The ten Imams said they would attend a meeting only if both antisemitism and Islamophobia were discussed and in a place of their choosing.
Representatives of 10 Muslim groups in Denmark canceled a meeting with the integration minister and the church minister in which they were set to discuss antisemitism in the Muslim community.
The 10 imams canceled last Thursday’s session at the last minute, saying it “creates more division than dialogue.”
A spokesperson for the Danish Muslim Union, Urfan Ahmed, told P1 Morgen Radio that, while the invitation appeared to be for a “dialogue meeting,” the Imams decided it was actually about “a violent one-sided monologue,” and so they chose not to attend.
“On behalf of the invited Danish Muslim groups, I would like to announce that we will not come to a meeting which is about shaming one population group at the expense of another. It creates more division than dialogue,” Ahmed said on Radio P1 Morgen.Instead of holding the meeting, the Muslim organizations suggested that the two ministers visit the Danish Muslim Union in Hvidovre to discuss both antisemitism and Islamophobia, rather than solely focusing on the former, according to DR.
The invitation was sent by Immigration and Integration Minister Kaare Dybvad and Church Minister Morten Dahlin.
“Unfortunately, it says a lot about how some Danish Muslims find it difficult to recognize the problems with antisemitism and radicalization,” Dybvad said after the cancellation.
A source told The Jerusalem Post that “they feel if they show up they are giving legitimacy to the issue,” and so by avoiding the meeting, they were “showing [the ministers] who’s boss.”Dahlin told Jyllands-Posten that the Imams had been summoned for the meeting because he and Dybvad recognized that “there are Islamic religious leaders in Denmark who do not use their influence for anything good.”Dahlin added that some religious leaders – referring to the Imams – “contribute to or turn a blind eye while antisemitism and terrorist sympathies are given free rein in certain Muslim circles.”
Unequivical rejection of antisemitism
The meeting was intended to make it “unequivocally clear that [antisemitism] is not something we will accept in Denmark,” Dahlin added.However, on P1 Morgen, Urfan Ahmed denied that antisemitism was prevalent in Denmark’s Muslim communities.The interviewers asked, “Do you reject the diagnoses that are being made here by the ministers, i.e., that there is widespread antisemitism in certain Muslim environments?”Ahmed replied that he felt antisemitism was ubiquitous in “civil society” and not an issue specific to Muslims or Islam in particular.
Ahmed also referenced a recent survey by Jyllands-Posten about Danish Muslims’ attitudes toward Jews and Israel.The study, released on the anniversary of the October 7 massacre, found that 35% of the Danish Muslim respondents believed Hamas’s attack on October 7 was justified.Just under a third (32%) expressed sympathy with Hamas, to some extent or significant extent.Ahmed rejected the survey, saying there “was a lack of concrete evidence,” citing “methodological problems.”However, the Post source said the study was fine and this criticism was being used to discredit it.
