Leading member of Germany’s far-right AfD converts to Islam, resigns

A long-time leading member of the far-right Alternative for Germany party has resigned his post on its regional leadership after converting to Islam.

The party, known by its German acronym AfD, has campaigned against what it considers the “Islamization” of Germany because of immigration and higher birth rates among the country’s Muslim population.

A spokesman for AfD’s chapter in the eastern state of Brandenburg confirmed Wednesday that Arthur Wagner left the party’s regional board two weeks ago for “personal reasons.”

In an email, spokesman Daniel Friese said it was only after Wagner’s resignation that the party learned of his conversion.

Berlin daily Tagesspiegel reported Wednesday that Wagner, who joined AfD shortly after it was founded in 2013, has in the past been active in a group assisting refugees.

Wagner told Tagesspiegel that his resignation and conversion were his “private business,” but stressed that no one in AfD had attempted to pressure him into resigning.

Capitalizing on the public’s misgivings over the arrival of more than a million asylum seekers since 2015, the AfD won more than 90 seats during September’s elections, triggering a political earthquake in Germany.

Its arrival in the Bundestag has left mainstream parties scrambling on how to deal with its lawmakers — from where they should sit in parliament to which among them should be among vice-chairs at the Bundestag.