Rasa News Agency reports - Accepting Islam several months ago, Arnoud van Doorn, a former anti-Islam activist who produced a derogatory film wrongly portraying Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said he has found peace and tranquility while performing hajj this year.
“I found myself among these faithful hearts. I hope that my tears of regret will wash out all my sins after my repentance,” he added as his tears flowed.
van Doorn, a former member of the far-right Freedom Party (PVV) in the Netherlands embraced Islam earlier this year after an extensive study into the religion.
He was among party leaders who helped produce an offensive film titled “Fitna” (Sedition) that linked Islam and the Quran to violence.
But after Muslim outcry at the movie, van Doorn began to read more about Islam and Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him), leading him to embrace Islam.
van Doorn said that since his arrival in this holy land, he has been living the best days of his life.
van Doorn bitterly regrets having taken part in the production of the hateful film “Fitna” and said he was in the holy sites to atone for his sins.
“I felt ashamed standing in front of the Prophet’s grave. I thought of the grave mistake which I had made by producing that sacrilegious film,” he said. “I hope that God will forgive me and accept my repentance.”
van Doorn added that he hoped that he could spend more time in Madinah to which he was determined to return after the completion of his hajj rites.
Muslims make up one million of the Netherlands’ 16 million people, 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.
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