Denmark: Muslims against ‘Ministry of Attitudes to Life’

Via Politiken:

The Socialist People’s Party Group Chairwoman Pernille Vigsø Bagge has said she would like to see the Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs change its name to the Ministry of Attitudes to Life, but the proposal has not immediately won much support among politicians. (source)

Via Avisen (Danish):

The Islamic Faith-Society doesn’t support the change either.

Spokesperson Imran Shah told Newspaq: “I think this is the wrong signal to send to the rest of the nation. It’s misunderstood tolerance.”

Imran Shah says that when he heard the suggestion “I thought she didn’t properly understand the task, which we as a society face, when we want multiple faith-societies in a larger unit, with the best of intentions.”

He says this shows the actual challenges are underestimated. “It looked as if she tried with a name-change to forget everything on how to create the appropriate frameworks for cooperation between faith communities and the Ministry.”

He says it’s a step in the wrong direction, since it portrays Muslims in Denmark as people who just have demands. “We live in Denmark and the constitution is based on Christianity, we should stick to that and I don’t think there are any impediments at all for it to be called the Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs. The name is completely insignificant.”

He says he hopes the debate will cause politicians to think twice before they open their mouths.

Denmark: Millions sent abroad to finance terrorism

Via JP (Danish, h/t JIHAD I MALMÖ)

Jakob Scharf, head of the Danish Security Service (PET), said Tuesday that terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and Al-Shabaab get funds from Denmark.

“PET estimates that around 20 million kroner (~$3.5m) are collected every year in Denmark to finance terrorist groups abroad,” he said. This is only an estimation.

In recent years Danish courts handled three cases of terrorism-financing. The cases involved people and associations who supported rebel movements in Colombia and Palestine with an overall sum of less than 150,000 kroner.

PET estimates that the groups who enjoy the Danish millions include groups in conflict zones like Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Palestine and Somalia.

PET says it’s often difficult to prove money transactions are related to terrorism because the terrorist networks use many middlemen. However , PET does say that various people have been stopped at airports on their way to conflict zones with large amounts of money.

Denmark: Former abducted child threatened for acting Danish

Via BT (Danish, h/t uriasposten):

When she was 11, Nadia (now 17) had been abducted by her Palestinian father to Lebanon. Her Danish mother had turned to TV 2 for help and she featured on ‘The Abducted Children’ show. While in Lebanon she had been married off and had a child. She came back to Denmark with her husband about a year ago, and now she’s divorced.

She says it’s not easy becoming a normal Danish girl again. She’s had big problems with several things, in particular Arabs who oppose her removing her headscarf.

Nadia had gotten repeated threats after she took off her headscarf and began to look and act like a Danish girl again.

“I’ve gotten threats of beatings because of my piercing, because I go out and because I’ve taken my headscarf off,” says Nadia.

“For example, one time I was at a party, and several young Arabs came there and threatened to beat me. Luckily a friend of mine was there and said ‘just try’, and at the same time a police car came by, so nothing happened.”

Since she’s come home she’s been living in her hometown of Korsør.

Copenhagen: Muslims clean up after New Year’s celebrations

The article doesn’t say, but these are Ahmadiyya Muslims. Ahmadiyya Muslims have held similar cleaning operations in Oslo and Amsterdam.

Via Fyens Stiftstidende (Danish):

A group of Muslim youth from the Nusrat Djahan mosque in Hvidovre (Copenhagen) volunteered on New Year’s Day to help clean up the night’s celebrations in the city’s central square.

“Our religion teachers us that we should love our country. And if we love our country, we should keep it clean,” says Muhammad Zakaria Khan, chairman of the mosque.

“Additionally, cleanliness if part of our faith. Various texts say that half of our faith is cleanliness. Therefore I sent 35 members of our community to the city to clean up,” he says.

The mosque’s chairman agreed with the municipality to help clean up around the main square, but the youth also managed to reach other places in the city.

“Our faith and religion Islam teaches us that we should respect and be loyal to the country where we live. Therefore in our mosque we do our best to be loyal to the Danish government and to Denmark,” says Muhammad Zakaria Khan. “Therefore we decided to help our city and save some tax money.”

He says it’s not the last time the mosque members will help with cleaning up, and says if the city will be satisfied and ask them to do it again, they’ll do so every year.

Christmas and Muslims: Tradition vs. Religion

I’ve been running behind with various stories, and so only now I’ve gotten around to some of the Christmas stories. While I was summarizing them up, I realized they all revolve around the same motif: Is Christmas a religious holiday or a traditional national-cultural holiday?

Muslims should go to church

Trygve Slagsvold Vedum (Centre Party) says Norwegian Muslims should visit churches (h/t Hodja) during the Christmas holiday, in order to understand Norway and Norwegians better.

He says Norwegian Christian traditions are part of Norwegian history and culture that immigrants would be better off knowing. He also says non-Christians should send their children to school Christmas services, so they will see the similarities between Christianity, Judaism and Islam, and learn about the traditions and rituals, and understand the customs better: why we have Christmas and why it’s important.

Vedum also emphasizes that ethnic Norwegians should visit mosques and the ceremonies of other religions.

Mehtab Afsar, General Secretary of the Islamic Council of Norway, was positive about the idea, but said it happens more often than people think. It’s not uncommon for people to visit each other’s holy places and to attend each other’s ceremonies. Muslims increasingly participate in cultural Christmas celebrations, even if they don’t participate in the religious aspects.

“I love Christmas”

Following up on the previous story, there were various columns by Muslims on how they see Christmas.

A Danish Muslim wrote that she’s a practicing Muslim, but when she was young Christmas time was always marked at home with the customary Danish foods. The children watched the traditional Christmas shows on TV and sang along to all the songs. In the past few years she’d been invited to celebrate Christmas with friends and their families. She writes she feels lucky to be allowed into her friend’s homes on such an important evening. She asks that people consider celebrating a traditional Danish Christmas with unconventional input: like a young woman who represents the opposite of Christmas, but has learned to embrace so much of the year’s best holiday.

A Dutch Muslim writes that this year she’ll be celebrating with a Christmas tree in the house. They’ve always celebrated Christmas at home: eating the traditional foods, watching the Christmas films on TV. One of her daughters goes to a Protestant school, and has been coming home singing beautiful Christmas hymns. This year her daughter asked for a tree at home, just like her classmates. She wants the tree as well, since it makes the living room more homey and snug. Besides, if Christians could adopt the Christmas tree from pagan customs, so can she. And it would make her daughter happy.

Christmas at school

There have been various stories in Denmark about school dropping Christmas traditions out of consideration for Muslim students. School inspector Torben Mørup (Kvaglund school), says in his school students will participate in the Christmas event, which includes going to Church. “It’s tradition, not religion,” he says.

For the past five years the school did not go to church services, but they’re now bringing it back.

“It’s also an opportunity to show the non-Danish children who people celebrate Christmas in Denmark, and I hope many will participate in it.” Participation is voluntary and there were other arrangements for those who did not want to go to church.

Denmark: Muslim politician to join Washington think tank

Via the Copenhagen Post:

Denmark’s first immigrant MP is leaving politics to work for the Washington, DC-based think tankHudson Institute.

The Konservative politician Naser Khader used his Facebook page on Sunday to announce that he was quitting Danish politics.

“I’ll be travelling around the Arab world conducting research on freedom of expression and the growth of democracy. It will also have to do with the consequences of the Arab Spring,” Khader wrote, adding that he would continue to live in Denmark, while commuting to Washington and the Middle East.

(source)

Denmark: Importing educated immigrants is a money maker

Via the Copenhagen Post:

Highly educated immigrants bring skills to Denmark, creating a high yield investment
Following years of strident debate about whether immigration will be the death of Denmark’s welfare system, the irony is that certain immigrants could soon be seen as its saviours.

Facts presented in a just-released research study show that highly educated immigrants – whether they come from developed ‘Western’ countries or under-developed ‘non-Western’ ones – are putting far more money into the state’s coffers than they are taking out.

The Centre for Economic and Business Research (CEBR) study – which is co-funded by Microsoft and Dansk Industri (DI), an association representing more than 10,000 Danish companies – is the first of its kind to measure Denmark’s net profit from highly educated foreign workers.

(source)

Denmark: DPP posts clip against Islamization

The Danish People’s Party’s new video against Islamization “I am Denmark” (h/t JihadWatch)

EU: Northern countries discuss returning young Afghan asylum seekers

Via the Local:

Norway and other Northern European countries have begun negotiations aimed at returning teenage Afghan asylum seekers to their home country.

Just “a few details” and “approval” from authorities in Kabul appear to remain, news agency NTP reported Justice Minister Pål Lønseth saying. The discussion appears to have gone on for many months.

Sweden has led the talks embarked on by Britain, Denmark, Norway and The Netherlands. The stated aim is to send back kids whose application for asylum has failed because they have not demonstrated a need for “protection” against being sent back to war-torn Afghanistan.

(source)

Denmark: Somalis in small town feel persecuted after rape of 10-year-old

Via Politiken (Danish):

Somalis in Gullestrup feel persecuted following the rape of a 10 year old.

A 10-year-old girl was raped Saturday evening in a wooded area in the town of Gullestrup, north of Herning. She had been playing with a 9-year-old friend in a playground by the kindergarten when a man threatened them to go with him into the woods. The 9-year-old friend escaped and ran to get help, but the rapist disappeared before the girl’s parents and police showed up. The girl described the rapist as African, 16-18 years old, with short, curly hair.

The police are asking anybody who might have even insignificant details on the case, to contact the police.

Three days after the rape, there is insecurity, suspicions, accusation and concern among the 2,000 adults, youth and children who live in Gullestrup.

Many non-Danes, and Somalis in particular, feel they’re under suspicion.

Poul Erik Lyngsø, chairman of the local council: Naturally there’s insecurity and a feeling of being suspected among the residents of Somali background, since now everybody think that they’re the ones who did it, because they have dark skin.” He says they keep indoors out of fear of unrest.

Ekstra Bladet reported about a ‘lynch atmosphere’ and of groups of 25-30 armed residents who are looking for the rapist, which according to a local shopkeeper should be castrated, while others think he should pay with his life.

An 18 year old Somali told the paper that people from the area suspect one of his friends, who is not a police suspect.

It was impossible to contact the Somali association in Herning.

But police, the local residents association and the local council say the rumors of revenge-thirsty residents are exaggerated and they warn the media and residents against inciting unnecessary conflicts.

Michael Kjeldgaard of the central Denmark police says that he’s heard the rumors, but can’t reconcile it with what he sees. It’s obvious there will be a bad atmosphere after such a serious crime takes place in a small community, but he doesn’t see armed hordes out to get revenge.

Police and social workers were on the streets Monday to speak with people in an attempt to keep tempers calm.

Poul Erik Lyngsø of the local council had called key people in the community. He told them that obviously there will be sparks between certain groups, and joggers would stay home rather than run in the woods, but otherwise it’s quiet and peaceful. We’ve calmed things down so the police can work in peace.