Carl Christian Ebbesen, Dansk Folkeparti’s culture and leisure mayor in Copenhagen, says that other city political parties, specifically Socialdemokraterne, are being “hypocritical” by continuing to work with Islamisk Trossamfund and support the construction of a new mosque in the capital.
In recent days, City Hall has said it will stop working with Islamisk Trossamfund unless it distances itself from controversial statements made by the religious community and visiting imams..
The organisation has, according to the city, welcomed an imam who advocated stoning and said Jews were descended from apes and pigs.
No new mosque
Ebbesen said that, as a consequence, the city should decline to give an exemption for the construction of an 18-metre high Sunni mosque on Dortheavej in northwest Copenhagen.
Islamisk Trossamfund already has one mosque on Dortheavej and is working to collect the approximately 80 million kroner it will cost to build a new mosque and culture centre designed by Henning Larsen Architects.
“It is hypocritical to sit and say they are so evil that the municipality will no longer co-operate with them, but then give them an exemption to build a large mosque in a few months,” Ebbesen told Berlingske.
Religious freedom
Socialdemokraterne’s leading city councillor, Lars Aslan Rasmussen, has said he will not vote against the mosque.
“I do not advocate what they stand for,” he said. “But I can easily support the mosque without having anything to do with them. It is about religious freedom. I certainly wouldn’t accept an invitation to the opening.”
READ MORE: Politicians and royals steering clear of grand mosque’s opening
Ebbesen said that Muslims would still be able to practise their religion without the new mosque.
“No-one is preventing Muslims from practising their faith in a mosque that conforms to municipal limits,” he said. “They are already doing well out there.”
