Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Jews in Denmark - is there something rotten?

Efraim Zuroff, the Israel Director at the Simon Wiesenthal Center Has a piece in Jerusalem Post about the current situation of jews in Denmark at the moment:
Upon arriving in the center of Copenhagen after an absence of a few years, one can immediately sense the palpable changes in the makeup of the population. Lily-white, blond Denmark has absorbed almost 200,000 Muslim immigrants from south Asia and north Africa over the past two decades and their physical presence is fairly pronounced in the streets of the capital; whether it is women and teenagers with various head-coverings, individuals whose skin color stands out in comparison to the rest of the local population, or the numerous fast-food stands selling shishlik and/or shishkebab.

Their arrival and the growing Islamic militancy of segments of this population have led to a worrying increase in anti-Semitic incidents in a country in which such incidents were practically unthinkable a few years ago. Jewish children are often the object of taunting and harassment by Muslim neighbors and there has been increasingly strident anti-Zionist rhetoric by local Muslim leaders in response to events in the Middle East.

Med Ryggen Mod Murren
[sic!] - With our Backs to the Wall - was the name of a day-long conference on anti-Semitism which I was invited to address. It reflects the deep angst among local Jews and supporters of Israel. Held in a hall in Christianborg, the Danish parliament, the program featured presentations on a wide range of topics related to contemporary anti-Semitism worldwide, Israel-bashing and Holocaust denial; but the dominant undercurrent was one of deep concern regarding the local situation.

Zuroff got the spelling wrong on the Danish word for "the wall" - muren, but he stumbled on another, perhaps much more appropiate word - "murren" which means a low rumbling of discontent, something one would experience in the streets just before a (potentially violent) uprising.
On a visit to a friend who lives in the relatively tranquil suburb of Albertslund, my host, by no means a coward, warned me not to make eye-contact with a group of Muslim youths hanging out on a street corner on our way to his home. He also insisted on accompanying me back to my hotel since "People wearing a kippa are not necessarily safe these days in the city center."

Albertslund is not a relatively tranquil suburb [of Copenhagen] It has been a muslim ghetto for decades with very violent confrontations between the immigrants and the by now rather few Danish inhabitants.

Non the less, there is a growing problem with anti-semitism in Denmark. It is, however, a problem that is entirely rooted in the muslim population. Ethnic Danes are not jew-haters.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

DANES ARE THE BEST

Dear hate monger. Test your spelling in an unbiased spelling cheque before you pore your shit onto the internet. You spell Muslims and Jews as muslim and jews, but you are a DANE with a capital D. Are you sure you aren’t one of these Grand Danois? You bark a lot about things you don’t know anything about. Albertslund has a minority of at least 70 nationals and there have been several arson attack against Muslims in Albertslund for the past 5-6 years. Danes can be anti-Semites too. The country has a legitimate Nazi party and the Danish authorities involved in the killing of Jews during WWII. Danes assisted the Nazis in sending Danish Jews to Theresienstadt. You should know. The Danes have themselves invited the Muslims. In Denmark you usually get what you ask for. Denmark has made very little efforts to integrate its Muslim population. So if you have a problem, contact your great DANISH politicians.

The CFA

Anonymous said...

I like the comment from mr- anonymous, especially with the blatant lies and misinformation (what nazi-party? there is none!). Incidentally, it takes two to tango, and two to integrate. And I like the way simple politeness vanishes, Miss Manners would have a fit.
Incidentally, what is reported is true, attacks on Jewish nationals in Denmark have increased, and are not carried out by white-faced skinheads. I myself can no longer wear a small star of David for fear of attacks (has happened twice).

Anonymous said...

This is very typical for all aggressors, pathological criminals and other creatures who haven't reached the homo sapiens yet (and never will), to blame all the others instead of looking at themselves and taking responsibility. Mr. Anonymous, the CFA is such an example of a cowardly, silly blamer who drives the attention from the topic by spreading his lies and mixing dozens of subject out of the topic.

The fact is, that the Danes are the most curageous and the bravest nation of Europe who protected their Jews from the nazis better than anybody else. The Danes prove every day to be a liberal, democratic and highly civilised country.

May you manage to throw all disturbing criminals out of your borders.

Keep on showing your pride and independence! I Love Denmark!

Stephen Grey said...

Danes in general are awesome and I very much like their attitude. To say, however, that antisemitism is entirely rooted in the muslim population is a distortion. There is a thriving nazi movement there, as there is everywhere else.

Here are Danish nazis marching:
http://www.american-pictures.com/gallery/denmark/Nazister2.htm

Something's rotten in Denmark just like everywhere else:
http://www.american-pictures.com/dansk/artikler/naziexdk.htm

We can't let these people gain control. Turbanbomb, I'm sure we agree on that.

David M. Glass said...

Hmmmm. Correction: ...MOST ethnic Danes are not Jew haters. MOST ethnic Danes are fanatical practitioners of political correctness and fundamental Christianity. They just want everyone living here in DK to be happy. That being said, it is important to recognize that with all of the current changes in Denmark the new EU brings and forces along, they do not want to do to much to disturb their Islamic population. The Islamic population of Denmark IS the core foundation of labor in this country and most of them have the right to vote in the free elections of the Danish government. Denmark as a whole tries to walk a fine line by supporting both sides of any conflict--and that is the inherent flaw of the Danish system. When it comes to racist hatred, there IS no, "other side of the story." One MUST choose a side, and the side of hatred IS wrong, ALWAYS. The United Nations supports the right of The State of Israel to exist. There IS no country on Earth called Palestine. When on a national level any country sympathizes with BOTH sides of that story, they are in fact, sympathizing with antiquated extremists. To try and maintain a condition of blissful ignorance about Islamic/Jewish hatred and violence IS wrong. Ignorance of international law is no excuse for breaking the law, and when that statement no longer applies to the lawmakers themselves, we ONLY find ourselves living in a condition of corruption which MUST be examined and rectified immediately.