Another ‘not-Islamic’ Attack in Denmark By Rachel Ehrenfeld
The Islamist attacks in Copenhagen on Saturday were all but expected. The Danish police report claiming the 22 years old Danish born Muslim, Omar Abdel Hamid El-Hussein, was “a Lone Wolf.”
He may have been the only shooter, but he was not alone. And he was not a wolf, nor was he “self radicalized.” He was a sheep inspired by repeated Islamist propaganda and incitement for jihad, targeting those who “offend” their prophet Mohammad, and the Jews.
“Cursing or mocking the Prophet is an act of apostasy, as all scholars concur, whether it is done seriously or in jest. Anyone who does this, Muslim or infidel, must be killed,
even if he repents” [Emphasis added],” instructed Saudi Imam Issa Assiri in his televised sermon that was posted on his Facebook page (translated by MEMRI) in the aftermath of the Paris attacks on Charlie Hebdo and the Jewish supermarket.
El-Hussein was not a “self radicalized lone wolf, but a jihadist who was conditioned to respond to posting on social media calling on the “sons of Islam, who reside in Europe, America, Australia, France, and Denmark, to become ‘Lone Wolves’, to “light fires beneath the infidels feet.” Moreover, according to Danes, he had at least two coconspirators.
Still, Denmark’s Prime Minister, Thorning-Schmidt declared, “this is not a conflict between Islam and the West…this is a conflict between the core values of our society and violent extremists.”
The Danes should have known better, but they continue to ignore the writings on the wall.
The Danish reporter and former chairman of the Free Press Society, Lars Hedegaard, was not surprised. In 2010 he was found not guilty of “racism” charges, which were brought earlier that year against him for a comment he made in a party at his home that Muslims practice “honor killings.” Hedegaard argued in his defense that he was unaware that his comment would be published on a blog and eventually was found not guilty. But the threats to his life did not stop. In February 2014 he survived a shooting attempt on his life.
Free expression in Denmark, as in most European countries, is limited by draconian libel and hate speech and hate crimes laws.
These laws are written so broadly as to allow a suit by almost anyone who claims that he or she feels insulted or intimidated by a public statement. The truth does not matter. The prosecution is subjective and the judgment can be entirely based on the plaintiff’s misguided perception. Many European countries have similar low standards for defamation suits.
Speaking one’s mind risks civil and criminal suits, especially since truth is not a defense. Threats of frivolous and costly lawsuits, terrorist threats and European Left leaning politics contributed to increased political correctness.
Mr. Hedegaard’s prosecution in 2010 came after the cowardly public apology by the Danish daily Politiken, for reprinting the Mohammed cartoons in 2008.
The newspaper’s mea culpa was not surprising. Earlier its publishers told this author the free expression was not the optimal approach to a potentially expensive suit.
Politiken’s apology was part of the settlement with a Saudi lawyer representing 94,923 of Muhammad’s descendants, who sued the paper for offending them. This submission not only encouraged Islamists everywhere, but also contributed to further political correctness towards Muslims.
A northern European Christian friend who did not wish to be named for fear of ending up on the “Inspire” magazine target list, wrote in despair, “Do we really need more dead in the name of Islam here in the west? Are we all just suppose to believe lies about a few bewildered Muslims when they kill more and more people in the West? What will it take for our leaders to speak out on Islam’s war on us!” he asked.
My friend, a security expert, was wandering why the Café where the free speech debate took place and the Jewish synagogue, excepted targets for Islamists, were not properly guarded. “This question should not be swept under the carpet. But as long as Denmark political and media elites refuse to acknowledge the Islamist threat, this will not be the last jihadi attack in Denmark,” he added.
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