Arnoud Van Doorn (extreme left), former leaderof the Dutch rightist Freedom Party, prays at the
Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah. — Okaz photo
Arnoud van Doorn was among the Dutch
Freedom Party leaders who produced the
blasphemous film, Fitna. Last month he reverted
to Islam after an extensive study about the
religion and the Prophet (peace be upon him).
He was known as a Islamophobe and a former
leading member of far-right Dutch politician
Geert Wilders’ party. May Allah guide us all.
“I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah
and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant
and messenger”
By this phrase the ex-member of Geert Wilders’s
right-wing anti-Islam Freedom Party, Arnoud van
Doorn, declared his conversion to Islam.
Via his account on the famous social networking
site,Twitter, Arnoud announced in Dutch his
‘Nieuwe start’ (New start) as a Muslim. The news
was confirmed in Dutch news as well.
The news is one of the latest breaking in the
Netherlands.
Till the end of 2011, Arnoud van Doorn was a
member of the fiery, far-right, anti-Islam, anti-
immigration Partij voor de Vrijheid (PVV) Dutch
party.
On February 27, 2013, Arnoud posted a tweet in
Arabic declaring his Shahadah (Testimony of
Faith): Ashhadu an-la ilaha illallah, wa ashhadu
anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluhu (I bear
witness that there is no deity but Allah and I
bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and
messenger).
The phrase is known as the First Pillar of Islam
that in order for a person to be a Muslim this
conviction is firstly needed.
At first, other users took the news as a joke.
After all, an active supporter of a notorious
Dutch hater of Islam, Wilders, has repeatedly
approved Islamophobic statements and public
actions, and personally participated in them.
But van Doorn, who now serves as a regional
adviser at the City Hall in The Hague, personally
confirmed his decision to practice Islam in an
official letter to the city Mayor.
Most recently, the politician filed a formal
application to the mayor of the city to allow him
to perform prayers obligatory for Muslims
during his working hours.
The information on conversion of van Doorn to
Islam was confirmed on the official website of
the mosque Al-Yaqeen in The Hague.
“We wish brother Arnoud a good new life as a
Muslim and a lot of strength with the acquisition
of knowledge”, the website says.
Arnoud van Doorn, who until December 2011
was vice-chairman of the PVV group on The
Hague’s city council, announced his “new start”
on Twitter.
The 46-year-old has continued on the council as
an independent candidate since splitting from
Wilders’s party.
Initially Van Doorn was reluctant to discuss his
reasons for converting. But in a later interview
with Al-Jazeera, he explained that his interest in
the religion had gradually deepened after he
began visiting a mosque in his home city out of
curiosity.
He said: “I have heard many negative stories
about the Islam, but I am not a person who
follows opinions of others without doing my
own research and forming my own opinion.
Therefore, I have actually started to deepen my
knowledge of the Islam out of curiosity.
“My colleague Aboe Khoulani from the city
council in The Hague has brought me further
into contact with the as-Soennah mosque, which
has guided me even further. There, I have been
received very warmly and very positively.”
Asked if he now regretted joining the Freedom
Party, he replied: “I have learned that every
experience in life has a purpose. However, with
the knowledge I have today, I would have
undoubtedly made a different choice.”
In January Van Doorn was questioned by
prosecutors about an article in the Hague edition
of the Algemeen Dagblad newspaper based on
confidential papers that he leaked to a
journalist.
The leak was discovered during a wiretapped
phone call while Van Doorn was being
investigated over allegations that he sold soft
drugs to children aged 14 and 15.
Van Doorn said the allegations were the result
of a misunderstanding and that he had been
involved in an undercover operation to unmask
drug dealers in central The Hague. He admitted
he had not properly considered the risks
involved.
The articles concerned plans to sell the World
Forum, an international conference centre in The
Hague, which was discussed during a closed
session of the council.
After accepting Islam, van Doorn gave an
exclusive interview to Qatari English-language TV
channel Al Jazeera, the text of which he
published on his Twitter page:
Q: What would you say to the people who are
sceptic towards your conversion into the Islam?
Van Doorn: I can understand that people are
sceptic, especially since it is unexpected for
many of them. In my own close circle people
have known that I have been actively
researching the Koran, Hadith, Sunnah and other
writings for almost a year now. In addition, I
have had numerous conversations with Muslims
about the religion. This is a very big decision,
which I have not taken lightly.
Q: How did you get in touch with the Islam?
Van Doorn: I have heard many negative stories
about the Islam, but I am not a person who
follows opinions of others without doing my
own research and forming my own opinion.
Therefore, I have actually started to deepen my
knowledge of the Islam out of curiosity. My
colleague Aboe Khoulani from the City Council
in The Hague has brought me further into
contact with the as-Soennah mosque, which has
guided me even further. There, I have been
received very warmly and very positively.
Q: In hindsight, do you have regrets of joining
the PVV (Freedom Party)?
Van Doorn: I have learned that every experience
in life has a purpose. However, with the
knowledge I have today, I would have
undoubtedly made a different choice.
Q: Which reactions have you received regarding
your conversion?
Van Doorn: According to some people I am a
traitor, but according to most others I have
actually made a very good decision. The
reactions are generally positive though. And I
also receive quite some support via twitter. It
feels good that people who do not know me
personally have understanding of my situation
and support me in my choice.
Q: Is there anything else you would like to state?
Van Doorn: I have made mistakes in life as many
others. From these mistakes I have learned a lot.
And by my conversion into the Islam I have the
feeling that I finally found my path. I realize that
this is a new start and that I still have much to
learn as well. The expectation is that I will
continue to face much resistance, also from
certain government institutions. I have all faith in
Allah to support me and to guide me through
these moments.
“The expectation is that I will continue to face
much resistance, also from certain government
institutions,” he said.
“I have all faith in Allah to support me and to
guide me through these moments.”
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