Arnoud van Doorn, a former member of the extreme right Party for Freedom in Holland known for its hostility to Islam, has become a Muslim.
Arnoud van Doorn, a colleague of Geert Wilders, known as a racist and anti-Islamic politician, announced his conversion to Islam on Twitter, saying he had made a new beginning in his life. Van Doorn also shared the information that he had made the expression of faith.
In an interview with al-Jazeera, Van Doorn said; “I can understand people are skeptic, especially that it is unexpected for many of them. In my own close circle people have known that I have been actively researching the Qur’an, 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.”
Van Doorn went on to say that at first he had no thought of becoming a Muslim and merely investigated it out of curiosity. He said, during the process he had developed a warm bond with Islam and realized that Islam was not negative, as the Western media and politicians portrayed it. He saw that Islam was a religion of peace and brotherhood and that it answered all the questions in his mind. In the end of this process which took a year he recited the kalima shahadah of his own will and became a Muslim.
Van Doorn emphasized he had received support from a lot of people, and went on; “I have made mistakes in life as many others. From these mistakes I have learned a lot. And by my conversion to 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 ant to guide me through these moments.”
