Ehsan Jami was born on April 20, 1985 in Mashhad, Iran and was raised there. His father is a doctor. His mother converted, later in her life, to Christianity. As son of a doctor, Jami enjoyed substantial privileges in the Islamic Republic of Iran and he was, for example, excused from studying the Qur'an. In an interview, Jami stated: "My grandparents were Muslim, but my father was non-religious and allowed me to find my own truth." Yet in a different interview, he described his father as Muslim. Political engagement by Jami's father forced the family to leave the country. Together with his parents and his older sister, the then nine year old Jami arrived in the Netherlands in 1994, later obtaining the Dutch nationality.
Career
Jami studied Management Science for one and a half year in the Netherlands and joined the Labour party as member in 2003. He was elected into the city council of Leidschendam-Voorburg in the local elections of March 2006.
After 9/11 in 2001, Jami started reading the Qur'an and Hadith, after which he decided he didn't identify with either. Jami criticized Prophet Muhammad, describing him as a "criminal" Together with Loubna Berrada (founder of the Advisory Committee for Integration, part of the right-wing Liberal party), Jami founded the Central Committee for Ex-Muslims in 2007. The organisation, supported by Afshin Ellian, aims to support apostates of Islam. Berrada left the committee shortly after it was founded because she felt Jami challenged Islam itself too much, saying: "I don't wish to confront Islam itself. I only want to spread the message that Muslims should be allowed to leave Islam behind without being threatened"
On 4 August 2007, Jami was attacked in his hometown Voorburg by three men. The attack is widely believed to be linked to his activities for the committee. The national anti-terrorism coordinator's office, the public prosecution department and the police decided during a meeting on 6 August that "additional measures" were necessary for the protection of Jami who has subsequently received extra security.
In September 2007, he penned an op-ed together with PVV politician Geert Wilders for the Dutch daily Volkskrant, likening the threat of Islam the rise of Adolf Hitler's National Socialism in the 1930s. It was a response to national terrorist coordinator Tjibbe Joustra's remarks in Algemeen Dagblad, who criticized the tone used by some people in the discussion about Islam.
On October 4, 2007, Jami announced that he is working on a film project due to be released in February 2008 which he feels could be comparable in terms of controversy to the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy.
By:Farhan
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