Concerns mount about mosque’s ties to Hamas TV station

Islamic organisation behind new mosque denies having formal agreements in place with Al-Aqsa TV

While concerns mount about co-operation between a new mosque and a Hamas-sponsored TV station, Islamic organisation Dansk Islamisk Råd has announced that they have no formal agreement in place with Al-Aqsa TV.

Mohamed al Maimouni, the media spokesperson for Dansk Islamisk Råd, which built the mosque on Rovsingsgade Road in in the Østerbro district, told The Copenhagen Post yesterday that the media centre would be used to produce content for several Arab TV stations, including Al-Aqsa.

According to al Maimouni, Dansk Islamisk Råd has created content for Al-Aqsa TV in the past and will continue work with the broadcaster as long as what it reports is in line with his own organisation’s viewpoint.

READ MORE: Hamas TV to broadcast from Copenhagen

“If they try to move their content into a political direction that we do not agree with, we will decline,” al Maimouni said.

But today Dansk Islamisk Råd released a statement saying it had been misquoted.

“[Dansk Islamisk Råd] has considered formally collaborating with Al Jazeera and other selected news channels, but so far no firm agreements are in place,” the organisation stated.

Disappointing relationship
According to Radio- og tv-nævnet, a national broadcasting regulator, Al-Aqsa TV has not applied to broadcast from Denmark, which could put it in violation of anti-terror legislation if it promoted Hamas.

But even if the TV station only uses the mosque’s facilities to produce content that is broadcast abroad, Jacob Mchangama, director of legal affairs at liberal think tank Cepos, argued that the relationship was damaging.

“From the point of view of the Muslim community in Denmark it’s a shame that they worked so long for a formal mosque, only for the mosque to work together with a propaganda vehicle that is spreading anti-Semitism and religious fundamentalism,” Mchangama told The Copenhagen Post.

“I’ve watched a few clips from Al-Aqsa TV and they quite clearly glorify terrorism and anti-Semitism and would be prohibited if they were broadcast from Denmark.”

SEE RELATED: Radio and TV board to take another look at Roj TV

No broadcast licence
A spokesperson for Radio- og tv-nævnet told The Copenhagen Post that Al-Aqsa has not applied to broadcast from Denmark and that it was too early to tell whether it would be granted permission.

“The Radio and Television Act deals with the character of the broadcast programming, not the character of the broadcaster,” chief advisor Kaspar Lindhardt said.

Yesterday a spokesperson for Dansk Islamisk Råd confirmed that Arab stations Al Jazeera, Huda TV and Al-Aqsa TV were all interested in using the mosque’s media facilities, leading a number of politicians express concern about possible links to extreme groups such as Hamas.

The Justice Ministry said it would leave it up to the Copenhagen Police to investigate the case.

“I understand that the Copenhagen Police have started to investigate the case to see if Danish law has been broken,” the justice minister, Morten Bødskov, told The Copenhagen Post. “As justice minister I have, as a matter of principle, no comment on the case.”

Political concern
Martin Henriksen, the immigration spokesperson for Dansk Folkeparti, called for a more robust response from Bødksov, however.

“The most recent developments confirm that there is reason to take a closer look at what will take place in this large new mosque,” Henriksen told DR Nyheder.

Mogens Jensen, Socialdemokraterne’s media spokesperson, expressed concern about the connection between the mosque and Hamas, but said the connection would not be sufficient to prevent it from operating in Denmark.

“We will have to see the content of the broadcasts before we can judge their character,” Jensen told Berlingske newspaper. “But we have tightened the law so that Radio- og tv-nævnet can ban broadcasts that promote terrorism.”

TOP STORIES

  • Bestselling author of ‘The Year of Living Danishly’ Helen Russell on why she moved back to the UK after 12 years

    Bestselling author of ‘The Year of Living Danishly’ Helen Russell on why she moved back to the UK after 12 years

    After more than a decade living in Denmark, Russell shares why she made the move, how she’s coping, what she already misses, and the exciting new projects she’s working on. “It’s been a very tough decision. I love Denmark, and it will always hold a special place in my heart,” she says.

  • Denmark launches first AI supercomputer

    Denmark launches first AI supercomputer

    The new Gefion AI supercomputer is one of the world’s fastest and will accelerate research and provide new opportunities in Danish academia and industry.

  • Navigating big love, big moves and big feelings

    Navigating big love, big moves and big feelings

    Experts believe it takes seven years to move into a new culture, according to leading Danish psychologist Jette Simon and therapist Vibeke Hartkorn. For expat couples, the challenges of starting a new life together in Denmark can put pressure on relationships, but emotions-focused therapy can help.

  • More and more Danes are working after retirement age

    More and more Danes are working after retirement age

    Politicians debate a lot these days about when you can retire. The reality shows that an increasing number of Danes like to work, even if they can withdraw from the labor market. Financial incentives help.

  • Environmental activist fears death in prison if extradited to Japan

    Environmental activist fears death in prison if extradited to Japan

    Canadian-born environmental activist Paul Watson has been in prison in Greenland for almost 100 days awaiting an extradition decision for a 14-year-old offence against a Japanese whaling vessel that he calls a “minor misdemeanor”. The 73-year-old had previously passed through Ireland, Switzerland, Monaco, France and the USA without trouble, before Greenlandic police arrested him in July.

  • Denmark too slow to ease recruitment rules for non-EU service workers, say industry associations

    Denmark too slow to ease recruitment rules for non-EU service workers, say industry associations

    When the Danish government in January presented the first of its schemes to make it easier to recruit foreign labour from outside the EU, it was hailed by the healthcare and service sectors as a timely and important policy shift. But while healthcare changes have been forthcoming, the service sector is still struggling, say the directors of the industry association Dansk Industri and one of the country’s largest private employers ISS.

Connect club

Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.

Sign up here

Career

  • Come and join us at Citizens Days!

    Come and join us at Citizens Days!

    On Friday 27 and Saturday 28 of September, The Copenhagen Post will be at International Citizen Days in Øksnehallen on Vesterbro, Copenhagen. Admission is free and thousands of internationals are expected to attend

  • Diversifying the Nordics: How a Nigerian economist became a beacon for inclusivity in Scandinavia

    Diversifying the Nordics: How a Nigerian economist became a beacon for inclusivity in Scandinavia

    Chisom Udeze, the founder of Diversify – a global organization that works at the intersection of inclusion, democracy, freedom, climate sustainability, justice, and belonging – shares how struggling to find a community in Norway motivated her to build a Nordic-wide professional network. We also hear from Dr. Poornima Luthra, Associate Professor at CBS, about how to address bias in the workplace.

  • Lolland Municipality launches support package for accompanying spouses

    Lolland Municipality launches support package for accompanying spouses

    Lolland Municipality, home to Denmark’s largest infrastructure project – the Fehmarnbelt tunnel connection to Germany – has launched a new jobseeker support package for the accompanying partners of international employees in the area. The job-to-partner package offers free tailored sessions on finding a job and starting a personal business.

Want to advertise your job with CPH Post?

Contact us

Jobs