The news that Dave and Donny Roelvink are interested in Islam came somewhat unexpectedly out of the blue at the time. The Roelvinkjes never actually had a religion. Yet father Dries is not completely shocked. He is actually happy that his sons, who have experienced quite a few problems, are interested in a religion.
Dries Roelvink about sons interested in Islam
Last year it emerged that both sons of Dries Roelvink, Dave and Donny, are interested in Islam. That is quite striking, since the Roelvinks apparently never had a religion. That was certainly not the case with Dries in his younger years, as he tells journalist Salaheddine Benchikhi in his YouTube series ‘death, God and the afterlife’. “Faith was never talked about at all. It was as if it didn’t exist,” he says. When he later received lessons about faith, Dries himself was not very impressed. It doesn’t help that his family has always dismissed it as ‘nonsense’.
However, Dries’ sons are now becoming interested in faith. This is because they come into more contact with other cultures than Dries did at the time. “Dave and Donny have many more Moroccan friends, for example,” he says. This also led to increasingly deeper conversations about, for example, faith. And they are now delving more into that themselves. Something that father Dries was not shocked by. He even says he welcomes it. For example, he himself is somewhat afraid of death, because he does not know where he will end up. He hopes that Dave and Donny will be less affected by this: “Because I know they both have had it or still have it.”
Less fear of death
Dries also has no problem with it if their sons eventually become Muslims. He especially hopes that his sons “find peace” in faith. “It would be nice if they started to believe in something,” he says. Then hopefully they won’t have the lifelong fear of death. He has noticed some changes in Donny since he started believing in Islam. However, Dave still struggles with his problems. “A lot of things still keep him busy,” says Dries. He hopes that Dave will eventually become as zen as brother Donny.
Dries himself no longer has to commit himself to a religion, he says honestly. He says: “To adapt my entire way of life to a religion at the age of 65. Well, I may already be too late with that.” He also thinks it is more important for his sons that they find peace.
