Background
At age three, he and mother and siblings settle in Zwijndrecht, Netherlands, where his father worked.
columnist journalist writer poet
At age three, he and mother and siblings settle in Zwijndrecht, Netherlands, where his father worked.
Leiden University.
He is the third child in a family of five. Meanwhile, he joined the Labour Party. He started his journalism career working for De Volkskrant and also published in National Research Council Handelsblad, De Groene Amsterdammer and Vrij Nederland.
He later published two books, Abou Jahjah: Nieuwlichter of Oplichter.
De demonisering van een politiek rebel in 2004 and Osama"s Grot, Allah, Holland en ik, a compilation of his columns, articles and essays from 2001 until 2005, the year of publication. The jury writes. "His observations and feelings that come to him are both socially and general and personal and intimate.
He received the Associate of Science in Nursing Media Prize in 1999 and the Silver Zebra in 2001 for insights in a "society in motion". In that same year he also won the Peace Prize for Journalism. In March 2014 he won the E. du Perron Price with his non-fictional novel Yemma, about his mother. He makes his documentary a literary achievement of the first order.
He graduated from high school at vwo level and studied sociology at Leiden University and later political science and moved to Rotterdam to finish his master. In 2008 his "Stinkende Heelmeesters" was published, a compilation of essays, reviews, columns and reports from 2001-2008.