Category Archives: Denmark

Mohammed cartoonist accuses BBC of ‘appeasing Muslim fanatics’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The BBC has been accused of appeasement of radical Islam by the artist behind one of the infamous cartoons of Mohammed. Kurt Westergaard claims the corporation’s decision not to air a recent interview with him came because they are petrified of upsetting Muslims extremists.

Mr Westergaard told the Daily Mail last night: “I am disappointed on behalf of the freedom of speech. Every time you are afraid I think you make a step backwards. That is depressing me.” He compared the BBC’s behaviour with the way countries tried to appease Hitler before the Second World War.

Daily Mail, 3 April 2009

When you get to the end of the article you find the following: “A BBC spokesman said last night: ‘No decision has been made yet. As and when one is, it will be based, as always, on editorial merit’.”

Århus: Muslim woman refused travel on bus due to veil

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Bus company Arriva said that it was a case of confusion and not racism that led a bus driver to refuse travel to a woman wearing a headscarf.

A Muslim family was shocked when a local bus driver refused to continue driving unless the mother, who was wearing a traditional headscarf, got off the bus.

Århus Stiftstidende newspaper reported that Houria Nouioua, together with her husband and three young children, was told by the young male bus driver that she couldn’t travel on the bus because she was wearing a niqab – a traditional Muslim veil that covers the face.

“The driver said that the rules in Denmark meant he couldn’t carry passengers that were masked,” said the woman’s husband, Mohamed Belgacem. “I was so shocked that she couldn’t travel on the bus. I’ve lived in Denmark for 12 years and have never experienced anything like this.”

The Arriva bus remained at the bus stop for 15 minutes while other passengers became involved in the incident, outraged at the behaviour of the bus driver. “It’s pure racism and discrimination,” said a female passenger who rang the Arriva head office and spoke to an official who instructed the driver to accept the Muslim passenger.

Martin Wex, press manager with Arriva said the driver will not be fired as it was not a case of racism but one of confusion. “The driver said he had heard that masks were forbidden during demonstrations in Denmark and thought that it also applied to buses,” said Wex, who confirmed that in the next issue of the employee magazine rules will be made clear to all personnel.

Copenhagen Post, 31 March 2009

Odense: hospital workers want headscarf ban

Posted on by Bob Pitt

OUHA headscarf is a religious-political symbol that doesn’t belong in a hospital, where the patients want to be met by neutral professionals, say a group of workers at Odense University Hospital (OUH), in Denmark, which include nurses, nursing assistants and healthcare assistants.

In the past few months they’re attempted to raise the issue about the headscarf in the workplace in the hospital’s personnel journal, Fokus, reports Kristeligt Dagblad.

“When people put on their uniform, it means that the person should be in the background. I saw several patients who feel that it’s offensive and provoking that the personnel’s political and religious convictions are being thrust upon them,” says one of those who raised the issue, nurse Rachel Adelberg Johansen.

“We’re not saying that people can’t be Muslim, Jewish or Christian. We just think that people should remove religious symbols from their professional life,” says Rachel Adelberg Johansen. She additionally emphasizes that the group of workers comes from all over the political spectrum.

The uniform committee at Odense University Hospital hasn’t considered banning the headscarf. “For us it’s about whether hygiene is ok, and whether people do their job,” says human resource head Frits Pedersen.

Islam in Europe, 18 January 2009

Danish People’s Party MEP: Expel Islam from Europe

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Skik flge eller land flyThe controversial Danish People’s Party member of the European Parliament Mogens Camre spoke at the DPP’s annual meeting Sunday, calling to expel Islam from Europe.

“Islam cannot be integrated. Islam will dominate Europe. And Islam is incompatible with our values. Therefore Islam will be thrown out of Europe. This little land is ours, we forged it ourselves. And we will govern it ourselves and decide ourselves who will live in it and how they will behave. And we will fight until Denmark is again free,” said Camre, to loud applause.

Last year a similar statement by DPP member Merethe Egeberg Holm caused a commotion, when she said “Out with all Muslims in Europe and in with Jews instead!” That was her last speech as after last year’s meeting, she was expelled from the party.

Camre met with harsh criticism for his statement. Kamal Qureshi (Socialist People’s Party) compared the DPP politicians to Danish Nazi head Jonni Hansen. He also hit out at his colleagues in parliament, whom he thinks are keeping too quiet. Both the reigning party and the opposition should distance themselves from the statements.

Islam in Europe, 25 September 2008

Anti-Islamic movement hits the rocks

Posted on by Bob Pitt

SIOE NederlandAn attempt to set up a pan-European anti-Islam movement is in tatters after its launch activities turned into a series of disasters and its two main components in Denmark and the Netherlands split up.

Stop Islamisation of Europe (SIOE) was founded in 2007 after Stop Islamisation of Denmark (SIAD), led by Anders Gravers, had experienced momentary success in the wake of the controversy over the publication of anti-Islamic cartoons in a regional newspaper in September 2005.

Gravers and Stephen Gash from the UK became SIOE’s official spokesmen, believing it would act as a springboard for a wider European campaign this spring even though similar anti-Islamic groups were active only in the Netherlands. SIOE planned several anti-Islam demonstrations but few took place and the intended large rallies turned out to be no more than small gatherings in the Netherlands and Denmark.

On 26 January 2008, Gravers spoke at a poorly attended demonstration in Amsterdam. This was followed by two demonstrations in Denmark, on 14 March in Hobro and on 15 March in Aalborg, attended by Martin and Monique van der Hulst from SIOE Netherlands and the notorious Dutch nazi Ben van der Kooi.

Van der Kooi’s presence is interesting. His participation in demonstrations split SIOE in the Netherlands because of objections to cooperation with a known extremist. Others in SIOE were unperturbed and organised another demonstration in Amsterdam, but called it off when few people turned up.

The final demonstration was to be on 31 May in the heart of Copenhagen. By then the rot had set in but the grandiose plans for the day included speakers from Britain and Norway and rabble bussed in from all over Denmark to vent their anti-Islam spleen.

As in Amsterdam, the demonstration was, most embarrassingly, called off. The official reason was that Gash, the main speaker, had “been prevented” from taking part. A more likely reason is that anti-racist groups were organising a large counter-demonstration.

That was the least of SIOE’s headaches because it emerged that, days after the failure of the Amsterdam activity on 5 April, SIOE Netherlands had withdrawn from European cooperation, denouncing Gravers as an authoritarian who routinely ignores criticism from SIOE members.

Searchlight, August 2008

Denmark’s veiled soccer star

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Zainab al-KhatibODENSE — Zainab al-Khatib commanders the attention of the women national soccer team fans not just with her unmistaken talents, dribbling skills and spectacular goals but also her colorful hijab. “I’m so glad that I set a precedent in Denmark,” 15-year-old Khatib, the star of the national team for girls under 16, told IslamOnline.net.

She was recently chosen to join the team after receiving permission from the Danish Football Association (DBU) to be the first ever hijab-clad girl to play for a national team, not only in Denmark but across Europe.

Khatib, who only started her professional football career two years ago, is now the striker for the national team. She has led her team to an impressive victory in their latest match against Sweden, scoring a wonderful goal.

“Zainab has a strong personality and her attitude is always positive and inspirational in and outside the court,” her coach Troels Mansa told IOL. “She is one of my best players and I am so glad to be her coach.”

Khatib believes all the fuss over hijab is meaningless. “It is always wonderful to be able to strike a balance between your religious duties and your hobbies.”

She says her teammates are very supportive. “They have welcomed me into the team and I faced no obstacles. During our match with Sweden, some players were surprised to see my hijab but nobody commented.”

She wants her contribution to the team to demonstrate the willingness of Danish Muslims to integrate into society. “I see myself as a Danish Muslim who effectively contributes to her society and will be proud to represent my country abroad.”

Islam Online, 25 June 2008

Qaradawi slams Pakistan bombing

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Qaradawi2DOHA — Renowned Doha-based Islamic scholar Dr Yusuf Al Qaradawi has denounced the bombing at the Danish embassy in Islamabad on Monday to protest against the blasphemous cartoons on Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him).

In a statement issued in the wake of the blast that killed two people and injured several others, Qaradawi said such violent protests will only help tarnish the image of Islam all over the world.

“We condemn what was done in the Danish embassy in Pakistan. We have been urging Muslims to protest peacefully against the blasphemous Danish cartoons. It is the duty of Muslims to protect the lives of people who live in their country as their guests,” said Qaradawi.

The scholar, who heads the International Union of Islamic Scholars, said the union has already denounced the Danish cartoons as a deliberate attempt to provoke Muslims all over the world and hurt their sentiments.

Peninsular, 4 June 2008

Denmark: Three Muslims attacked after embassy bombing

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The former spokesperson of the Islamic Faith Society (IFS), Kasem Said Ahmed, was attacked on his way to work, soon after the attack on the Danish embassy in Islamabad was announced in the Danish media.  The attack occurred at the Ryparken station in Copenhagen.

Ahmed said that a man came up to him and asked if he wasn’t an imam and then punched him in the face.  Fortunately two Danish men quickly came and pushed him away.  He believes the attack is connected to the bombing in Pakistan.  He was not injured and therefore decided not to report the attack to the police.

Two women on their way to prayer were threatened by three hooded men next to the IFS mosque in Dortheavej, Nørrebro (Copenhagen).

ISF says they have received several hate-mails from angry Danes on Monday.  The mails said that Muslims should go back where they came from as Allah will continue to be insulted.

Billal Assaad, ISF’s chairman, says that they’re tired of being blamed for the terror attack.  They had sent out a press release in both Danish and Arabic where they deplored and rejected the attack.

Per Larsen of the Copenhagen police says they will make sure to deal such attacks before it gets out of hand and develops into something unstoppable.

Islam in Europe, 4 June 2008

Islamophobia forces Danish Muslims to consider emigration

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Pia Kjærsgaard DFPia Kjaersgaard’s Danish People’s Party has a genius for attracting attention. Over the past month its campaign to ban public employees from wearing Islamic headscarves has dominated the headlines and also triggered squabbles within most of the country’s other political parties.

The campaign began with a poster of a burka-clad woman wielding a judge’s gavel. The implicit message was that Danes risk having their courts invaded by Muslim hordes and sharia law. Birthe Ronn Hornbech, the immigration minister, denounced theDPP as “fanatically anti-Muslim” and said the judiciary was capable of policing its own impartiality and dress code. Stig Glent-Madsen, a high-court judge, confirmed that the judiciary had always managed this itself.

Yet the government, which relies on the DPP‘s support to stay in power, has decided that a new law is needed to ban the wearing of all religious symbols by judges – from Christian crosses to Jewish skullcaps and even Sikh turbans. The hapless Ms Ronn Hornbech will have to frame the law. And the DPP is now calling for even broader bans. Muslim headscarves, says Ms Kjaersgaard, are a “symbol of political Islam and the discrimination against women”. She wants them “out of schools, off the streets and outside the doors of parliament”.

Many Danes share Ms Kjaersgaard’s sentiments. A poll by Megafon for TV2 found 48% in favour of a ban on public employees wearing “religious garb”, and only 39% against.

One response has come from Danish-born Muslims. A poll by Politiken, a daily, of 315 young Muslim students, found that two-thirds of them were considering emigrating after graduation. Most gave as their reason “the tone of the Danish debate about Muslims”.

Economist, 29 May 2008