Ankara – Far-right Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders, a vocal enemy of Islam, is "unwelcome" in Turkey, a foreign ministry spokesman said Tuesday following reports that the controversial politician plans to visit the mainly Muslim country.

"We reject the racist views of this person.... He is unwelcome in many European countries as well," spokesman Burak Ozugergin told AFP.

Wilders, who leads the Party for Freedom, reportedly plans to join a delegation of Dutch parliamentarians expected to visit Turkey in January.

Arguing that Europe is under the threat of Islamisation, he has compared the Koran to Adolf Hitler's book Mein Kampf, called for the Koran to be banned and described Islamic culture as "retarded".

Fiercely opposed to Turkey's European Union membership bid, he has likened the country to a Trojan horse whose accession would prompt more Muslims to immigrate to Europe.

"We have very good ties with the Netherlands. We worry that this person's inclusion in the Dutch delegation will cast a negative light on the whole visit, which, we believe, will be unfair to the Netherlands," Ozugergin said.

A government official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said Wilders' views "are bordering on fascism" and added: "I wonder whether he will find anybody to meet with here if he comes."

de Volkskrant reported that Turkish ministers and MPs will refuse to meet the entire delegation if Wilders is among them.

Popular Turkish daily Aksam was the first to report the news on Tuesday: “Tension over Mozart”, the paper’s headline read, apparently referring to the Freedom Party leader’s exotic hairdo.

de Volkskrant wrote that the Turkish government is now embarrassed by the situation as they realised refusing to meet Wilders would allow the controversial politician to accuse Turkey of being undemocratic and unable to take criticism. However, the government fears a media hype would stir up emotions among its Islamist supporters.

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