Many people have been shocked by a recent undercover documentary on Danish television. It revealed how imams, speaking a moderate language when talking to Westerners, have a quite different message for Muslims in the mosque. There, Islam shows its true face: Cruel, barbaric, inhumane.

Just imagine you’re a woman. Danish television showed how a woman, who was complaining to the imam that she was being abused by her husband, was told not go to the police. According to Islam, women are not to complain when they’re beaten up by their husbands, unfaithful wives should be stoned, homosexuals should be thrown from buildings, apostates and infidels deserve death, and democracy must be subordinate to Islamic Sharia law. That's all being proclaimed. Not just in Denmark. But also here, in our own country, in the Netherlands, in the year 2016, as according to a newspaper, will soon be confirmed by a study of Tilburg University.

Islam is a totalitarian ideology. Muslims are its victims. Just imagine you’re a gay person in a Muslim family. Just imagine you’re a Muslim girl wanting to marry a non-Muslim. Just imagine being a Muslim wanting to convert to Christianity or any other religion or becoming an atheist.

I have traveled the Islamic world extensively when it was still possible for me to do so. I have met many friendly, hospitable and helpful Muslims there. But I also vividly remember the oppressive Islamic culture of fear, oppression and apathy. I’m still reminded of this whenever I receive emails from Muslims, from the Netherlands, but also from Islamic countries, who want to escape the lack of freedom. Or who write to me saying they don’t understand why we are importing the Islamic culture to our own country and allow it to thrive here.

It is in the interest of our own Western civilization, but also in the interest of the Muslims themselves, that we encourage as many Muslims as possible to turn their backs on Islam and become Christians or atheists or whatever. The more Muslims freeing themselves from Islam and the yoke of Muhammad, the better.

“Apostates” are, in fact, people who choose freedom; they deserve encouragement. Because the more Islamic apostates there are, the less misogyny, the less hatred of gays, the less anti-Semitism, the less oppression, the less terror and violence, and the more freedom there will be. Everyone will benefit from this. Ex-Muslims as well as ourselves.

Hence, our message should be very clear: Muslims, leave Islam, opt for freedom, turn your backs to the imams. Free yourself.

Geert Wilders is a member of the Dutch Parliament and leader of the Party for Freedom

This article was originally posted in the ‘Algemeen Dagblad’, one of the biggest daily newspapers in The Netherlands. Click here to read the article on the website of the ‘Algemeen Dagblad’.