- A prominent leader of Germany’s anti-Islam party, AfD, has stepped down from his leadership position
- He stepped down from the position after surprisingly converting to Islam
- Reports said that his interaction with Muslim immigrants in the country might be responsible for his decision
A prominent leader of a German far-right political party known for its strong anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant stance has converted to Islam and stepped down from his leadership role in the party.
Arthur Wagner was a leading member of a state chapter of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, whose slogan “Islam doesn’t belong in Germany” encapsulates its extreme anti-Muslim views.
Arthur Wagner said his decision to convert to Islam is a 'private matter' and declined to comment further. Photo credit: Guardian Uk
The AfD, which is reportedly the third-largest political party in Germany, has tried to ban the construction of mosques in Germany, Vox reports.
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The party had allegedly called on the Germany’s border police to shoot refugees and migrants if necessary to stop them from entering the country.
Wagner himself in the past has reportedly accused German Chancellor Angela Merkel of making a “huge mistake” by allowing so many Muslim refugees into the country.
This made his sudden conversion to Islam and decision to step down from his leadership position surprising.
Wagner has, however, called his decision to convert to Islam “a private matter” and declined to comment further.
Meanwhile, Vox reports that there are speculations that Wagner has been spending his free time doing volunteer work with Muslim immigrants, including providing translation help to Chechen immigrants, since he speaks Russian and is of Russian descent.
The personal interaction with the Muslim immigrants may have influenced his change of decision.
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In its reaction, the AfD said it has no issues with Wagner’s conversion.
“Religion is a private issue. We believe in religious freedom as stated in the constitution,” AfD party spokesperson Daniel Friese said.
NAIJ.com previously reported that a new study by the Pew Research Centre stated that Muslims will be the second-largest religious group in America by 2040 because of higher birth rates.
According to Pew, Islam will pass Judaism as the second biggest religion in the country, behind Christianity, within two decades.
The study shows Muslim population will be more than double in that time period, from 3.45 million in 2017 (1.1 percent of the total population) to 8.09 million in 2050 (2.1 percent of the total population).
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Source: Naija.ng