DENMARK 2008/9
While only four incidents were recorded in Denmark in 2008 compared to ten in 2007, twice this number was registered during the period of Israel’s Gaza operation. Fears of another crisis similar to the one that arose following the
publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in September 2005 grew when
some Danish newspapers reprinted one of them in February.
The Jewish community
Denmark was the first Scandinavian
country to permit Jews to settle when they arrived there in the 17th century.
Jews have enjoyed civic equality since 1814 and citizenship since 1849. Today
there are 7,000 Jews in Denmark, out of a total population of 5.25 million. Most of the community is concentrated in Copenhagen, but smaller ones exist in Odense and Aarhus. The central communal organization is the Mosaiske Troessamfund. The
community operates only one synagogue, the Great Synagogue completed in 1833,
as well as the Caroline Jewish Day School (established in 1805). Together with Copenhagen Municipality, the Jewish Community is involved in running Deborah Center, a new home for the aged. Joedisk Orientering is the leading Jewish publication,
together with Goldberg, a cultural magazine. There is also a small
progressive Jewish community, Shir Hatzafon, as well as a Chabad Lubavitch center.
extremist groups
Left-Wing Groups
Danish left-wing groups tend to
emerge and become active in relation to developments in the Israeli-Palestinian
arena. In addition to older groups such as the International Solidarity Movement
and Boycott Israel, a new arrival on the scene was Gaza Initiative, an umbrella
organization for small Danish left-wing groups, various sections of Palestinian
groups, and mixed groups (comprising both Danes and Palestinians), such as Free
Palestine. Gaza Initiative was the prime mover behind the majority of anti-Israel
demonstrations during the Israel’s military offensive in Gaza. They have excellent
relations with the immigrant communities and work closely with their leaders.
An
appeal was lodged by the Danish Prosecution Service in the case of seven
persons from the clothing company Fighters and Lovers who were acquitted of lending
support to the terrorist organizations PLFP (Popular Front for the Liberation
of Palestine) and FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), via sales of
T-shirts with various slogans and logos (see ASW 2007).
The second highest court (Landsretten) found six of the seven guilty of
supporting terrorist organizations and handed down varying sentences of up to
six months in prison.
Right-Wing Groups
Neo-Nazi and other extreme right
groups, such as Dansk Front (Danish Front), the Danish National Socialist Party
(DNSP) and Blood & Honour, tend to maintain a much lower profile in Denmark
than their counterparts in Sweden and Norway. Membership is small: the Danish police
estimate that Dansk Front, for example, has 400−500 members. Calling for
“Denmark for Danes,” the main concern of the extreme right is immigration. In
2008, they organized a few minor demonstrations, handed out fliers on some
occasions, and held a few neo-Nazi music concerts.
Muslim and Middle East Immigrant Population
Muslim sources estimate their
number in Denmark at 300,000, while official sources put it lower at 225,000;
there are 115 functioning mosques. According to researchers, only about 10
percent of this population are practicing Muslims. Most Muslims live in the
main cities of Copenhagen, Aarhus and Odense. During the 1970s, many Muslims
immigrated to Denmark from Turkey, Pakistan, Morocco and Yugoslavia. From the 1980s, most Muslim immigrants came from Iran, Iraq, Somalia and the Palestinian
territories. The last significant immigration wave – which is still ongoing
though at a lower lever − was from Iraq. There are no statistics on
illegal immigration.
A growing number of
teenagers are converting to Islam. One in three converts is 14−19 years
old. While 2,500 people converted to Islam in 2005, this number is estimated to
have escalated to 4,500−5,000 in 2008.
As in other west
European countries, a large part of the Muslim community is concentrated in
ghettos, such as Vollsmose (Odense), parts of Nørrebro (central Copenhagen) and Rosenhøj, close to the city of Aarhus. The more militant among them
claim that these areas are autonomous neighborhoods: “This place belongs to us
and her we have our own rules.” Ambulances, police, firemen and postmen are
harassed when they try to enter the area, and are often stoned. In addition
young Muslims are increasingly implicated in growing criminality and violence
between gangs.
Islamist Groups
Extremist Islamist organizations
seek to recruit members in radical mosques, online, on university campuses and
in prisons. The transnational fundamentalist Hizb ut-Tahrir (HuT), for
instance, which always refers to Israel as “the Zionist entity,” is
well-established and very active in Denmark. Its influence on young Muslims is
illustrated by its ability to attract up to 1,500 people to their events.
Other
fundamentalist organizations especially active in educational institutions
(universities, colleges) include Minhaj-ul-Quran, which operates among people
of Pakistani origin, and al-Muhajiroun. Both disseminate propaganda urging implementation of the khilafa (political system in Islam – Caliphate)
and Shariah laws in Denmark and other countries with Muslim communities. It is generally
assumed that both the Kurdish Ansar al-Islam/Ansar al-Sunna and Hamas have
supporters in Denmark. The al-Aqsa Spannmål (al-Aqsa Foundation), an
international organization with branches in various European countries, and
which both the US and Israel claim channels money to Hamas’ terror activities, continues
to function although several of its European branches have been shut down by
the authorities (see ASW 2007).
A new radical
Islamic group, Asir, or Nordic Jihad, made up of former criminals who have
returned to Islam, has reportedly been formed.
Fears of another
crisis similar to the one that arose following the publication of cartoons of
the Prophet Muhammad in September 2005 (see ASW 2005 and
2006) grew
when some Danish newspapers reprinted one of them in February in protest
against threats to the cartoonist. However, following a short period of remonstrations
in the Arab media, tensions died down. Only Sudan declared that it would
boycott Danish merchandise and in Gaza, Rabbit Assud (from Hamas TV for kids)
declared: “If they repeat it – we will kill them. I will bite them and eat them.”
The program also called for a boycott of Danish goods.
The case
involving the arrest in 2007 of eight militant Islamists from Glasvej for
planning a series of terrorist attacks (see ASW 2007)
ended in 2008. The two main suspects, Hammad Khürshid (from Pakistan) and Abdoulghani Tokhi (from Afghanistan) were sentenced on October 22 to 12 years and 7
years in prison, respectively.
antisemitic and Racist activity
Antisemitic Incidents
While between 2001 and 2006, the
Jewish Community of Copenhagen received an average of about
30 complaints of antisemitism a year, only four incidents were recorded in 2008
down from ten in 2007.
An Israeli rabbi
was harassed and chased in the Copenhagen Airport underground car park by three
men of Middle Eastern origin. He succeeded in reaching the airport police
station, but the men disappeared. In addition, a member of the Jewish community
complained that someone with a “Middle East accent” had rung his intercom and
said: “You Zionist pig, all Jews have to die.” A journalist working at DR
(Danish Radio & TV) had the tires on this car slashed a week after
receiving the message: “You will soon shut your dirty Jew-mouth.” Antisemitic
graffiti was also reported on the wall of a shopping mall in Greve.
Israel’s Gaza Operation
Denmark’s Muslim population appeared well-prepared
and effective in organizing anti-Israel demonstrations in all the large cities.
In Odense (main city of Fyn), two Israelis manning a stall of Dead Sea products
in Rosengårdcenter were harassed and then shot at on January 1. Both fled
the shopping mall but were wounded during the attack.
Among the many anti-Israel
demonstrations, the Gaza Initiative organized rallies in various areas of
Copenhagen and Odense, including in Nørrebro, a neighborhood of the
capital heavily populated by Middle East immigrants, on January 4, 5, 7 and 13.
Slogans included “Israel=child murderers,” “Israel =aggressor” and the letters [Waffen]
SS written as symbols for lightning. Another rally was organized by Hizb-ut-Tahrir
in Nørrebro. In addition to slogans similar to the above, there was also
the call “Allah is great and the Jews are the enemies of God.” Green Hamas and
black Hizballah flags were common. Some leading members of the Islamic
community such as Khalil Assi of the Islamic Faith-Society participated in this
demonstration.
The Jewish Community
organized a counter-demonstration of 600-700 participants, calling for peace in
the Middle East, against terror, and against the demonization of Israel, on January 10, at City Hall Square in Copenhagen. Toward the end a heavy police presence
protected participants against a large number of Muslims, who sought
confrontation and tried to interrupt with slogans such as “We will kill all
Jews,” and “Jews do not have right to exist.”
Eight antisemitic incidents
were reported in January 2009 alone during the Gaza operation. Besides the
shooting incident in Odense and the threats to Jewish demonstrators, the Jewish
school in Copenhagen received a mail threat, which said: “Watch your children…
They will be killed like our children got killed by Israeli soldiers… We will
kill them very soon – we will bomb them.” In addition, abusive mail was
received by a member of the community and by an employee of the Danish Zionist
Organization (“Now I understand why Hitler wanted to exterminate all Jews…”), and
a colleague of the latter organization was the target of an abusive voice mail
from “`Abd al-Jabr” (f***ing Jewpig,” etc.). A monument to Jews killed in Theresienstadt
was desecrated and a car belonging to a Jewish participant in a demonstration
was vandalized.
The month of February
witnessed a similar but declining trend.
