Naser Khader faces Supreme Court lawsuit in connection with calling female imam an Islamist

Undeterred by defeat in the High Court last year, Sherin Khankan has continued with her bid to see justice

Naser Khader, who stepped down from his duties as a Konservative MP to take stress leave in April, will today begin his defence in the Supreme Court against charges that he libelled the female imam Sherin Khankan.

Like she did with an unsuccessful lawsuit in the High Court last year, Khankan will contend that Khader defamed her with a character assassination and abuse of power when he sent an email on 13 September 2017 to a group of MPs (from Radikale, SF and Alternativet) airing concerns about Exit Circle, an organisation that helps victims of psychological violence, which she chairs.

Concerns about funding
The email, which was co-signed by Venstre’s Marcus Knuth and DF’s Martin Henriksen and aired concerns about Exit Circle receiving 680,000 kroner in state support, was subsequently shared with the public, while Khader went on to make a series of posts on Facebook.

At the Eastern High Court last year, which was the case’s first hearing, it was ruled that MPs cannot be responsible for statements made or written in connection with their work in Folketinget. It further concluded that Khader’s social media posts were part of the public debate and, to a certain extent, valid.

Knuth and Henriksen are no longer being sued as part of the case.

“Not an Islamist”
Khankan is most particularly aggrieved with Khader’s claim that she has a “black Islamist past”, vehemently denying the allegation, underlining how she supports secularism and conducts  interfaith marriages.

“An Islamist is a person who defines Islam as a political ideology. I am a female imam and you cannot be a female imam and an Islamist at the same time,” she said.

“I think it is undermining democracy that powerful politicians at Christiansborg can abuse their political influence to spread lies and undermine citizens’ personal reputation and professional work.”

Scores of complaints
However, since Khankan’s unsuccessful lawsuit last year, a number of political commentators and colleagues of Khader have claimed they felt “threatened” by Khader over a period of “many years”.

Specifically, the complaints allege that Khader, who swiftly went on stress leave after they were aired last month, contacted the employers of his rivals with unfounded accusations to pressure employers into reprimanding them.




  • Greenland, Danish life science, and the future of US-Danish relations

    Greenland, Danish life science, and the future of US-Danish relations

    The US is the biggest market for the Danish life science industry, the country’s currently most important. Despite the situation, Denmark is not alone. There is also room for compromise, and promises of such jobs and additional investments are likely to at least reduce the tensions in US-Danish trade relations.

  • The internationals who created an app to make friends in Denmark  

    The internationals who created an app to make friends in Denmark  

    A team of young internationals has created an app that is helping their peers connect and build friendships in Denmark, addressing the challenges of social integration.

  • New documentary stirs debate in Denmark and Greenland 

    New documentary stirs debate in Denmark and Greenland 

    The documentary Greenland’s White Gold, reveals the worth of cryolite mining in Greenland to be in the billions. Over the years its value has been undermined, despite it acting like a gold mine for the Danish state. 

  • Today is 10 years from Copenhagen terrorist attack

    Today is 10 years from Copenhagen terrorist attack

    On February 14 and 15, the last terrorist attack took place in Denmark. Another episode occurred in 2022, but in that case, there was no political motive behind it

  • Enter Christiania: how the Freetown works

    Enter Christiania: how the Freetown works

    We all know Christiania and have been there at least once. But how does the Freetown work? How are decisions made? Can a person move there? Is there rent or bills to pay? British journalist Dave Wood wrote a reportage on Christiania for The Copenhagen Post.

  • The struggles of Asian women in Denmark’s labour market

    The struggles of Asian women in Denmark’s labour market

    Isha Thapa unfolds her research “An Analysis on the Inclusivity and Integration of South Asian Women in High-Skilled Jobs within the Danish Labor Market”. Thapa describes the systemic and social challenges these women face, ranging from barriers in social capital to cultural integration.