In a conference held to defend Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the head of the Presidency for the Two Holy Mosques has honored a Dutch politician who has been a staunch anti-Islam critic before reverting to Islam.
''This again reflects the greatness and truthfulness of Islam as a divine religion,'' said Fuad Kawther, an engineer interested in da’wah activities, telling Arab News on Wednesday, December 11.
''Before embracing Islam, Van Doorn was abusing the Prophet and Muslims, although they had not done him any harm. Allah guided him to the right path and he became a Muslim,'' he added.
The surprising honor to Dutch revert Arnoud Van Doorn cam took place on Tuesday as Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, head of the Presidency for the Two Holy Mosques surprised hundreds of scholars by taking off his gown to gift it to a Dutch man who had insulted Islam before finding his path to the religion.
Both figures were attending a conference in the gulf country about Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) at Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh.
Doorn, a former member of the far-right Freedom Party (PVV) has 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 that linked Islam and the Qur’an to violence.
But after Muslim outcry at the movie, Doorn began to read more about Islam and Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him), leading him to embrace Islam.
Applaud
The conference’s participants, including academics and religious scholars, applauded Sudais’ gesture.
''This shows the magnanimity and tolerance of Islam. Gifting someone’s cloak to show his love and admiration toward the recipient is a nice Saudi tradition,'' Kawther said.
Kawther added that embracing of Islam by Van Doorn and many other Westerners shows that it is the true and final religion, Kawther said.
He hoped it would encourage more people to study about Islam and Muslims.
''Islam will spread all over the world despite the smear campaign against the religion and its Prophet.''
The former anti-Islam activist bitterly regrets having taken part in the production of the hateful film Fitna (Sedition) and said he was in the holy sites to atone for his sins.
Under the title 'Muhammad: Master of Human Beings', the movie would be co-produced by the Canadian Dawah Society, which had invited him to perform hajj.
Source: OnIslam