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Anti-Muslim protester at 'Draw Mohamed' rally has change of heart after Arizona mosque visit

'When I took a second to actually sit down and listen to them, it was a beautiful thing'

Roisin O'Connor
Thursday 04 June 2015 16:02 BST
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Jason Leger, right, with the organiser of the protest
Jason Leger, right, with the organiser of the protest (Screenshot/Fox10)

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A protester who wore a T-shirt bearing the words "F**k Islam" across the front has reportedly changed his mind about the religion after talking to worshippers.

Jason Leger, from Phoenix, Arizona, attended an anti-Muslim protest outside a mosque, where he was invited to attend a prayer service.

"When I took a second to actually sit down and listen to them, and actually enter their mosque, and go in and watch some of their prayers, it was a beautiful thing, and they answered some of the questions I had," he told Fox10.

Protesters and counter-protesters argue outside the Islamic Community Center in Phoenix, Arizona
Protesters and counter-protesters argue outside the Islamic Community Center in Phoenix, Arizona (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

He insisted he would "not do that again", adding: "I don’t want to offend or hurt those people."

"I feel that me and a few people like my uncle Paul, and the Muslim people, taking the time to talk to each other, feel that we changed the thoughts of some people, and they changed the thoughts of me. Paul specifically said he would not wear that shirt again."

Protesters hold up political cartoons depicting Mohammed as they rally outside the Islamic Community Center
Protesters hold up political cartoons depicting Mohammed as they rally outside the Islamic Community Center (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Leger was one of hundreds of protesters attending the rally, which was organised in response to an attack on an exhibition of cartoons of the Prophet Mohamed.

Two men - at least one of them a self-styled Isis supporter - were shot and killed.

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