Denounced: Danish MP’s call for Muslims to worship in warehouses

LONDON: The Danish People’s Party’s (DPP) call for Muslims to move their worship to “unmarked” buildings has been widely condemned.

Martin Henriksen, the right-wing party’s spokesperson, told Arab News that Muslim worship is “fine” if the praying ritual takes place in “normal buildings without minarets,” such as “offices or warehouses.”

“We take a stand against the divisive symbolism of traditional mosques,” Henriksen said. Henriksen added that he was “not against Muslims or Islam” and that individuals should be free to practice their faith as long as they abide by the rules of the “Danish constitution.”

The populist, anti immigration DPP on Thursday called for a ban on the construction of new mosques, as part of a plan to tackle “ghettos” in the country.

Henriksen confirmed that the DPP, which is the second largest party in the Danish parliament, aims to ban the construction of mosques in cities where there are “social problems.”

Chris Doyle, director of Council for Arab British Understanding (CAABU) told Arab News: “This is a lop-sided view. What about churches or Hindu temples? All these can also be seen as symbols of different religions living peacefully and cohabiting and assimilating well. It’s wrong to point out mosques and make Muslims feel like they are third class citizens. A minaret is something that shouldn’t be seen as wrong or divisive in any way shape or form.”

Shaista Aziz, a journalist and founder of the Everyday Bigotry Project, told Arab News: “Why should mosques not look like mosques? Freedom to worship is a basic human right and should be afforded to all citizens including Muslims. It appears Denmark wants to go down the same road as France and push Muslims into unmarked buildings – the only thing this does is create further alienation of a marginalized community and create further hostility at a time of rising open racism and anti-Muslim sentiment in Europe.”

Benjamin Martill, Dahrendorf Fellow in Europe after Brexit at London School of Economics, told Arab News: “The sources of these policies are not difficult to discern. Communities across Europe, reeling from years of wage stagnation and austerity-induced cuts to public services, are looking for someone to blame. Blaming immigrants, Muslims and other nations for society’s problems is scapegoating, pure and simple.”