Dutch Muslims Celebrate Converts Day

Bringing a galaxy of noted speakers and converts from across the Netherlands, Dutch Muslims celebrate new people embracing Islam.

"I am very happy today," Hans, a 72-year old Dutch father, told Kuwait news agency (KUNA).

Hans embraced Islam during the National Converts Day of Dutch Muslims at the Blue Mosque in Amsterdam. “I was influenced by my son and his wife and also my three grand children.”

The elderly man was among nine Dutch who pronounced the Shahada (proclamation of faith) during the event.

Hans said he was lured into Islam after seeing the peaceful life of his son’s family.

“When I saw how my son and his wife talk in peace and pray to Allah and come to solutions with the help of God I was very impressed," he said.

"I will now try to understand Islam more and more and to study the Qur’an and attend lectures.”

His son has embraced Islam eight years ago after being introduced to the religion by his Tunisian wife.

The 6th National Converts Day was organized by the Discover Islam Foundation in cooperation with the National Platform for New Muslims in the Netherlands.

More than 1000 people attended the event, including high-profile speakers as American Muslim preacher Yusuf Estes, Greek convert Hamza Tzortzis and Farouk Al Zouman, the first Saudi man who climbed to Mount Everest in 2008.

The number of native Dutch Muslim converts has raised to around 15,000 from 12,000 a few years ago, according to Jacob von der Blom, a spokesman for the event.

Last month, Arnoud Van Doorn, a leading member in far-right politician Geert Wilders’ party reverted to Islam after extensive study about the Islamic religion and Muslims.

Muslims make up one million of the Netherlands’s 16 million population, mostly from Turkish and Moroccan origin.

http://www.onislam.net/english/news/europe/462066-muslim-converts-meet-in-amsterdam.html

Isnt it ironic to you that Muslims celebrate their converts and even have a convert day in Netherlands while in Islamic countries people that choose to convert or become atheists are hounded and threaten by the apostasy laws and other Muslims?


Hope you dont hide this post.

^Nothing to hide, you stated your opinion without being offensive or insulting anybody.

Each country has its laws. The Islamic State has its own. The logic is simple, the state is a part of Islam and should choose to leave Islam, there are extensive rules on if and how you can leave without becoming an enemy of the state.

Your submission is at best simplistic.

Islamic state has it laws..... right. Also, Netherlands has its laws which allows its citizens to convert as often as they choose!

Where except in Islam that leaving a religion makes you "an enemy of the state"? A man's personal relationship or lack of it makes one "an enemy of the state"? Why should the state care whether I become a Muslim in the morning and revert to being Bhuddist at night? Why should the rules of leaving Islam be "extensive"?

Did the now Dutch Muslim grandfather follow any "extensive rules" before taking the shahada? Is he an enemy of the state? Would he have done so if Netherlands had made ones personal religion state business?

How ironic.

brentkruge: Islamic state has it laws..... right. Also, Netherlands has its laws which allows its citizens to convert as often as they choose!

Where except in Islam that leaving a religion makes you "an enemy of the state"? A man's personal relationship or lack of it makes one "an enemy of the state"? Why should the state care whether I become a Muslim in the morning and revert to being Bhuddist at night? Why should the rules of leaving Islam be "extensive"?

Did the now Dutch Muslim grandfather follow any "extensive rules" before taking the shahada? Is he an enemy of the state? Would he have done so if Netherlands had made ones personal religion state business?

How ironic.

Well Dutch rules are Dutch rules whilst Islamic rules are Islamic rules. Islam is comprehensive, it leaves nothing out!

Dutch rules allows the old man and anyone to choose his religion easily and publicly, Islam rules makes it difficult for him or others to leave (and may make him "enemy of the state" for that).

Don't you see the irony?

brentkruge: Dutch rules allows the old man and anyone to choose his religion easily and publicly, Islam rules makes it difficult for him or others to leave (and may make him "enemy of the state" for that).

Don't you see the irony?

On the contrary, I know the difference and understand why it is so.