir, prophetic biographies, Islamic literature, and even critical perspectives led him to embrace Islam fully.
He finally admitted defeat to his inner struggle and took the shahadah. He left Christianity behind.
Joram van Klaveren, once dubbed “the crown prince of Wilders,” was a former member of the Dutch Parliament whose political mission was to ban Islam from the Netherlands. With a background in Religious Studies, he was openly hostile toward Islam, largely shaped by events involving Islamic extremism.
After leaving Parliament (though still active in politics), he decided to write a book on the “darker sides” of Islam. Like any intelligent and rational person, he began by studying Islam seriously — including topics like the oppression of women, violence, antisemitism, Wahhabi ideology, and the Qur’an itself.
But the more he read, the more uncomfortable he became — not with Islam, but with the gaps in his own Christian beliefs. The hidayah (divine guidance) granted to him by Allah slowly shifted the direction of his research. He could no longer object to the Prophet Muhammad or the core message of tawhid (the oneness of God).
In the end, the book that was meant to criticise Islam became the very book that explained and defended it — answering many of the misconceptions held by secular and Western critics. His journey through the Qur’an, tafsir, prophetic biographies, Islamic literature, and even critical perspectives led him to embrace Islam fully.
He finally admitted defeat to his inner struggle and took the shahadah. He left Christianity behind.
May 29, 2023
Not quite an easy read. Took some time to finish it. Some parts were way too academic for my comprehension, but others were eye opening. A good read, nonetheless.
August 16, 2022
I would highly recommend reading it, it's very well written and quite thorough.
Joram begins with explaining the challenges Islam faces. Mainly that in the west (or rather Europe) the extremist Salafists sects are the ones that fund the local mosques and thus dictate what is being preached as well as being funded by Saudi Arabia chiefly.
This in turn makes it harder for the traditional Muslims to spread the knowledge of Islam (the main four schools are Hanafi, Malaki, Shafi, Hanbali) and it, in turn fosters dislike amongst the Europeans when they're exposed to the Salafists.
van Klaveren then goes in to greater detail to explain his own hatred of Islam, and since he's a Christian theologist, saw it as something that was completely opposed to western society. He joined Geert Wilders party and wrote numerous legislative proposals against Islam, mosques, the Quran, etc.
After deciding that it was time to write a book damning Islam completely, he being a thorough man, and sincere in gaining knowledge spread his wings out, and instead of just consuming anti-Islam literature which he deemed lacking, contacted Muslim scholars, and was exposed to something new.
The book goes in to detail about the concept of God in general (first mover principle), then the Islamic view of God, the correlation between Christianity and Islam, the prophet in the Bible, the controversies that anti-Muslims often cites and the actual contextual background to the verses of the Quran and the Hadiths that they use to further their agenda, and how even the Salafists misuse verses and texts.
And while the book mentions say the crimes Christians did against Jews, he also points out the crimes that has happened towards Christians and Jews from Muslim rulers.
Which [the heinous actions] contradicts the messages from the Quran and the Hadiths and Sunnah.
Joram begins with explaining the challenges Islam faces. Mainly that in the west (or rather Europe) the extremist Salafists sects are the ones that fund the local mosques and thus dictate what is being preached as well as being funded by Saudi Arabia chiefly.
This in turn makes it harder for the traditional Muslims to spread the knowledge of Islam (the main four schools are Hanafi, Malaki, Shafi, Hanbali) and it, in turn fosters dislike amongst the Europeans when they're exposed to the Salafists.
van Klaveren then goes in to greater detail to explain his own hatred of Islam, and since he's a Christian theologist, saw it as something that was completely opposed to western society. He joined Geert Wilders party and wrote numerous legislative proposals against Islam, mosques, the Quran, etc.
After deciding that it was time to write a book damning Islam completely, he being a thorough man, and sincere in gaining knowledge spread his wings out, and instead of just consuming anti-Islam literature which he deemed lacking, contacted Muslim scholars, and was exposed to something new.
The book goes in to detail about the concept of God in general (first mover principle), then the Islamic view of God, the correlation between Christianity and Islam, the prophet in the Bible, the controversies that anti-Muslims often cites and the actual contextual background to the verses of the Quran and the Hadiths that they use to further their agenda, and how even the Salafists misuse verses and texts.
And while the book mentions say the crimes Christians did against Jews, he also points out the crimes that has happened towards Christians and Jews from Muslim rulers.
Which [the heinous actions] contradicts the messages from the Quran and the Hadiths and Sunnah.
January 4, 2021
This book is quite easy to read. I love how he systematically peeled off all the layers of hatred and misunderstanding, which developed into comprehension, conviction, and finally, conversion.
I could now see why is it that the West (some of them) hated Islam so much. Part of the reaso is what the Muslims living there have been doing (for eample honor killings and mass murder - AGAINST Islamic teachings!), and it does not help with the preconceived perception on this religion that has been spread since a few hundred years ago.
The book sounded very technical from the beginning, but the end was somewhat beautiful, I did not expect to shed a few tears because of this book!
“As I have mentioned several times in this book, this quest contains a strong rational component. Nevertheless, the heart and its influence on reason cannot be underestimated.”
I could now see why is it that the West (some of them) hated Islam so much. Part of the reaso is what the Muslims living there have been doing (for eample honor killings and mass murder - AGAINST Islamic teachings!), and it does not help with the preconceived perception on this religion that has been spread since a few hundred years ago.
The book sounded very technical from the beginning, but the end was somewhat beautiful, I did not expect to shed a few tears because of this book!
“As I have mentioned several times in this book, this quest contains a strong rational component. Nevertheless, the heart and its influence on reason cannot be underestimated.”
June 8, 2025
3.5*
Het boek was niet geheel wat ik ervan verwacht had. Ik was zeer benieuwd naar welke weg de schrijver bewandeld had om van een rechts politicus moslim te worden. Ik had dus een heel persoonlijk verhaal verwacht. Dit is echter een enorm theoretisch boek met heel weinig inkijk in de persoonlijke gevoelswereld van de schrijver. Het leek bijna alsof ik een universitair handboek aan het lezen was. Desalniettemin haalt hij daardoor wel interessante en leerrijke zaken aan over o.a. de positie van de vrouw in de islam en antisemitisme.
Het boek was niet geheel wat ik ervan verwacht had. Ik was zeer benieuwd naar welke weg de schrijver bewandeld had om van een rechts politicus moslim te worden. Ik had dus een heel persoonlijk verhaal verwacht. Dit is echter een enorm theoretisch boek met heel weinig inkijk in de persoonlijke gevoelswereld van de schrijver. Het leek bijna alsof ik een universitair handboek aan het lezen was. Desalniettemin haalt hij daardoor wel interessante en leerrijke zaken aan over o.a. de positie van de vrouw in de islam en antisemitisme.
January 12, 2022
In this book Joram van Klaveren describes his journey from Christianity and the far-right to Islam and discusses the topics he struggled with for all those years. When he began writing the book several years ago, it was supposed to become a criticism of Islam but as God wills Things turned out quite differently. A must read for Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
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November 6, 2022
super mooi geschreven met alle benodigde (!) nuances. Joram heeft alles heel helder beschreven en is objectief gebleven in zijn manier van onderzoeken wat dit verhaal zo bijzonder maakt. ik vond het wel wat jammer dat ik minder van zijn persoonlijke verhaal heb kunnen lezen, maar dat zal vast zijn redenen hebben. zoals de flaptekst zegt: een must read voor moslims en niet-moslims
December 27, 2025
(3.5)
I ordered this with more interest in the author’s personal transformation (and I can guess most readers will have wanted insight into). Some personal reflection appears across the chapters, but it is mainly an argumentative work that ends up reading a bit superficially in terms of theological depth. Easy to follow but not so stimulating without moving back to the source texts.
I ordered this with more interest in the author’s personal transformation (and I can guess most readers will have wanted insight into). Some personal reflection appears across the chapters, but it is mainly an argumentative work that ends up reading a bit superficially in terms of theological depth. Easy to follow but not so stimulating without moving back to the source texts.
February 17, 2021
Dit is een zeer goed boek.
Broeder Joram geeft antwoord op vele misverstanden over de islam en wat de oorzaken hiervan zijn.
Broeder Joram geeft antwoord op vele misverstanden over de islam en wat de oorzaken hiervan zijn.
April 27, 2021
Beautiful.
وَوَجَدَكَ ضَاۤلࣰّا فَهَدَىٰ
(Ad-Dhuhaa, Ayah 7)
وَوَجَدَكَ ضَاۤلࣰّا فَهَدَىٰ
(Ad-Dhuhaa, Ayah 7)
July 21, 2022
Deep introspective reflection on a transformation from ignorance to knowledge
November 22, 2022
4.5/5 ⭐️
July 4, 2023
SubhanAllah
October 30, 2023
Goed geschreven!
September 27, 2024
An enormously fascinating story and a great example of how gaining knowledge can enlighten someone tremendously.
May 9, 2025
Covers such important topics so beautifully. May Allah bless him and his loved ones. Ameen
September 20, 2025
Overall a decent book, though Chapters 7 and 8 (“Controversial Matters I & II”) could have been clearer.
October 28, 2025
A book every Muslim and non-Muslim should read إن شاء الله
November 8, 2025
Amazing and inspiring story about him search for the truth.
June 6, 2020
An honest write up from an objective person. He systemically knew what bothered him about Islam and objectively analyzed from all sources to make comparison from the faith he was in before (albeit with doubt and sceptism) to the new faith he was discovering.
Ultimately, Allah gives guidance to the ones He wish.
Good read and recommended for Muslim and non-Muslim alike who want to know objectively about basic tenets of Islam and some controversial issues related to Islam and Muslims.
Ultimately, Allah gives guidance to the ones He wish.
Good read and recommended for Muslim and non-Muslim alike who want to know objectively about basic tenets of Islam and some controversial issues related to Islam and Muslims.
March 4, 2020
Van extreemrechts (pvv) naar moslim. Zeer interessant om te lezen. Ik denk dat iedereen (moslim / niet moslim) wel iets kan leren of meer te weten kan komen over de islam uit dit boek. In het begin vond ik sommige analyses wel kortaf, maar het leest desondanks makkelijk weg.
April 16, 2020
Echt een boek voor niet moslims om islam meer te begrijpen vanuit een persoon zoals Joram van Klaveren was maar helaas voor mij was het niet zo een heel interessant boek.
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