Former Anti-Islam Politician Became Muslim! How He Accepted Islam! @LEGACYB2BPODCAST
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You know, when I was a member of this anti-Islam, of this Islamic political party, and this political party, PFF... We do not want more, but less Islam. So I rather would have no Qur'an at all, and shut down mosques and ban the Qur'an. Basically, they had brainwashed me in a person that was anti-Islam. Their major point, fighting Islam, of course, it was something that I supported then. Maybe I hated the religion. I thought, sincerely, that the religion of Islam was a threat for society, a threat for our freedom. Do I have a problem with Islam? Yes, I do have a problem with Islam. Of course, now I feel really sorry for that. But I was involved in some of these projects. Yes, of course.
Assalam alaykum, brother Arnoud. Thank you for accepting our invitation. I want to start with who is Arnoud Van Doorn? Wa alaykum salam, thank you for inviting me. It's an honor to be here. Well, my name is Arnoud Van Doorn, I'm 56 years old. I'm a Muslim, alhamdulillah, since 2013. I was born and raised in the- in the Netherlands, in The Hague. I have a Christian background, raised as a Christian. I became active in politics. I became a member of the Dutch anti-Islam political party called PFF. But I converted to Islam in 2013. Alhamdulillah. Almost ten years now. I'm here in Istanbul by invitation of Halis Media. They are doing a project.
They are interviewing a hundred converts from over 40 countries, and I'm one of them. So it's a great honor for me to be here and to be able to to do this interview in this great city. How was your life in regards to faith? What were you believing in? I'm raised as a Christian. I've been to a Catholic school and Catholic sports clubs and everything. My father was practicing Christian. I went to church on Sunday, sometimes during the week, but I never felt really, like, 100% comfortable, and it was more like a routine. I was supposed to do it, but I missed something. Maybe now, deep in my heart and with the knowledge that I have now, even from a young child, I felt something was missing.
A few things I really didn't understand, how come like, three gods, how can Jesus, İsa the Prophet, how can he be the son of God? Didn't make real sense, you know? And there are some other things that are really- was strange to me, like the blood of Christ and the body of Christ, you know, all these ceremonial things during a- when you are in church. For me, in my- it didn't make sense. I couldn't explain why exactly, because I was very young at the time, but I felt something was missing. How did you first hear about Islam? What was your perception of this religion? I heard about Islam as most people in Western countries, by media, by politicians.
Islam, you know, as a threat, as the cause of 9/11 and oppressing women, and all the terrorist activities. And the problem in the Netherlands, in Western Europe is that people don't study Islam for themselves. They just believe the media. They believe politicians. So did I. So what I knew about Islam was only, it was negative, it was dangerous. Maybe I hated the religion. I thought sincerely that the religion, that Islam, was a threat for society, a threat for our freedom.
You know, when I was a member of this anti-Islam, of this anti-Islamic political party, and this political party, PFF, their major point, fighting Islam, yeah, that was of course, that was something that I supported, and I thought it was necessary and I believed in it. Were there any projects that you were involved in against Islam? Yes. Well, you had this- this famous movie, yeah? I'm not a producer of it. A lot of people think that because the movie was made before I became active in this political party, but I was with some other people responsible for distributing the movie, for promoting the movie, on social media and things like that.
So I was part of this organization and part of promoting the movie. This is one of the examples. Of course, now I feel really sorry for that, but I was involved in some of these projects. Yes, of course. For what reason did you feel the attraction towards Islam? I didn't feel the attraction for Islam right away. It's not like you wake up in the morning and you become Muslim, of course not. But I had some doubts about Islam. It didn't make sense to me. You see the media, you see the politicians and they all tell Islam is evil, and it's a threat for society, the threat for our freedom, and it's all evil, and bad.
But it didn't make sense because, you know, 1.5 billion people in the world, are they all evil people, angry, dangerous people? More than 1 million people in the Netherlands, they're Muslim. Are they all evil and angry, dangerous people? And so many people are Muslim. A lot of good people, nice and friendly people that I knew personally. So, and they said you should learn about Islam because your ideas about Islam are wrong. Yeah, yeah, sure. But I started to learn about Islam reading Qur'an. I went to the mosque, spoke with the imams, spoke to other Muslims, did some research myself. I went to the library.
And the more you learn about Islam, the more it becomes clear to anyone, especially to me, but only during this period, the more you learn about Islam, the more it goes from my- from my head to my heart. It felt like, "Whoa, this is great, this is beautiful. "This is, you know, answering some questions." "All these people are wrong." "It's a great religion." I feel this religion, this is answering my questions." And if you study Islam, then all these things, all the doubts that you have, they vanish, you know. All the gaps are filled. All the answers of the questions that you have, they are answered. What was the first thing that started to soften your heart towards Islam?
That's a question a lot of people ask me, and it's not like one specific part in the Qur'an, one specific ayah, no. It was the Islam itself, the- the life of the Prophet. Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. You know, here- there's a book in the Netherlands. It's called Muhammad, and it's about his life. That was very motivating for me also. You know, for me, it was research. It was studying about Islam. And it was a very slow process from being very cynical, like, okay, I will study about Islam, but, you know, they're all liars and it's not true. They are brainwashing me. You know, the talks in the mosque, yes, they were very nice, but, you know, in my opinion, they were not honest.
So, but the more you learn, the more you, you, you, you really do research for Islam with an open mind, that's very important, open heart, open mind, then you cannot deny the truth. So finally, after a long journey almost from become- from a non-Muslim to a Muslim, it took me about a year to convert, but finally it make- was clear for me that Islam is, it's a- it's a great religion, and I said the shahada in 2013, alhamdulillah. How did you feel about the people that were making all those false propaganda against Islam? I felt misguided, basically. I always had the idea that in the Netherlands and Western Europe, the media, you know, they're honest, they are objective.
And the same for politicians, they are honest, honest people, wise people. You know, they are here for us, to protect us, and to guide us. But I felt betrayed by them because, you know, if you learn about Islam, then, you also learn that everything they are telling us about Islam is wrong. It's negative. So I was really disappointed because basically they had brainwashed me in a person that was anti-Islam. How did you take your shahada? Can you take us to those moments? When I embraced Islam, I was 45 years old. I took the shahada in- in a mosque. I was there a few times before, I had some questions about Islam.
So they said, "You can go to the mosque and you can ask all your questions." I said, "No, no, "I'm not going to a mosque," "because they probably hate me," and I'm not welcome there." But I was welcome. They invited me. "You can come in." They were very friendly. They got tea and everything. I spent hours there talking with people and that was one of the things that was confusing for me because these people were supposed to hate me. How come they are friendly, how come they are so open-minded? How come they can answer all the questions that I have? That was one of the things, you know, towards me embracing Islam.
I had to do it a bit secretly because if people knew that I was doing it, I could lose my job, I could lose my position. But I was very reluctant at that moment. And I said the shahada in the mosque, but not in front of an audience. It was in a small office. Me and not even the imam but one of the volunteers in the mosque that was basically guiding me as my mentor in this whole process. We said the shahada and nobody else was there. So from the point that I started to learn about Islam until my basically saying my shahada, it was not like a few days, a few weeks, it took me about a year. It was a rollercoaster. Sometimes I was really motivated, sometimes I didn't do anything about it.
But during this period it became clear that Islam is, it's beautiful. And finally, alhamdulillah, I said the shahada in 2013. How did you feel when you took your shahada? Did you feel peaceful and relieved? Yes, definitely. Shaitan is always there. Even in the last few minutes, over here, whispering, "No, no, no, don't do it." And you know, "you're brainwashed," you know, "Stop," until even 5 minutes before the moment that I embraced Islam. But when I did it, it felt like a lot of weight was lost. I really felt happy. I felt- it's hard to describe, people that have done it, probably they know what I mean. It's like being reborn.
How did the people around you react to your conversion to Islam? Well, they were shocked. To be honest, I made a mistake because this whole journey towards becoming a muslim and embracing Islam, I did it by myself. Nobody knew about it. Only my mother and she supported me. She still supports me, by the way. My friends, my colleagues, nobody knew about my journey. So, I was a little bit afraid at a certain point. "Okay, now "nobody knows that I'm going into this direction" of embracing Islam." For them, it would be a shock. So I was really reluctant. I waited a few weeks to come forward, but the rest of the family, most of them, even my own brothers and sisters, there is a distance.
It's not like they rejected me, but it's not like before. Islam is a subject that we don't talk about. It's very sensitive. I feel the distance. I lost a lot of friends. Of course I lost my job. What was the major challenge that you faced after Islam and what sacrifices did you have to make? When I became a Muslim I was a politician, but I was not working for this political party for the PFF anymore, because during this whole period it was already clear that it's not my place. But also for them, it was a shock. Well, if you become Muslim in this political organization, this political party, well, you just don't exist anymore.
Well, after this became public that I became Muslim, well, I lost my job and I lost a lot of friends, I lost some family members, a lot of colleagues, of course. So I had to move. Sell my house, go to a smaller house. I had to sell my car. So my life was a little bit less luxurious. For me it was not a sacrifice. Before that, I had a lot of money, a lot of vacations, expensive watches, and a beautiful car, and everything, with everything nice and good, but, you know, it's only stuff. I felt an emptiness in my heart. But after embracing Islam, okay, I had less money, but I was happier than ever before.
So it proves this stuff, this materialism, money, and expensive cars that is not filling the gaps in your heart. So sacrificing in the way of materialistic things? Yes. Sacrificing and losing friends and family? Of course, that is a sacrifice. After all, I felt more happy than ever before. After you became Muslim, was anyone inspired by you and accepted Islam as well? I have an adopted son, Iskander. He embraced Islam quite short after me, during an event in Dubai. He already was interested in Islam. He had been with me to the mosque and to some lessons and everything. And then, finally there, he spoke to some important people during this week that we were there.
And then, he finally, alhamdulillah, embraced Islam. And I heard stories from other people. I cannot say they embrace Islam because of me, because they're guided by Allah. But maybe I inspire them to learn about Islam, to get some knowledge about Islam, to go to a mosque or something, or think about Islam, do some research, probably, that's- well, that's what I heard from a lot of people. I hope so. What impressed you the most about our Prophet alayhissalatu wassalam? He had a hard life. He faced a lot of difficulties with his own family, people throwing rocks at him and everything. And still he didn't get mad. He didn't get angry.
He remained the same person, patient, forgiving, friendly, smiling, adab, akhlaq, everything. He stays the same person despite all these difficulties, despite all everything that was fighting against him, and for me, that is very inspiring, and that is what I'm trying to achieve, to at least try to live like our prophet, peace be upon him. What projects are you doing right now? We have some, in Morocco, some small projects where we are trying to help poor people, poor families. It's not specifically on Islam, but we try to help them that they can go to school, that they have, you know, material, school books and things like that.
We get money from a lot of businessmen and we work together to build some small houses for people that are living on the streets, and things like that. Small things. We organize events for- for young children. Also, of course, we talk about Islam. There are people there that know more about Islam than me because I'm not an expert. I'm not a scholar. They tell them about Islam, what you can do, how you can become a better Muslim. And so it's like we try to combine the charity with also dawah. If you had a chance to speak to all the non-Muslims in the world, what would you like to say to them if you had just one minute? My message would be, don't listen to media.
Don't listen to politicians that speak negative about Islam. Do your own research. You're always responsible for your own knowledge. If you don't understand anything, do research. And it's very easy. There's a lot of content on social media. You can read a lot about Islam, go to a mosque, speak to an imam, go to Muslims, talk about this religion and just don't follow, like blindly, what the media and politicians are telling you. Do your own research and then you will find out, inshAllah, that Islam is the solution and Islam is the truth. Brother Arnoud, thank you for this beautiful interview. Hope to meet with you in future projects, inshAllah. InshAllah. I will be back inshAllah.
Thank you again for inviting me.
Assalam alaykum, brother Arnoud. Thank you for accepting our invitation. I want to start with who is Arnoud Van Doorn? Wa alaykum salam, thank you for inviting me. It's an honor to be here. Well, my name is Arnoud Van Doorn, I'm 56 years old. I'm a Muslim, alhamdulillah, since 2013. I was born and raised in the- in the Netherlands, in The Hague. I have a Christian background, raised as a Christian. I became active in politics. I became a member of the Dutch anti-Islam political party called PFF. But I converted to Islam in 2013. Alhamdulillah. Almost ten years now. I'm here in Istanbul by invitation of Halis Media. They are doing a project.
They are interviewing a hundred converts from over 40 countries, and I'm one of them. So it's a great honor for me to be here and to be able to to do this interview in this great city. How was your life in regards to faith? What were you believing in? I'm raised as a Christian. I've been to a Catholic school and Catholic sports clubs and everything. My father was practicing Christian. I went to church on Sunday, sometimes during the week, but I never felt really, like, 100% comfortable, and it was more like a routine. I was supposed to do it, but I missed something. Maybe now, deep in my heart and with the knowledge that I have now, even from a young child, I felt something was missing.
A few things I really didn't understand, how come like, three gods, how can Jesus, İsa the Prophet, how can he be the son of God? Didn't make real sense, you know? And there are some other things that are really- was strange to me, like the blood of Christ and the body of Christ, you know, all these ceremonial things during a- when you are in church. For me, in my- it didn't make sense. I couldn't explain why exactly, because I was very young at the time, but I felt something was missing. How did you first hear about Islam? What was your perception of this religion? I heard about Islam as most people in Western countries, by media, by politicians.
Islam, you know, as a threat, as the cause of 9/11 and oppressing women, and all the terrorist activities. And the problem in the Netherlands, in Western Europe is that people don't study Islam for themselves. They just believe the media. They believe politicians. So did I. So what I knew about Islam was only, it was negative, it was dangerous. Maybe I hated the religion. I thought sincerely that the religion, that Islam, was a threat for society, a threat for our freedom.
You know, when I was a member of this anti-Islam, of this anti-Islamic political party, and this political party, PFF, their major point, fighting Islam, yeah, that was of course, that was something that I supported, and I thought it was necessary and I believed in it. Were there any projects that you were involved in against Islam? Yes. Well, you had this- this famous movie, yeah? I'm not a producer of it. A lot of people think that because the movie was made before I became active in this political party, but I was with some other people responsible for distributing the movie, for promoting the movie, on social media and things like that.
So I was part of this organization and part of promoting the movie. This is one of the examples. Of course, now I feel really sorry for that, but I was involved in some of these projects. Yes, of course. For what reason did you feel the attraction towards Islam? I didn't feel the attraction for Islam right away. It's not like you wake up in the morning and you become Muslim, of course not. But I had some doubts about Islam. It didn't make sense to me. You see the media, you see the politicians and they all tell Islam is evil, and it's a threat for society, the threat for our freedom, and it's all evil, and bad.
But it didn't make sense because, you know, 1.5 billion people in the world, are they all evil people, angry, dangerous people? More than 1 million people in the Netherlands, they're Muslim. Are they all evil and angry, dangerous people? And so many people are Muslim. A lot of good people, nice and friendly people that I knew personally. So, and they said you should learn about Islam because your ideas about Islam are wrong. Yeah, yeah, sure. But I started to learn about Islam reading Qur'an. I went to the mosque, spoke with the imams, spoke to other Muslims, did some research myself. I went to the library.
And the more you learn about Islam, the more it becomes clear to anyone, especially to me, but only during this period, the more you learn about Islam, the more it goes from my- from my head to my heart. It felt like, "Whoa, this is great, this is beautiful. "This is, you know, answering some questions." "All these people are wrong." "It's a great religion." I feel this religion, this is answering my questions." And if you study Islam, then all these things, all the doubts that you have, they vanish, you know. All the gaps are filled. All the answers of the questions that you have, they are answered. What was the first thing that started to soften your heart towards Islam?
That's a question a lot of people ask me, and it's not like one specific part in the Qur'an, one specific ayah, no. It was the Islam itself, the- the life of the Prophet. Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. You know, here- there's a book in the Netherlands. It's called Muhammad, and it's about his life. That was very motivating for me also. You know, for me, it was research. It was studying about Islam. And it was a very slow process from being very cynical, like, okay, I will study about Islam, but, you know, they're all liars and it's not true. They are brainwashing me. You know, the talks in the mosque, yes, they were very nice, but, you know, in my opinion, they were not honest.
So, but the more you learn, the more you, you, you, you really do research for Islam with an open mind, that's very important, open heart, open mind, then you cannot deny the truth. So finally, after a long journey almost from become- from a non-Muslim to a Muslim, it took me about a year to convert, but finally it make- was clear for me that Islam is, it's a- it's a great religion, and I said the shahada in 2013, alhamdulillah. How did you feel about the people that were making all those false propaganda against Islam? I felt misguided, basically. I always had the idea that in the Netherlands and Western Europe, the media, you know, they're honest, they are objective.
And the same for politicians, they are honest, honest people, wise people. You know, they are here for us, to protect us, and to guide us. But I felt betrayed by them because, you know, if you learn about Islam, then, you also learn that everything they are telling us about Islam is wrong. It's negative. So I was really disappointed because basically they had brainwashed me in a person that was anti-Islam. How did you take your shahada? Can you take us to those moments? When I embraced Islam, I was 45 years old. I took the shahada in- in a mosque. I was there a few times before, I had some questions about Islam.
So they said, "You can go to the mosque and you can ask all your questions." I said, "No, no, "I'm not going to a mosque," "because they probably hate me," and I'm not welcome there." But I was welcome. They invited me. "You can come in." They were very friendly. They got tea and everything. I spent hours there talking with people and that was one of the things that was confusing for me because these people were supposed to hate me. How come they are friendly, how come they are so open-minded? How come they can answer all the questions that I have? That was one of the things, you know, towards me embracing Islam.
I had to do it a bit secretly because if people knew that I was doing it, I could lose my job, I could lose my position. But I was very reluctant at that moment. And I said the shahada in the mosque, but not in front of an audience. It was in a small office. Me and not even the imam but one of the volunteers in the mosque that was basically guiding me as my mentor in this whole process. We said the shahada and nobody else was there. So from the point that I started to learn about Islam until my basically saying my shahada, it was not like a few days, a few weeks, it took me about a year. It was a rollercoaster. Sometimes I was really motivated, sometimes I didn't do anything about it.
But during this period it became clear that Islam is, it's beautiful. And finally, alhamdulillah, I said the shahada in 2013. How did you feel when you took your shahada? Did you feel peaceful and relieved? Yes, definitely. Shaitan is always there. Even in the last few minutes, over here, whispering, "No, no, no, don't do it." And you know, "you're brainwashed," you know, "Stop," until even 5 minutes before the moment that I embraced Islam. But when I did it, it felt like a lot of weight was lost. I really felt happy. I felt- it's hard to describe, people that have done it, probably they know what I mean. It's like being reborn.
How did the people around you react to your conversion to Islam? Well, they were shocked. To be honest, I made a mistake because this whole journey towards becoming a muslim and embracing Islam, I did it by myself. Nobody knew about it. Only my mother and she supported me. She still supports me, by the way. My friends, my colleagues, nobody knew about my journey. So, I was a little bit afraid at a certain point. "Okay, now "nobody knows that I'm going into this direction" of embracing Islam." For them, it would be a shock. So I was really reluctant. I waited a few weeks to come forward, but the rest of the family, most of them, even my own brothers and sisters, there is a distance.
It's not like they rejected me, but it's not like before. Islam is a subject that we don't talk about. It's very sensitive. I feel the distance. I lost a lot of friends. Of course I lost my job. What was the major challenge that you faced after Islam and what sacrifices did you have to make? When I became a Muslim I was a politician, but I was not working for this political party for the PFF anymore, because during this whole period it was already clear that it's not my place. But also for them, it was a shock. Well, if you become Muslim in this political organization, this political party, well, you just don't exist anymore.
Well, after this became public that I became Muslim, well, I lost my job and I lost a lot of friends, I lost some family members, a lot of colleagues, of course. So I had to move. Sell my house, go to a smaller house. I had to sell my car. So my life was a little bit less luxurious. For me it was not a sacrifice. Before that, I had a lot of money, a lot of vacations, expensive watches, and a beautiful car, and everything, with everything nice and good, but, you know, it's only stuff. I felt an emptiness in my heart. But after embracing Islam, okay, I had less money, but I was happier than ever before.
So it proves this stuff, this materialism, money, and expensive cars that is not filling the gaps in your heart. So sacrificing in the way of materialistic things? Yes. Sacrificing and losing friends and family? Of course, that is a sacrifice. After all, I felt more happy than ever before. After you became Muslim, was anyone inspired by you and accepted Islam as well? I have an adopted son, Iskander. He embraced Islam quite short after me, during an event in Dubai. He already was interested in Islam. He had been with me to the mosque and to some lessons and everything. And then, finally there, he spoke to some important people during this week that we were there.
And then, he finally, alhamdulillah, embraced Islam. And I heard stories from other people. I cannot say they embrace Islam because of me, because they're guided by Allah. But maybe I inspire them to learn about Islam, to get some knowledge about Islam, to go to a mosque or something, or think about Islam, do some research, probably, that's- well, that's what I heard from a lot of people. I hope so. What impressed you the most about our Prophet alayhissalatu wassalam? He had a hard life. He faced a lot of difficulties with his own family, people throwing rocks at him and everything. And still he didn't get mad. He didn't get angry.
He remained the same person, patient, forgiving, friendly, smiling, adab, akhlaq, everything. He stays the same person despite all these difficulties, despite all everything that was fighting against him, and for me, that is very inspiring, and that is what I'm trying to achieve, to at least try to live like our prophet, peace be upon him. What projects are you doing right now? We have some, in Morocco, some small projects where we are trying to help poor people, poor families. It's not specifically on Islam, but we try to help them that they can go to school, that they have, you know, material, school books and things like that.
We get money from a lot of businessmen and we work together to build some small houses for people that are living on the streets, and things like that. Small things. We organize events for- for young children. Also, of course, we talk about Islam. There are people there that know more about Islam than me because I'm not an expert. I'm not a scholar. They tell them about Islam, what you can do, how you can become a better Muslim. And so it's like we try to combine the charity with also dawah. If you had a chance to speak to all the non-Muslims in the world, what would you like to say to them if you had just one minute? My message would be, don't listen to media.
Don't listen to politicians that speak negative about Islam. Do your own research. You're always responsible for your own knowledge. If you don't understand anything, do research. And it's very easy. There's a lot of content on social media. You can read a lot about Islam, go to a mosque, speak to an imam, go to Muslims, talk about this religion and just don't follow, like blindly, what the media and politicians are telling you. Do your own research and then you will find out, inshAllah, that Islam is the solution and Islam is the truth. Brother Arnoud, thank you for this beautiful interview. Hope to meet with you in future projects, inshAllah. InshAllah. I will be back inshAllah.
Thank you again for inviting me.