Ex-Islamophobe to Produce Film on Prophet

SAUDI GAZETTE: MADINAH – Former Dutch Islamophobe Arnoud Van Doorn unveiled plans to produce an international film on Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and Islam.

In an exclusive interview with Okaz/Saudi Gazette, Doorn, who reverted to Islam last month, said that he will devote his life fully to spread the true message of Islam and the Prophet of Mercy through promoting the film across the world.

“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. I will try my best to repair the damage that I caused to Islam and its Prophet (peace be upon him) through the film ‘Fitna’,” he said.

Doorn, a former leading member of far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders’ party, visited Saturday the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah to pray and say sorry for becoming part of the blasphemous film. Doorn was among the Freedom Party leaders who produced the film, Fitna.

After visiting the Prophet’s Mosque, he arrived in Makkah Sunday and performed Umrah. Sheikh Abdulrahman Al-Sudais, head of the Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, and other presidency officials received him.

In the interview, Doorn said that he regrets being a part of such an offensive film. “However, now it is a closed chapter and absolutely I don’t want to recall about it. 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 (pbuh),” he said, adding that he wants to do some remedial work so as to minimize the damage caused by ‘Fitna.’

Doorn said he decided, in cooperation with the Toronto-based CDA, to produce an international film aimed at removing misgivings about Islam and its Prophet (pbuh).

“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 (pbuh) as well as his great qualities.” » | Majed Al-Sugairi | Okaz/Saudi Gazette | Monday, April 22, 2013

Arnoud van Doorn: Once an Islamophobe, Now a Pilgrim
Arnoud van Doorn has visited the mosque of Prophet Muhammad in Madinah in order to express regret for participating in the making of the ‘blasphemous’ film Fitna and to pray. Tearful van Doorn says that “finding Islam is a dream come true.”

It was inspiring, he says, to meet with the Imam of The Prophet’s Mosque, His Excellency Ali Al-Hudayfee, and was grateful to be there. He is also grateful for all the support and resources he has received from Saudi Arabia to spread Islam in The Netherlands, and for all the support he received from ‘his Muslim brothers’ in the Kingdom. Arnoud van Doorn went to Saudi Arabia to perform the lesser pilgrimage, Umrah.

He is keen on presenting a true image of Islam to his countrymen; so by the sound of things, he will soon be performing Dawah back home in The Netherlands. He was invited to Saudi Arabia by the Canadian Dawah Association. Read more »

‘I Am Sorry, O Prophet…’

SAUDI GAZETTE: MADINAH – Former Dutch Islamophobe and a former leading member of far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders’ party Arnoud Van Doorn visited the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah to pray and say sorry for becoming part of a blasphemous film.

Doorn was among the 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 said that the worldwide outrage against the film made him study about the Prophet (pbuh) and that eventually led to his conversion.

He headed for Makkah to perform Umrah after meeting the two imams of the Prophet’s Mosque, Sheikh Ali Al-Hudaifi and Sheikh Salah Al-Badar, who enlightened him on how to lead the life of a good Muslim and confront challenges facing Islam in the West. » | Majed Al-Sugairi | Okaz/Saudi Gazette | Monday, April 22, 2013

Arnoud Van Doorn, ancien membre du parti islamophobe néerlandais est parti faire sa Omra
AJIB.fr: Sur son compte Twitter, Arnoud Van Doorn, nous apprend qu’il est actuellement en Arabie Saoudite pour effectuer son petit pèlerinage (Omra). L’homme politique néerlandais, ancien membre du PVV, parti d’extrême-droite des Pays-Bas, avait récemment annoncé sa conversion à l’islam. En effet, le 27 février dernier, il avait effectué publiquement sa profession de foi, sur Twitter. [...]

Sur son compte Twitter, Arnoud Van Doorn, nous apprend qu’il est actuellement en Arabie Saoudite pour effectuer son petit pèlerinage (Omra).

L’homme politique néerlandais, ancien membre du PVV, parti d’extrême-droite des Pays-Bas, avait récemment annoncé sa conversion à l’islam. En effet, le 27 février dernier, il avait effectué publiquement sa profession de foi, sur Twitter. Dans une interview par un journaliste d’Al Jazeera sur sa conversion, il nous fait part de sa joie après avoir reçu autant de messages de soutien. Il faut dire que cette conversion a surpris plus d’un, en raison de son ancienne appartenance politique, à un parti nationaliste et islamophobe. » | Par Oum Michket | AJIB.FR | vendredi 19 avril 2013

Arnoud van Doorn: From Wilders to Muhammad
Out of curiosity, Aroud van Doorn started studying the Koran. The more he read of the Koran, the Sunnah (the customs of the Prophet), and the Ahadith (the sayings of the Prophet), the more convinced he became that Islam is a “wise and beautiful” religion.

Because he has a lot to learn, he feels he has returned to school. He says he is humble, because he is just staring his study of Islam and Arabic. But the more you learn. He says, the better it is.

Having been brought up as a Christian, he says that there are many shared values with Islam. It was easier for him to convert to Islam as an ex-Christian, because he already knew about the prophets and the angels. That discipline is necessary for any religion, he says.

He says that the biggest mistake of non-Muslims concerning Islam is their lack of knowledge and their prejudices. He says: “People should learn more before judging.”

He has full confidence that Allah will help and guide him in the difficulties that will lie ahead for him after his conversion. Read the article in Spanish » | Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Lien en relation avec la conversion d’Arnoud van Doorn »

(RE)CONVERSION – Aux Pays-Bas, un élu d’extrême droite se convertit à l’islam
LE MONDE BLOGS: Son "nouveau départ", Arnoud van Doorn l'a annoncé sur son compte Twitter. Une formule lapidaire, mais lourde de sens pour celui qui n'était connu jusque là que pour son rôle de vice-président du Parti de la liberté (extrême droite néerlandaise) au sein du conseil municipal de La Haye, et sa grande proximité avec Geert Wilders, le chef de file du parti ultranationaliste.

A 46 ans, Arnoud van Doorn a pourtant fait mentir ses orientations politiques en annonçant s'être converti à l'islam. Une annonce qui a surpris la presse néerlandaise, notamment le Amsterdam Herald, qui revient sur cette affaire. Sur son compte Twitter toujours, l'homme a en effet écrit en arabe la phrase de la chahada, premier des cinq piliers de la religion musulmane : "Il n'y a pas d'autre dieu que dieu et Mahomet est son prophète." L'homme n'a pas précisé les raisons de sa conversion, affirmant qu'il s'agissait "d'une affaire personnelle". Continuez à lire et ajouter un commentaire » | lundi 11 mars 2013

TICINO LIVE: Il vice di Geert Wilders si converte all’Islam. Colpo di scena in Olanda: Dopo anni di propaganda contro il Corano, il vice presidente del movimento populista guidato da Geert Wilders si converte all’Islam. » | lunedi 11 marzo 2013

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Geert Wilders's Confidante and Former Dutch Islamophobe 'Arnoud Van Doorn' Converts to Islam
ABNA: In Holland, a major Islamophobic political and social activist, former member of parliament from a right-wing party, Arnoud van Doorn accepted Islam.

The former Islamophobe announced his decision to accept Islam on his Twitter profile. He says it is a new beginning of his life and published the declaration of Shahada (the words on monotheism to become a Muslim) in Arabic.

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. » | Source: News Agencies | Monday, March 11, 2013

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Former Anti-immigrant Figure Converts to Islam
IRISH TIMES: In an extraordinary personal and political transformation, a former senior member of Geert Wilders’s virulently anti-immigrant Freedom Party (PVV) has converted to Islam – saying it was the party’s anti-Muslim rhetoric which led him to look more deeply into his new religion.

Arnoud van Doorn (46), formerly vice-chair of the PVV group on The Hague city council, announced his conversion on Twitter, first with a tweet saying he was about to make “a new beginning” – and later with another in Arabic proclaiming the Shahadah, his public declaration of belief.

Before leaving the PVV last year to set up a new party, Independent The Hague, Mr van Doorn was regarded as a staunch supporter of Mr Wilders, who wants to end immigration from non-western countries and described Islam as “a retarded culture” and the Koran as “a fascist book”.

Mr van Doorn – who is married, with three foster children – first declined to comment on his conversion, claiming his faith was “a private matter”, but subsequently appeared on al-Jazeera television to say the decision had been “a difficult one” and “not taken lightly”. » | Peter Cluskey in The Hague | Saturday, March 09, 2013

DEUTSCH TÜRKISCHES JOURNAL: Nicht der erste Politiker mit erstaunlichem Sinneswandel: Ende Februar twitterte Arnoud van Doorn, bis 2011 Vize-Vorsitzender der PVV-Fraktion im Gemeinderat Den Haag, das islamische Glaubensbekenntnis. Van Doorn ist nicht der erste Ex-Wilders-Anhänger mit einem erstaunlichen Sinneswandel. » | Von André Krause | Freitag, 08. März 2013

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Arnoud van Doorn Accepts Islam
ISLAM STORY – EXTRACTS: “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, surprisingly declared his conversion to Islam.

…

‘After communicating with a Muslim colleague at The Hague’s city council- and after long discussions in fact- he directed me to the Sunni mosque where I was embraced with all kindness and affection. My decision came later as I freely embraced Islam. And it is one of my own, out of the question.”

And on quitting a party known with its open enmity against Islam, and being at time one of its voices, Doorn said: ‘We all make mistakes. But, regardless of that, I see for every life experience there’s a meaning. And my own experience has its relevance to my new choice.’

‘I’ve learned so much from such experience. And I believe it is the reason why I am a Muslim now. It is a new beginning of my life I ask God to guide me through’, He concluded. … » | Tuesday, March 05, 2013

''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.'' ¶ Departing from his earlier life as a PVV member, Doorn expects much resistance in his political life. ¶ ''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.'' Read all »

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Arnoud van Doorn : de la haine à l’islam
AL KANZ: Arnoud van Doorn. Parfait inconnu hier, cet homme politique néerlandais est aujourd’hui mondialement connu. Explications.

Arnoud van Doorn. Ce nom ne dira pas grand-chose au plus grand nombre. Parfait inconnu jusqu’au 27 février dernier, date à laquelle cet homme politique néerlandais a tweeté la shahada (attestation de foi) en arabe, Arnoud van Doorn est aujourd’hui un homme célèbre, à tout le moins dans le monde musulman.

Au moment où nous rédigeons ce billet, ce message sur Twitter a été retweeté, c’est-à-dire posté une nouvelle fois par d’autres internautes, 8 757 fois et mis en favoris 3 573 fois. Il n’est généralement que les célébrités (show business, sport, politique, etc.) ayant plusieurs centaines de milliers ou plusieurs millions de followers (internautes sur Twitter qui suivent un compte) qui voient parfois leurs messages atteindre de tels sommets.

Or Arnoud van Doorn n’est ni une star du show business ni un sportif connu. Mieux, le 21 février dernier, il ne comptait que 985 followers contre 14 679 aujourd’hui.

Arnoud van Doorn est un homme politique qui militait dans un parti. Pas n’importe quel parti, au regard de sa conversion à l’islam. Arnoud van Doorn était proche de… l’islamophobe Geert Wilders, chef de file du PVV (Partij voor de Vrijheid), un parti nationaliste néerlandais qui milite férocement contre l’islam et les musulmans. D’où la coloration toute particulière que prend cette conversion. » | vendredi 08 mars 2013

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Pays-Bas : ancien islamophobe du PVV, il se convertit à l’islam

SAPHIR NEWS: Aux Pays-Bas, Arnoud Van Doorn, ancien membre du parti d'extrême droite de Geert Wilders, le Parti pour la Liberté (PVV) a créé la surprise en annonçant s’être converti à l’islam. Quand on connait la position extrêmement virulente de ce parti à l’égard de la religion musulmane, il y a de quoi être étonné.

Mais le 27 février dernier, c’est bien la chahada (profession de foi) en arabe qu’a tweeté l’ancien porte-parole du PVV sur son compte twitter : « J'atteste qu'il n'y a d'autre Dieu que Dieu et j'atteste que Muhammad est Son Messager ». M. Van Doom a ensuite confirmé sa conversion à l’islam dans une interview accordée à la chaîne Al Jazeera.

« Je peux comprendre que ma conversion laisse sceptique, surtout qu'elle était inattendue pour beaucoup. Mais pas par mes proches, eux savaient que je m'informais sur cette religion par le biais du Coran, de hadiths, de la sunna et d’autres textes depuis presque un an », a-t-il déclaré. » | Rédigé par La Rédaction | jeudi 07 mars 2013

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New Muslim: Arnoud van Doorn’s Answers to Al Jazeera about His Conversion to Islam
Click here
His interview in Arabic here
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Pays-Bas : un membre du Parti islamophobe de Geert Wilders se convertit à l’islam
AJIB.fr: Dans un interview donnée à Al Jazeera, Arnoud Van Doorn membre membre du PVV, parti islamophobe pour la Liberté, a indiqué s’être converti à l’islam. Ce parti politique nationaliste dont le fondateur est Geert Wilders, est orienté extrême droite, et détient une position virulente et haineuse à l’égard de l’islam. » | AJIB.FR | Publié par Oum Michket | mercredi 06 mars 2013

Verwandt »

Vom Islamhasser zum gläubigen Muslim

DIE WELT: Der niederländische Politiker Arnoud van Doorn war ein glühender Rechtspopulist im Kielwasser von Geert Wilders. Dann flog er aus der Partei. Jetzt twitterte er seinen Übertritt zum Islam.

"Willkommen, mein 10.000. follower", schrieb der niederländische Politiker Arnoud van Doorn am 4. März auf Twitter. Zwei Tage später waren es mehr als 13.300 Menschen, die ihm in dem sozialen Netzwerk folgten. Der Grund für die plötzliche Beliebtheit des bis dahin eher obskuren Lokalpolitikers: Der Islamhasser, Freund und Anhänger des rechtspopulistischen Politikers Geert Wilders, war zum Islam konvertiert.

Seither folgen ihm Tausende Muslime auf Twitter. Der TV-Sender "Al-Dschasira" interviewte ihn. Van Doorn stellte die Fragen und Antworten auf Englisch ins Internet, weil ihn seine neuen, muslimischen Anhänger darum gebeten hatten.

Sein Weg in die islamophobe Politik transformierte ihn, wie einst aus Saulus Paulus geworden war, sagt van Doorn. Im Kielwasser Geert Wilders wurde er in den Gemeinderat der niederländischen Hauptstadt Den Haag gewählt. Dort, so sagte er jetzt, geriet er ins Gespräch mit einem muslimischen Ratsmitglied namens "Abu Khoulani", der ihn schließlich bei der Den Haager As-Sunnah-Moschee einführte.

Es gibt keinen Gott außer Allah

Nach "ernsthafter Auseinandersetzung" mit dem Islam, über mehr als ein Jahr hinweg, habe er sich schließlich zum rechten Glauben bekehrt, schrieb van Doorn. Das islamische Glaubensbekenntnis schrieb er am 28. Februar auf Twitter, auf arabisch: Es gibt keinen Gott außer Allah, und Mohammed ist sein Prophet. » | Von Boris Kálnoky | Mittwoch, 06. März 2013

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Geert Wilders Party Member, Arnoud van Doorn, Accepts Islam
NEW MUSLIM: “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, surprisingly 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.

Given his previous explicit views on Islam, Arnoud’s story was a shock to many who doubted and harshly criticized the announcement, which is still a subject of debate on twitter. In another tweet, he expressed his grief and discomfort with ‘the many hateful comments on social media’.

Arnoud account was deluged with hundreds of followers and positive comments backing and congratulating his choice. To them he posted a late tweet in both English and Arabic expressing his gratitude: ‘Thanks for all the support!’

In face of strong attacks on Twitter, Arnoud declined to comment on the reasons or circumstances behind his conversion, confirming that the choice is his own and that his religion was ‘a matter of privacy’. » | Monday, February 04, 2013

ON ISLAM: Far-right Dutch Politician Finds Islam: AMSTERDAM – A leading member in far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders’ party has reverted to Islam after an extensive study about the Islamic religion and Muslims. ¶ “I can understand people are skeptic, especially that it is unexpected for many of them,” Arnoud Van Doorn told Al-Jazeera English satellite channel. ¶ “This is a very big decision, which I have not taken lightly.” » | Tuesday, March 05, 2013

AMSTERDAM HERALD: From Wilders to Muhammad: Former Freedom Party vice-chairman converts to Islam: A former member of Geert Wilders’s anti-immigration Freedom Party has converted to Islam. » | Friday, March 01, 2013