Heir of Hamas founder revealed as gay and Christian

The grandson of the founder of Hamas is a gay Christian living in New York who believes in the American Dream, it has been revealed.

John Calvin changed his name after fleeing the West Bank and his jihadi grandfather when he was 14.

“I’ve lost count of how many threats there are on my life, and yet I prevail,” Mr Calvin said in an interview earlier this month with CNN Money.

After he heard of plots by his family to kill him – in a so-called “honour killing” - he moved to Canada, where he converted to Christianity and came out as gay.

However, last year, his request for refugee status in Canada was rejected on the grounds that being born into Hamas made him a de facto member of the terrorist group.

He fled to America in the hope of gaining asylum but was detained for seven months. "I decided the best course of action was to come to the US rather than be deported and sent to my death,” he said.

However, luckily for Mr Calvin, an American judge decided to grant him a deferred removal. This means he will not be deported and can apply for work permits. The judge was persuaded following an admission by Mr Calvin’s father in an earlier interview with CNN Money that he “has the right to retaliate against” his son if he returns home.

"He does believe, evidently, that I will be under threat of torture and death, and thus I should be granted protection under the convention against torture," Mr Calvin said of the judge’s decision.

Mr Calvin is now looking forward to a future living the American Dream. "I'd go to law school, become a lawyer and then it gets a little clichéd," he said. "A husband and two kids, and I guess happily ever after."