(Arrahmah.com) – After taking part in producing a blasphemous movie tarnishing the image of Islam, a former colleague of far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders is dedicating his life to spread the true message of Islam and Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him).
“I will spare no efforts to protect the rights of Muslims in all European countries as well as to serve Islam and its followers throughout the world,”Arnoud Van Doorn, a former member of Wilders’ Freedom Party, told Okaz/Saudi Gazette in an interview on Tuesday, April 23.
“I will try my best to repair the damage that I caused to Islam and its Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) through the film ‘Fitna’.”
Doorn has embraced Islam earlier this year after an extensive study into the religion.
As a member of Wilders’ party, he participated in producing a film titled “Fitna” that linked Islam and the Qur’an to violence and terrorism.
But as the movie triggered outcry from Muslims worldwide, Doorn began to read more about Islam and Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him), leading him to embrace Islam.
The Dutch politician expressed sorrow for taking part in producing the offensive movie.
“However, now it is a closed chapter and absolutely I don’t want to recall about it,” said Doorn, who arrived in the holy lands in Saudi Arabia earlier this week to perform ‘Umrah.
“The film that sparked widespread reactions was a totally wrong step on our part as it contains a lot of misleading and incorrect information that are nothing to with this noble divine religion and its Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him).”
Doorn said that he would use his experience in producing an international film that highlights the noble traits of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him).
“I will use all my experience in producing an alternative film, which will speak about the true image of Islam and all aspects of the personality of the Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) as well as his great qualities.”
Ignorance
The Dutch politician blames ignorance and prejudice for the growing campaigns against Muslims and their religion in the West.
“I also realized the intensity of hatred that some Westerners have against Islam and the Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) and that was based apparently on their ignorance and prejudice,”he said.
“Therefore, I decided to make endeavors to repair the damage caused by the offensive film, which was produced with an ulterior motive of creating sedition in between Muslims and non-Muslims.”
Doorn laments that he blindly followed the hostile rhetoric preached by far-rightists against Muslims.
“It was unfortunate that I did not make any efforts to know what really Islam is and who is the Prophet before blindly believing in the misinformation campaign being unleashed by the anti-Islamic forces,”he said.
“When I came to realize that it was not Islam, I decided to study about the religion and that led to my conversion.”
He criticized his former party for championing an anti-Islam message.
“The party stands against Islam and its spreading in Europe. Some of them now consider me as a traitor.”
The former PVV member is now grateful that he has been guided to the true face of Islam.
“Now, I am really enjoying the beauty of Islam and am extremely delighted in Allah’s great blessing to guide me onto His path,” Doorn said.
“It is an explicable experience for me.”
Muslims make up one million of the Netherlands’s 16 million population, mostly from Turkish and Moroccan origin.
The number of native Dutch Muslim converts has risen to around 15,000 from 12,000 a few years ago.
Source: Okaz/Saudi Gazette Newspapers & Onislam
(siraaj/islam.ru/arrahmah.com)
