Former Liberian President Charles Taylor, on trial at The Hague for international war crimes, has converted to Judaism, according to his wife, Victoria Taylor.  The charges against him include war crimes and crimes against humanity. Under his leadership, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) attempted genocide of the people of Sierra Leone, and were heavily involved in trafficking illegally-mined “blood diamonds”.  Taylor denies any involvement or responsibility.

The primary charge against him is that diamonds mined illegally by rebels in Sierra Leone were exported through Liberia, and that proceeds from their sale was used to arm the rebel army.  The RUF would use terror to scare Sierra Leonean miners away from the diamond fields that yielded up to $125 million per year.  A video of a Sierra Leonean miner was shown in which the man tells how his hands were hacked off by laughing RUF soldiers who then burned down his house, killing his wife and children.  Statistics from before and during the war show that diamond exports from Liberia were much higher during the war, far beyond what that country alone could produce. 

While Taylor evidently admitted that, during the war that raged from 1991-2001, “the borders were very porous”, he also claimed that “he had no control over it.”  He also claims to have no knowledge of the alleged murders, use of child soldiers, sexual slavery, or the RUF’s favored method of brutality: hacking off arms and legs of civilians with machetes.

And now that Mr. Taylor has had time to reflect in jail, after being accused of genocide, he has discovered the Jewish faith.  In an interview on BBC Radio, Victoria Taylor says that her husband has adopted Judaism, and that is all they talked about during her recent visit to The Hague.  She explains that he only discovered the faith after his trial began, saying, “He has decided to become a Jew.  And he wants to follow the true religion according to him.  He wants to know deeply about God.”

There are no atheists in foxholes.

When asked by the BBC’s Peter Ndoro if he believes his new faith will help him in his trial, his wife responded that she has “…seen a lot of transformation in [her] husband, and I know he truly wants to serve God with all his heart, all his mind and all his might.”

However, he is still a believing Christian.  He wants to follow both religions, his wife says. 

Asked by Ndoro if his newfound belief caused him to admit to any wrongdoing, she responded: “I have never raised that question with him.  I have never talked to him about that…We don’t talk in detail concerning that.”

His trial, estimated to last at least 18 months, continues at The Hague.

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