Copenhagen: A Dutch politician who has been a staunch anti-Islam critic before reverting to Islam has launched a new party, named Islamic Party for Unity, with which he is contending for three seats during the municipal elections on March 19.
"In a city with 100,000 to 150,000 Muslims, it is no more than logical that they also have political representation," Arnoud van Doorn said in an interview with Algemeen Dagblad, NL Times reported.
"A large part of our followers is Muslim, so of course we also come up for them," he said.
Doorn, a former member of the far-right Freedom Party (PVV) has embraced Islam in 2013 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 be upon him), leading him to embrace Islam.
Launching Islamic Party for Unity, Doorn asserted that his party should not be considered a "Muslim party", but rather as a party with a Muslim ideology.
"Our standpoints are based on the Islam. We come up for minorities and the welfare of animals," he said.
Coming up against anti-Muslim atmosphere in The Hague, his party is also against the pro-homosexuality tendencies promoted by many parties in Netherlands.
"They promote homosexuality. You don't have to go out and promote how fantastic that lifestyle is," he said about how much focus there is in the manifestos of GroenLinks, D66 and PvdA for equality for gays.
He added that regardless of how he rejects homosexuality, according to the tenets of Islam, he wishes that gays keep their private life away from public.
"Let's just say that people should be reserved about the affection they show each other in public. Don't provoke with it. Keep your private life private," he said.
"We are against discrimination of gays as people. But we reject homosexual actions," he said, adding that this comes from the Islamic ideologies his party is founded on.
The Dutch politician stressed that his party would focus on correcting images of Muslims, spurred by PVV and the media.
"That fear is created. PVV is doing it and the media are not very positive about Muslims either," Van Doorn said.
And a government department like General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) has interest in keeping the Muslims in a bad daylight. That's how this department justifies its existence, because it is under political pressure to show results," he said.
He added that AIVD is also placing too much emphasis on the jihadists who returned after taking part in the fighting in Syria.
"Not all of them are dangerous," he said. "I know several of the guys who came back and yes, they are disillusioned, but they are not dangerous."
He added that no one should judge the people who have been to Syria.
"During the summer recess I am heading there as well, together with six to eight other people. We're going to help in the refugee camps in Tunisia and Jordan," he said.
"I would rather go to Syria, but that is bound to become a problem when I come back to the Netherlands."
Muslims make up one million of the Netherlands's 16 million population, 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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