Denmark: Minister supports Great Mosque

Denmark's Minister of Ecclesiastical Affairs Birthe Rønn Hornbech says that Muslims in Copenhagen should have the same possibilities as other religious communities to have a prayer house.

The Muslims today are relegated to empty factories and cellars around the country, but the minister will not stand in the way of a great mosque in Copenhagen.  She says her starting point is that it's up to the Muslims themselves, and they should have the same possibilities for a prayer house as everybody else, but just as with all other religious societies, it should be on their own initiative.

Birthe Rønn Hornbech had in the past offered her aid when Muslims had problems with a cemetery in Brøndby, and when it comes to the right to practice one's religion the minister is clear: she's not a religion minister, but she's ready to support the religious associations with practical things, she said in an interview to Information.  She lamented the increased negative focus on religion in Denmark.

The minister's statements and her goodwill in connection to the great mosque made the Islamic Society in Denmark happy, but Carl Christian Ebbesen, of the Danish People's Party at the Copenhagen city council, rejects the idea of a mosque, thoughts of a mosque, and said he was very displeased with the minister's report.

Source: DR (Danish)

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