A moment of Revelation: Sean Stone, US director and actor embraces Islam

Father's influence

In terms of the personal carrier, I've been working in films pretty much from when I was baby. I was acting in some little bit roles in my father's films. But was around them from when I was six months old. 

When I was fourteen or fifteen years old at high school, my father told me something impactful. He said: "You have to be able to hold two opposing ideas in your head at the same time." It means that you have to empathize with the other side. That was what made him such a great director in my mind. He's able to able to open his heart and see the issue from the other side of view. He was really seeking to find the truth. With him I met great leaders of the world which was a prestigious experience for me. 

My real start was when I was nineteen; I took a time away from the college to work on the film of "Alexander the Great". I shot behind the scenes documentaries: three short films and a feature. Then I work with my father on W [George W. Bush] film. I was creative and editorial consultant, played and also made a behind the scenes documentary on it. I was also working as an editor with my father on a TV documentary series called "The Secret History of America" which will hopefully come out this year.

Traveling to Iran

Iran is an interesting place. Coming here helped me in certain ways, because I saw the beauty of the Islamic architecture and the texture. For example the spirals: the notion that everything comes from a point. It comes back, it comes forth, and it comes back to a point that is the creator. This conical is from the architecture. Our work is very inspired by this and it gives us a power and piety.

I hope to continue to come here and by being here, to give a better image to both side. And to have great conversation even with leaders of the country and being able to also express some of the Western point of views and my ideas about how to help to improve the image and avoid war and at least end the consequences of these sanctions.

Accepting Islam

My study of Islam goes back to high school and college; we had a topic named "Clash of Civilization philosophy", where we were made to believe that Islam was basically a tyrannical sort of religion that was spread in Middle East by wars and tried to destroy the western civilization. 

Having read Koran, having been around Muslims, I reached this conclusion: Allah in Islam is the same God of Judaism and Christianity. When I was reading Koran, it was obvious for me that it was based on the Old Testament and the Testament. So I accepted that Mohammed is the prophet of the same God. So I decided to announce it publicly: that's what makes you a Muslim. By doing this, I take the consequences of whatever comes, in terms of acceptance of prejudice from people.
What I like in Islam is direct submission to God. It's a great feeling to walk into a mosque, a church or a temple freely and to be able to unify these three monotheist religions in my person and let people see this. 

It was more a sign of reaffirmation of my faith on God rather than a change.

A moment of Revelation

I'm not afraid of the consequences. In form of public outrage or whatever people might say. For me it makes sense, it is logical to say "Mohammad is the prophet of God" and to say "there is No God but God". In a sense there was a moment of revelation, as I knew that I can say this. And it happened to be here.
For when back to US, I've already been asked to participate in the "O'Reilly Factor" show on Fox News [the most rude and Islamophobic show of the channel]. By embracing Islam, I've prepared myself to all these attacks. These guys are very afraid of Islam because they think it's the religion of terrorism. I'm inspired by leaders like Malcom X and Muhammad Ali that showed peacefully to the west what means to be a Muslim. We need more people to show this image.
I already have the spirit of Islam. I embraced it so that it helps me become a median in many ways and reconcile the east and the west. We must not look to the differences but to the same spirit.

My strategy will be just to continue to keep myself open. And by being open and learning and listening to people, hopefully I'll be able to have conversations and take positive steps. If people can't listen, they won't be able to learn. If I'm able to listen to people who have something to say, I'll be able to learn.

Ali was a destiny for me

I think that Ali was a destiny for me. God gave this name to me. A year ago, someone gave me sword of Ali to wear over my heart. As you know the sword of Ali (PBUH) comes from Gabriel. It means that Ali must be a great man to have such a great honor. I heard of a story about him facing one of his great enemies {at the war of Kheibar]. When he had that man down, Ali (PBUH) was going to kill him and that man spit. He went back and gave him mercy. He said that if I kill you out of anger, it won't be for justice.
I'm enjoying the name of Ali and every day I learn more about him.

Pure from heart

In this country, people start their meetings with prayer. Every time you get together, there is a sense of prayer. The idea of "stop, you've to slow down, you don't have to rush. Find your moment of peace. Make your peace for God and then continue on".
In the west, we are so rushed and we've lost spirituality in many ways. So I just wanted to reaffirm it and be a beacon to say to the people that we are all going to recognize God if we pass some barriers. The fact that we come all from one creator. As long as we worship the same creator the way of doing is just a matter of custom. Everyone has a special outward form but inside it has to be pure from heart.

Current projects

I filmed my first feature filmed named "Gray stone" which is about Jin and Dokhan that is unknown for Western audience. That took me a lot of time. It will finally come out this year in America and hopefully in Iran as well. I'm also acting in at TV series named "The Conspiracy Theory" with Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura
I travelled with Scott Franc to Iran for a documentary about the cohabitation between monotheist religions in Isfahan. Our aim is to create a much stronger understanding in Iran. The exchange between art and culture has made the difference in terms of world history.
The other project is about the Iranian Airbus that was shut by the US Navy in 1987 and around 300 passenger died. Scott will be the producer and I'll play in it.

Future projects

I've already projects in my mind, for example about Rumi [Jalaluddin Mohammad Rumi 13th-century Persian Muslim poet, jurist, theologian, and Sufi mystic], Ashura, Haj...
I still don't know what project I will ultimately have in my life but I've always felt that a spirit of God should be in the characters. At least in the transformation of the ones that learn, grows and become better as opposed to characters that just stay in the dark.

End of an Era

I hope that it's not the end of Time but the end of an age. I think that 2012 can be the end of an era. And all around I see people that wake up spiritually. And many people die or commit suicide if they are maybe unable or unwilling to go through this world.
The world is changing. The consciousness of the world is changing. So we must bring the Light in, and by doing this, we place ourselves in a line with the Mahdi (PBUH). Anyone can join this army as soon as you choose to be of the Light. And the Light is knowledge.