The Rise of Islamism in Denmark and Sweden (Part 2)

Part 1 »

Interview with Queen Margrethe II of Denmark: 'I Would Not Say We Are a Multicultural Country'

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: What is the job of today's European monarchs? Voicing political opinions on issues certainly isn't one of them, but Denmark's Queen Margrethe II wants to make an exception.

The path to our interview with the Danish queen takes us across a cobblestone courtyard and past a black Bentley with an open trunk, parked in the palace garage. Then we climb a winding oak staircase to the second floor of Amalienborg Palace, where the walls are adorned with French tapestries and oil portraits of the queen's ancestors. When Margrethe II, 76, greets us in her private library, there is a silver ashtray on the glass table in front of her. The queen, who is a professed chain smoker, has ruled her country for 44 years, and she is known as a down-to-earth and unpretentious person. On this day, she is wearing a simple white cotton dress with gold buttons, and earrings shaped like daisies. Margrethe II rarely gives interviews, and the queen makes a point of not discussing politics. » | Interview Conducted By Manfred Ertel and Britta Sandberg | Friday, September 30, 2016

Iranian Man Arrested after Threatening to Blow Himself Up at Danish Asylum Center

A man has been arrested after threatening to blow himself up at an asylum center on the Danish island of Funen, according to police. The arrest took place following negotiations with officers.

Meet the Salman Rushdie of Sweden and Other European Freedom Fighters

Ezra Levant of TheRebel.media interviews Swedish artists Dan Park and Lars Vilks, and Danish publisher Lars Hedegaard, all of whom have been attacked by both Muslims and their own governments for criticizing Islam.

Inside Story: Is Denmark's Plan to Curb the Refugee Rights Justified?

Long known for its tolerance, Copenhagen looks set to roll out stricter asylum laws.

Denmark to Force Refugees to Give Up Valuables under Proposed Asylum Law

THE GUARDIAN: UN warns that bill requiring refugees to pay for accommodation while applying for asylum will fuel fear and xenophobia

Denmark is set to force refugees to hand over their valuables in order to pay for their accommodation while applying for asylum, in a move the UN has warned may fuel fear and xenophobia. The Danish government has secured a parliamentary majority in favour of legislation that will severely curb the rights of refugees, and is expected to pass the legislation in parliament on Wednesday.

The bill states that asylum seekers who arrive with more than 10,000 kroner in cash “will have to [use] the surplus above 10,000 kroner to pay for their stay”, Danish government spokesman Marcus Knuth told the Guardian.

After criticism of an earlier draft of the law, refugees will no longer have to give up items of sentimental value, such as wedding rings, or items deemed as essential, such as watches. Gold bullion could still be seized, but Knuth said that in the case of any dispute of sentimental value, the asylum seeker would have the final say.

Responding to comparisons between the new law and the treatment of Jews during the Holocaust, Knuth said the claim was “ludicrous” because similar laws apply to Danish citizens on welfare benefits. “We’re simply applying the same rules we apply to Danish citizens who wish to take money from the Danish government,” he said. » | Patrick Kingsley Migration correspondent | Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Sweden and Denmark Crack Down on Refugees at Borders

THE GUARDIAN: Danes step up controls at German border after Swedish move to impose identity checks on people travelling from Denmark

Sweden and Denmark have moved to drastically reduce inward refugee flows, as Scandinavian countries compete with each other to shed their reputations as havens for asylum seekers.

For the first time since the 1950s, from midnight on Sunday travellers by train, bus or boat have needed to present a valid photo ID, such as a passport, to enter Sweden from its southern neighbour Denmark, with penalties for travel operators who fail to impose checks. Passengers who fail to present a satisfactory document will be turned back.

“The government now considers that the current situation, with a large number of people entering the country in a relatively short time, poses a serious threat to public order and national security,” the government said in a statement accompanying legislation enabling the border controls.

Hours after the Swedish checks were introduced, Denmark announced it had stepped up border controls on its southern boundary with Germany.

Sweden’s move marked a turning point for the ruling coalition of Social Democrats and Greens, which earlier presented itself as a beacon to people fleeing conflict and terror in Asia and the Middle East.

“My Europe takes in people fleeing from war, my Europe does not build walls,” the Swedish prime minister, Stefan Löfven, told crowds in Stockholm on 6 September. But three months and about 80,000 asylum seekers later, the migration minister told parliament: “The system cannot cope.” » | David Crouch in Copenhagen | Monday, January 4, 2016

Sweden Considers Emergency Closure of Bridge to Denmark

THE TELEGRAPH: Swedish government prepares proposal to halt traffic across the Oresund bridge to Denmark in bid to stop influx of asylum-seekers

Sweden’s government is rushing an emergency bill through parliament which will give it the power to halt road traffic across the Oresund Bridge to Denmark — bringing any future influx of asylum seekers to a sudden and dramatic halt.

The bridge, made famous by the popular television drama The Bridge, is used by 20,000 road commuters a day and has been the main entry route for those seeking asylum in Sweden. The country is expecting to receive some 190,000 asylum-seekers this year.

“This bill, if passed, would give the government the ability in an emergency to close the bridge without having to deal with it in parliament, because that would probably take too long”, Elin Tibell, press secretary to infrastructure minister Anna Johansson, told Sweden’s Dagens Industri newspaper.

Trains across the bridge will continue to run, but operators expect travel times to double from 30 minutes to an hour as police carry out passenger checks.

It comes as European ministers meeting in Brussels discussed sweeping measures to reintroduce border checks for up to two years, in an effective suspension of the thirty-year-old Schengen agreement. » | Richard Orange, Copenhagen | Thursday, December 3, 2015

Refugees Take Charge of Danish Newspaper for a Day

THE GUARDIAN: Liberal daily Dagbladet Information hands over reins to 12 refugees who are professional journalists, most of them recent arrivals in Denmark

Refugees facing hostile politicians and press in Denmark were given the run of a daily newspaper on Friday to present a radically different picture of the thousands of asylum seekers knocking on Europe’s door.

“For politicians, refugees are just a problem to be solved as quickly as possible, and most prefer to do it without looking them in the eye,” said an editorial in Dagbladet Information, an independent liberal daily, in a special issue written entirely by refugees who are also professional journalists. “Today it is the refugees who speak to us.”

The paper assembled a dozen refugees, most of whom are recent arrivals in the country, giving them full editorial control and help with research and translation.

“This is a chance to show the Danish people a different picture – we are giving them a new kind of story made by refugees,” said Dalam Alasaad, a Syrian journalist from Palmyra who came to Denmark via Turkey last year. » | David Crouch in Gothenburg | Friday, October 9, 2015

Danish Teenage Girl Stabbed Mother to Death after Watching Isil Videos with Islamist Boyfriend

Teenager Lisa Borch

THE TELEGRAPH: Lisa Borch was 15 when she stabbed her mother 20 times after becoming radicalised by an Iraqi boyfriend she reportedly met at a refugee centre

A Danish teenager stabbed her own mother to death after becoming radicalised by watching Islamic State videos of beheadings with an Islamist boyfriend twice her age.

Lisa Borch, then 15, attacked Tina Römer Holtegaard while she slept in her bed in her home in Kvissel, a tiny village near the northern tip of Jutland last October.

She stabbed her victim 20 times after spending hours on YouTube watching footage of the decapitations of the Islamic State of Syria and the Levant (Isil)'s victims David Haines and Alan Henning.

The court heard how Ms Borch and Iraqi Bakhtiar Mohammed Abdulla, 39, the radical Muslim boyfriend sentenced for carrying out the murder with her, relaxed in the evenings by watching bloody Isil executions on YouTube.

After the murder, Ms Borch rang the police to report the crime. » | Richard Orange in Malmö | Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Denmark Suspends Ferries as Migrants Demand Route to Sweden

Danish police clash with one of around 300 migrants who were
walking north on a highway in southern Denmark

THE TELEGRAPH: Ferries from Germany closed to trains after migrants refuse to disembark in Denmark, demanding to be taken on to Sweden

A major ferry crossing from Germany to Denmark has been partly closed after hundreds of migrants refused to disembark on arrival, demanding to be taken onward to Sweden, as Europe's migrant crisis spreads northward.

The crossing from Puttgarden to Rodby, Scandinavia's busiest ferry route to Germany, is usually open to car and train passengers.

But operators suspended the latter route after two trains carrying around 350 refugees spent Wednesday stuck in Rodby, demanding to continue on to Sweden.

The refugees refused to register with Danish authorities, which would mean having to apply for asylum in Denmark or returning to Germany, preferring instead to seek asylum in Sweden, where asylum conditions are more generous. » | Telegraph’s Foreign Staff | Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Danish Muslims Urged Not to Vote

THE LOCAL – DENMARK: Two radical Islamic groups in Denmark argue that democracy is incompatible with their religion and have told Muslims to boycott the June 18 election.

The controversial Islamic organization Hizb ut-Tahrir has urged Danish Muslims to stay away from the voting booths on the upcoming June 18th election as a form of protest against the democratic system.

“We are committed to being active participants in our society, but it has to be on Islam’s terms, without compromising our own principles and values. Democracy is fundamentally incompatible with Islam, and it is a sinking ship,” the organisation wrote in a press release, adding that the way forward for Muslims in Denmark is to oppose the country’s "Islamophobic" integration policies. » | Friday, June 05, 2015

Danish Queen: “It Is Vital That We Give Islam Opposition”

In a book written by journalist Annelise Bistruphave, published in April 2005, the Danish Queen Margrethe II said:
JIHAD WATCH: ”We are challenged in these years by Islam, both globally and locally, and it is a challenge we have to take seriously. … There is something impressive about people for whom religion permeates life from morning to night, from cradle to grave. There are also Christians who feel that way. …

But it [Islam] is a challenge we have to take seriously. We simply let it flutter in too long because we are tolerant, and it’s not so nice. … We should oppose it, and one must sometimes take the risk of being called less flattering things, since there are certain things one should not tolerate. … It is vital that we give Islam opposition. The lax response that has prevailed for many years in Denmark is not enough.”

In a recent interview given in connection with the Queen’s 75th birthday, our beloved Margrethe says (translated by Nicolai Sennels, via 10news.dk):

Seen with the Queen’s eyes, an important part of the reaction to the terror must be that we stand firmly by the key freedoms that Denmark is founded upon – including freedom of expression – which makes it possible to speak, write and express one’s opinion freely.

“I know there are some who say that we must be careful, and of course we need to think before speaking, but we must certainly also say things the way we think they are. We should not hold back. If you do not speak out about problems they become worse,” said the Queen.

Fear should never be allowed to dominate, although the terrorists are prepared to use violence. » | Nicolai Sennels | Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Danish Nationalists to Help Muslims Leave Islam

SPUTNIK NEWS: The anti-immigration Danish People’s Party calls for a national program to help Muslims leave Islam.

Danish People's Party spokesman Martin Henriksen wants to see the state step in and offer help to Muslims who want to give up on their religion but feel bullied into staying, The Local reported. » | Tuesday, March 17, 2015

My Friend the Suicide Bomber: Meet the Men Recruited to Kill

Al-Shabaab targets young vulnerable men across Scandinavia, inviting them to embrace jihad and become suicide bombers in Somalia. Seeking a sense of belonging, and encouraged by preachers on online videos, a group of Danish Muslims gathers in a small Copenhagen apartment and makes plans. When one man doubts the cause and sees his friends planning carnage, can he escape the call of al-Shabaab? If so, what next?

Copenhagen Shooting: Denmark Holds Mass Memorial and Rally to Honour Victims

Tens of thousands gather at torch-lit memorials across the country after two men are charged with helping suspected Islamist gunman obtain weapons and evade police

Read the Telegraph article here | David Chazan and Julian Isherwood in Copenhagen | Monday, February 16, 2015

Jews Face Renewed Doubt Over Their Future in Europe

People lay flowers outside a synagogue where an attack took
place in Copenhagen, Feb. 15, 2015.

TIME: Denmark's synagogue attack is the latest in a series across Europe

Denmark will do everything it can to protect Jews, said its Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt to reporters Monday. But across town, the thousands of bouquets that had been laid at the gates of a synagogue where a gunman killed a Jewish man at the weekend were a painful reminder that they hadn’t been protected enough. Here and across Europe, the attack added to a growing fear among Jews that the continent was once again not safe for them.

About 80 people were celebrating a bar mitzvah at the synagogue on the central Copenhagen street of Krystalgade in the early hours of Feb. 15 when Omar Abdel Hamid El-Hussain shot and killed synagogue member Dan Uzan, who was guarding the entrance to the building. Earlier El-Hussain had killed one and injured three at a meeting on freedom of expression organized by Lars Vilks, a cartoonist who had depicted the Prophet Mohammed as a dog.

Coming so soon after a similar attack in Paris, in which two gunmen killed cartoonists and editors at the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, while another killed five in two other incidents, the Copenhagen events have sharply undermined the small Danish Jewish community’s already deteriorating sense of security.

“It’s terrifying,” says Marianne Isaksen, a member of the congregation where Dan Uzan was killed. She and her husband Alf, both in their 70s, knew Uzan, and had come out to Krystalgade to commiserate with other synagogue members and pay their respects. “We knew things were getting worse, but we never thought it could happen here.” » | Lisa Abend | Copenhagen | Monday, February 16, 2015

Danish PM on Jihad Murders: “This Is Not a War between Islam and the West”

Helle Thorning-Schmidt, the Danish Prime Minister

JIHAD WATCH: “We feel certain now that it was a politically motivated attack, and thereby it was a terrorist attack,” said Thorning-Schmidt. But actually, it was a religiously motivated attack. Islam is the only belief-system that mandates violence against those who commit the crime of drawing cartoons of Muhammad and those who commit the crime of being Jews. Thorning-Schmidt’s denial of manifest reality only aids and abets the advancing jihad. Read on and comment » | Robert Spencer | Sunday, February 15, 2015

'Copenhagen Gunman' Shot Dead

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Danish police shoot dead man they believe was responsible for two 'Charlie Hebdo-style' attacks in Copenhagen that left two people dead and several injured


Copenhagen police said on Sunday they believe a man shot dead by officers was responsible for two fatal attacks that shocked the normally peaceful Danish capital.

The killings, coming little more than a month after bloody Islamist attacks in Paris that left 17 people dead, were described by Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt as "a cynical act of terror".

The man believed to be behind the shootings was shot dead after he opened fire on police at a rail station, a spokesman said.

It came after a 55-year-old man was killed at a panel discussion about Islam and free speech on Saturday attended by the Swedish cartoonist behind controversial caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed.

In the second attack, a Jewish man was killed and two police officers were wounded outside Copenhagen's main synagogue early on Sunday.

"We believe the same man was behind both shootings and we also believe that the perpetrator who was shot by the police action force at Noerrebro station is the person behind the two attacks," Torben Moelgaard Jensen told a press conference. » | AFP | Sunday, February 15, 2015


Copenhagen shooting during debate on Islam: live »

Danish Rabbi Criticises Benjamin Netanyahu's Jewish Emigration Call

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Leader of Denmark's Jews voices "disappointment" over Israeli leader's "come to Israel" plea following deadly anti-Semitic attack

Benjamin Netanyahu has clashed with Denmark's chief rabbi after seizing on the weekend's deadly shootings in Copenhagen to call on European Jews to emigrate en mass to Israel.

Rabbi Jair Melchior said he was "disappointed" by the comments of Mr Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, who made a fresh plea for Jewish emigration while extending condolences to Denmark over the twin attacks. An armed assailant killed a Jewish man guarding Copenhagen's main synagogue at around 1am on Sunday morning, following an earlier incident at a cultural centre hosting a conference on free speech in which another man was shot dead.

"Jews have been murdered again on European soil only because they were Jews and this wave of terrorist attacks – including murderous anti-Semitic attacks – is expected to continue," Mr Netanyahu told the Israeli cabinet, as it met to approve a £30 million scheme to absorb Jewish immigrants from France, Belgium and Ukraine.

"Jews deserve protection in every country but we say to Jews: Israel is your home. We are preparing and calling for the absorption of mass immigration from Europe. I would like to tell all European Jews and all Jews wherever they are: 'Israel is the home of every Jew.' ... Israel is waiting for you with open arms." Read on and comment » | Robert Tait, Jerusalem | Sunday, February 15, 2015