Wilders

The controversial Dutch politician and Member of the Dutch Parliament Geert Wilders gave a short interview on a Danish TV-channel yesterday. His interview prompted a swift and direct reaction from the Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen of Denmark saying that:

“I dissociate myself completely from Geert Wilders’ points of view and I must clearly reject Mr Wilders’ attempt at associating his views to those of the Danish Government. The Government stands guard over the freedom of expression, but I wish to underline once more that we do not share the values and views that Mr Wilders represents.

The Danish Government respects all religious communities and the religious feelings of all people.

In general, I condemn any expression, action or indication that attempts to demonise groups of people on the basis of their religion or ethnic background.

I strongly condemn Geert Wilders’ condescending statements about Muslims. I find these expressions extremely offensive. They are so insulting that I wish to hear no group in Danish society referred to in such a manner in the public debate.”

Denmark and the Muslim World

As a consequence of the Cartoons many myths and misunderstandings about my country are flourishing in the ME-region. On the embassy homepage we have tried to counter some of these myths by publishing some facts about life in Denmark and the Danish cooperation with the Muslim world.

The fact sheet about Denmark and the Wider Middle East contains a sum-up of some of the economic and political assistance that we are engaged with in the ME-region. Of particular interest to Jordan is our sustained support to the Palestinians, UNRWA, Iraqi refugees in Jordan and of course our Partnership for Progress and Reform with Jordan.

As I mentioned in my last blog posting, dialogue is crucial for enhancing understanding and respect among us. The fact sheet on Danish dialogue initiatives with the Muslim World is a comprehensive but not exhaustive list of our efforts. Some of the initiatives are government oriented, but most – and in particular the religious dialogue initiatives – are driven by the civil society organisations with government backing.

The freedom of expression is as you all know very dear to us Danes. Censorship is forbidden according to our constitution. None the less freedom of Expression is not an absolute right. Most public servants including diplomats and intelligence officers have signed a declaration of secrecy relating to information they obtain in their function. In this respect they have forfeited a part of their freedom of expression. For others, their use freedom of expression can be challenged in court according to the law. This is explained in more detail in the fact sheet on Democracy and Freedom of Expression in Denmark.

A lot of myths are circulating regarding the rights of Danish Muslims. One myth is that Muslims are not allowed to establish mosques in Denmark which of course is not correct. Muslim Danish citizens enjoy the same rights as other citizens in Denmark. The facts about Muslims in Denmark give an overview of some of these rights.

Finally, yesterday the Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Møller gave an important speech in the United Nations Human Rights Council that touched upon the central elements of the cartoon issue i.e. dialogue, freedom of speech and respect of Islam. I would very much recommend you to read his speech on the Web and comment here if you like. A news agency has also reported on the speech on this link in english and arabic.