Andrew Tate brings Quran to court hearing on human trafficking charges

AP

Andrew Tate was holding a copy of the Quran as he arrived at court in Romania today.

The social media personality attended the hearing to appeal against a judge’s decision to extend his arrest period to 30 days, on charges of being part of an organised crime group, human trafficking and rape.

The 36-year-old could be seen clutching the religious text while handcuffed to his brother Tristan as they walked into the courthouse in Bucharest this morning.

Andrew Tate, centre, and his brother Tristan, right, are brought by police officers to the Court of Appeal, in Bucharest, Romania (AP)

Tate was detained on December 29 north of the capital Bucharest along with his brother Tristan, who has also been charged. Two Romanian suspects are also in custody.

Tate announced he was converting to Islam in October last year. In a post on Gettr, he said: “This is why I’m Muslim. Any Christian who believes in good and understands the true battle against evil must convert. So be patient, Indeed the promise of Allah is TRUTH” Quran 30:60.”

Prior to his conversion Tate was an Orthodox Christian and would regularly give large sums of money to the church in Romania, where he has been living since 2017.

He previously praised Islam and said it “fixes a lot of the problems that men are currently facing”, and that “Muslims are the only people who will defend their beliefs and refuse to be mocked.”

Tate holding the Quran as he went into court on Tuesday (AP)

He added: “Some of the best countries in the world today are first world Muslim nations. You can go to Qatar, you can fall asleep with a million dollars on your lap in the middle of the street, nothing’s going to happen to you.

“You can go to Saudi, nothing will happen to you, you can go to Dubai, nothing is going to happen to you.”

Tate is appealing against an extension to his period of arrest (AP)

Writing for The Independent, author Hafsa Lodi said some Muslim men have begun to follow the social media influencer since his conversion but they are ignorant of his “anti-women sentiments”.

Ms Lodi said the interpretation of Islam that Tate subscribes to “is not the one that I strive to practise and embody.”

”My religion is already heavily scrutinised for its patriarchal interpretations by ultra-conservatives, and the last thing it needed was a very vocal misogynist to declare his allegiance to it,” she added.

“It’s an embarrassment to be honest; something to be swept under the rug, not celebrated or boasted about.”