Posted on 11/08/2006 8:19:28 AM PST by knighthawk
ODENSE, Denmark (Reuters) - Just as Danes were breathing sighs of relief that the wounds caused by cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad were healing, they were re-opened with the arrest of seven Muslims accused of plotting bomb attacks.
Muslims say the arrests two months ago have set back their efforts to integrate into Danish society and they find themselves again forced to defend their allegiance to their adoptive country.
"We have worked in this city for a long time for integration," said Maher El Badawi, a social worker in Odense, the suspects' home town in central Denmark.
"But people are afraid that if even one of them is found guilty, all Muslims will be seen as terrorists."
Before a row erupted earlier this year over the publication by a Danish newspaper of 12 drawings lampooning the Prophet Mohammad, Denmark's 5.4 million people thought of themselves as tolerant and liberal, and generally welcoming toward immigrants.
As Muslims angry at the cartoons set fire to Danish embassies in the Middle East, the small Nordic country found itself at the center of a clash of cultures between Islam and the West.
"I feel safe and secure living here, but I feel that we no longer have freedom of speech," said Nena Madsen, a museum worker in Odense.
"I'm afraid to talk about things that will be seen as sensitive to other people. Here in Denmark, we like making fun of people, that's our humor. But now we cannot do that any more."
Authorities said the seven held in Odense had collected materials to make explosives for an attack in the Nordic country, which has troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The potential target was not revealed but Justice Minister Lene Espersen said the incident was one of the most serious ever in Denmark.
The arrests further strained relations between Muslims and other Danes, who are now struggling to reconcile their tradition of liberalism and tolerance with threats of violence unseen here in two decades.
"Muslims feel that this latest case is just feeding the story about the evil Muslim they say they see vilified on TV every day and that it perpetuates the one-sided image of Muslims in Denmark," said Camilla Elg, a sociologist at Aalborg University. "The Odense story is a relevant one, but Muslims feel like they are under attack."
NEW GENERATION
The Danish arrests followed a plot uncovered in Britain to blow up planes and two unsuccessful train bombings in Germany. In all three cases, law enforcement officials described the suspects as a new generation of young Muslim radicals, some of them born in Europe, who are willing to use violence against their home countries.
Danish Muslims said they feared other people would lump them all together in that category.
"Inside, you are afraid," said Saleh Hassan, whose brother, Said Hassan, is one of those arrested. "I watched when they arrested him and I thought now it's my turn. Just because I am Muslim, I thought they are catching now all Muslims."
Odense, Denmark's third largest city, has about 200,000 residents. Until the raids, it was known internationally only for being the home of Hans Christian Andersen, the 19th century writer of fairy-tales such as "The Ugly Duckling" and "The Emperor's New Clothes."
The Muslim suburb where the accused live, Vollsmose, is a poor neighborhood with high unemployment and a reputation for crime. People there have tried to improve its image, but the arrests have dealt a blow to those efforts.
"We were shocked when some Muslims were arrested because all the Muslims in Odense where sure they didn't have any terrorism links," said Abu Hassan, an imam at a local mosque. "We know them. They are peaceful people."
Muslims in Odense say the best way to put integration efforts back on track would be the acquittal of those arrested. Two of the accused were released on bail last week, and the community took that as a good sign.
"It makes us happy and it proves we did nothing wrong," said Saleh Hassan.
A judge ruled last week that the other five must remain in custody pending further police investigations.
If they are found guilty, El Badawi said people like him would have a more difficult job.
"We need to explain to the Danish people that the ones arrested are not representatives of Muslim society," he said. "Muslim society in Denmark is a part of Danish society. This minority is not representative of Islam and it's not fair that all Muslims will be punished because of one group's actions."
(Additional reporting by Kim McLaughlin in Copenhagen.)
Basicly they are blackmailing us to release their terrorists or else they won't integrate. As if they were planning to integrate in the first place...
Ping
....if that's possible.
In other words, "Tolerate my loathing of your culture, or I threaten to BE AFRAID!"
The threat rests on their belief that we're afraid that THEY'RE AFRAID. Not that they'll kill us, not that they'll kill themselves, but that they'll FEEL unfomfortable.
They hate the West. Why are they here ?
"Two of the accused were released on bail last week, and the community took that as a good sign.
"It makes us happy and it proves we did nothing wrong," said Saleh Hassan."
I think one of the problems with Muslims in the West is that they have a fundamental lack of understanding of concepts like "law", and "proof", not to mention "bail".
They see the "law" as whatever special favors they can beg, cajole or threaten the authorities into providing them, and they see "proof" as any rumor, or conspiracy theory, no matter how flimsy, that promotes their position.
Muslims idea of them integrating into society is everyone converting to Islam.
"I watched when they arrested him and I thought now it's my turn. Just because I am Muslim, I thought they are catching now all Muslims."
Maybe because your muslim religion preaches killing all the infidels unless they repent and swear servitude. And if you say otherwise, then you are not a muslim, and you will be killed too. Can't have it both ways, the muslim sword's edge is sharp on both sides.
Agreed! On-The-Money! hammer-nailhead-hit!
I remember when the guy who killed Theo Van Gogh was on trial, he insisted that he shouldn't be sent to jail because it was only a "political" killing. The unassimilated ones really have no concept of how a civilized law abiding society should work.
Detain, deport, and if necessary, defenestrate!
1. His family didn't like the layout of their free gov't provided appt: it didn't allow for females to enter the kitchen area unobserved by males. The Dutch gov't paid to have it all changed around, for religious reasons.
2. The gov't had to send a van so he and his buddies could attend soccer matches they played in. The van waited til they finished, then drove them back home.
No, I didn't make that stuff up....
Better yet, expel the Muslims, since they're so protective of terrorists.
Oh, I think they understand the concept of Western law, all right. They just want to change it to sharia law. That's their concept -- you are not guilty, ever, if you are a Muslim.
Thanks for posting those details. Amazing!! And the govt rearranged their apartment for them? stinks!
So the women could cook, lift their skirts when required, and then disppear from sight as much as possible.
It sounded very expensive.
Imagine Saudi Arabia renovating appartments, bending to the demands of Christian illegal aliens....! "It's free, thank you, but it doesn't have a JESUS FIGURINE IN THE ALCOVE...!!!"
Hey Nena, the radical Muslims don't like the stuff in your museum either - time to toss it and shut up...
There is a word for waging war against your country or giving aid to its enemies. That word is not "assimilation".
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