According to Estebsar information center:
Mahdi Hanson got to know Islam when he was 15 years old.
● What did you see in Islam that attracted you at that age?
○ Most of my family members are not religious except for my grandmother who is a devout believer. I, myself, was a laic and secular person, but later I came to the conclusion that one should research religion and seek the truth. There are a number of events happening in the world that must have been caused by a strong Force. A Wise and Almighty creator who has power superior to human beings. These kind of issues kept going through my mind which I could not express them. At that time, I had an Iraqi Muslim friend who took me to the Muslim Hussainie in Denmark. By the way, it was the day of the martyrdom of Hazrat Zeinab. That’s why they had organized a mourning ceremony. I saw that they were mourning so hard for a woman who had died more than a thousand years ago. On the other hand, according to the media’s Propaganda, it is said that Islam doesn’t value women and they have no dignity and position, while I saw they were mourning for Hazrat Zeinab who is a great leader and outstanding sample for men and women every day and all the time. It was very interesting for me at the age of 15.
● As a Muslim teenager, didn’t you have any problems with your friends and classmates at school?
○ I didn’t have much problems because Danes are basically individualistic people who have nothing to do with anyone and are indifferent to each other. The only interesting topic they like to talk about is the weather and material and sexual affairs. That is why, no one cared about my being a Muslim either at school or among my friends. They only asked me about Islam and my conversion because it was interesting for them.
● So the islamophobia activities of the media, which is at its peak in Denmark, are not effective?
○ Of course, due to the fact that TV programs and social networks constantly and always have programs against the Islam and Muslims, it has its own effect. The basis of these negative propaganda’s against Islam is not rational. They want to influence the people’s emotions and feelings, but when too much is said about a subject, it makes people more curious to see what kind of religion Islam is and what kind of people are it’s followers that so much negative propaganda is done against them. It is like an unknown object that we know nothing about it, but we are trying to find out it’s truth. As Iranian say, bad luck often brings good luck. The negative propaganda of media makes indifferent Danish people more curious about Islam by repeating these issues.
● As you know, the wave of anti Prophet cartoons started in Denmark. Did it have any repercussions and reactions among the people?
○ Yes, by the way, it was the same period that I converted to Islam. I was still a teenager. But, after the insulting caricatures about the Prophet, when non-Muslims saw the wave of Muslim protests and their worldwide demonstrations, many of them became sensitive to research about the Prophet of Islam. Why these cartoons have brought all these protests and irritation. Of course, in this way, they also could find the truth and become Muslim, because they said if a religion has a billion followers, it must be a valuable religion whose followers became so angry and protest against insulting their Prophet like this.
● Why did you choose the name Mahdi?
○ There was a cleric who told me about the name Mahdi when I became a Muslim. But I have little information about Imam Mahdi. I just know that all the society needs an infallible Imam even if he is apparently absent. Sheikh Tusi has said that the presence of Imam Mahdi is the grace of Allah and we have caused his absence. He is Allah’s proof that has not appeared yet
