Did Akkari mean to blow up Khader? UPDATED
According to Jyllandsposten the Danish imam Ahmed Akkari has been reported saying about Naser Khader, Danish parliamentarian for the Social Liberals: "If some day he becomes minister of immigration and integration, I wonder if one should not send two guys out to blow him and his ministry to pieces".
According to the Arabic language translator of the Danish public service channel DRTV, Akkari's words should be rendered in the following way: "If some day he becomes minister of immigration and integration, I wonder if a couple of fellows will come round and blow him up?" In that translation it is more of a hypoethetical statement and thus not so incriminating for Akkari.
The journalist , the Algerian born Mohamed Sifaoui, filmed Akkari with a concealed camera during a drive where Akkari was talking with another Danish imam, Raed Hlayel. The film is going to be shown on French and Danish TV tonight (TV2 22 o'clock news). Akkari spoke in Arabic. The text has been translated by independent translators.
Akkari has admitted making the death threat, but he now says it was in jest. "There is a tradition of sarcasm and irony in Denmark", he says to Danish media. Nonetheless, he has been reported to the police for making death threats. It is one of Naser Khader's fellow parliamentarians who has gone to the Danish police and reported Akkari.
According to DRTV 18.30 news, Khader considered dropping his political career. It was not worth the risk to himself and the well-being of his family, he said.
posted by Cosmic Duck at 7:22 AM
5 Comments:
Do you think that taking the cartoons matter to the whole arab world was a matter of competition to see who is the one defending Islam and to make Khader's position in the Rasmussen cabinet impossible ? We still miss something here. Why Rasmussen and the Jyllandsposten reacted the way they did ? And why Khader is stirring such an opposition from one of his fellow imams. Do you know if the imams have different allegiances in the arab world ? Do you know if they are from different muslim sects ?
Sorry for all these questions but I don't watch TV and I will not be able to see the reportage.
When they took the matter to the Arab world, it is probably a reflection of their growing marginalisation in Danish society. They are angry at Denmark - and with some right. Here they got a chance for rectification - to promote themselves, - and their interpretation of islam.
The muslims in Denmark are very different. Naser Khader is almost what you could call a "secularised" muslim, - some muslims in Denmark call him a "weekend-muslim". But he is a muslim; some would call him an exponent of euro-islam (Tariq Ramadan et. al.) in Denmark. He is now one of the highest ranking parliamentarians of the Radicals, a social liberal centre party with a strong belief in tolerance and multi-cultural globalization.
Muslims like Abu Laban from Islamic faith Community, and Ahmad Akkari are fighting a losing battle against "secularisation" tendencies among the younger elements of muslims in Denmark. That is probably the reason why they use the cartoons case as a kind of chance for a "come-back" into the hearts and minds of Danish muslims that number about 200.000.
The most radical elements in Hizb-ut-Tahrir who want to make sharia law and introduce the caliphate in Denmark do not have many adherents. A recent poll among muslims in Denmark shows that only 1.6 per cent support them. This organisaton is prohibited i several European countries, but not in Denmark.
If there is a secularisation tendency among muslims in Danemark, that means that they are on the way of integration. So really I don't undertsand why Rassmussen played in the hands of the radical clerics by refusing them a formal apology ? A little formal apology and nobody would have talked about the matter while now it seems to me that he brought divisions in Danish society and gave ammunitions to radical Islam.
An apology does'nt hurt freedom of expression. It just says: 'Look, I said or did this and if you are hurt than I give my apology'. It doesn't seem to me that this hurts freedom of expression.
Sophia.
Yes, you're right. A lot of people wonder why he couldn't say the little word or taken the meeting with the ambassadors. That would have defused the whole thing before it started.
I seriously doubt that meeting whith the ambassadors would have helped much, and what exactly is it you want him to apolegise for?
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