Denmark: Approval for Azhar institute

Danish authorities have approved the establishment of an Azhar institute in Denmark to teach the Islamic religion, confront misconceptions about Islam and explain the true Islam to the European society. The Islamic community in Denmark received initial approvals from authorities for the establishment of the institute, said Al Azhar Undersecretary Sheikh Abdel-Fattah Allam. Similar institutes have been established in Britain and Austria, he added. The decision came after Danish newspaper the Jyllands-Posten published Muhammad cartoons on 30 September 2005. The newspaper claimed that this publication was an attempt to contribute to the debate regarding criticism of Islam and self-censorship. The published cartoons outraged numerous reactions in the Arab world starting with protests to boycotting Danish products and called for several initiatives for interfaith dialogue.

Source: ANSAmed (English), h/t EuropeNews (English)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

"In response to the Muhammad cartoons published by Danish papers and to the recently released film by Dutch MP Geert Wilders, Al-Azhar Sheikh Muhammad Sayyed Tantawi said: "Any reasonable person must speak out vehemently against harming the Koran and insulting the Prophet, and must use an iron hand against those who do so."

He said that if a Muslim harmed books holy to non-Muslims, or harmed the prophets of other monotheistic religions, "we would demand that he be punished as a lesson to all, and that he must be beheaded.""

Source: Al-Khaleej, UAE, March 5, 2008

Anonymous said...

That's the most suicidal thing Denmark could has ever done. Hope it's not too late for them to change their mind. They might want to read Journey Into the Mind of an Islamic Terroris by ex-Muslim "Mark A. Gabriel" (pseudonym), Ph.D. from Al-Azhar, Egypt, also an ex-imam, in which he explains the potential dangers of an Al-Azhar education. - ER