Posted on 02/06/2006 10:24:20 AM PST by SirLinksalot
Creating Outrage Meet the imam behind the cartoon overreaction.
By Lorenzo Vidino
Confused by the wave of protests, threats, boycotts, and attacks against diplomatic facilities that have shaken their idyllic tranquility after the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed on Jyllands-Posten, the Danes are asking themselves questions. They wonder if an attack will take place in their country, as threatened by various jihadi groups, and if freedom of speech is in jeopardy. But a more immediate question is puzzling some: Why has the outrage of the Muslim world exploded only now, in February, when the cartoons were published last September? At the time of the initial publication, international media had reported news of the blasphemous caricatures, not only in Danish, but also in English. Yet nothing happened, aside from timid protests from the Muslim community of the tiny Scandinavian kingdom. So what is different about the situation now? More than the question, it is the answer that is keeping a good chunk of Denmark's political and cultural elite awake at night. The recent anti-Danish emotional wave coming from the Muslim world, in fact, is far from a spontaneous reaction, but it has been cunningly orchestrated by a knowledgeable insider, a real snake in the grass who has been creeping in Denmark for the last 15 years.
Ahmed Abdel Rahman Abu Laban, a 60-year-old Palestinian imam who has been residing in Copenhagen since 1993, has become over the last few years the face of Islam in Denmark, creating his own persona of a moderate cleric who seeks dialogue but who is victimized by the widespread "racism" of the Danes. Despite his poor command of the Danish language, Abu Laban is a frequent guest on Danish television and in meetings with government officials, where he claims to represent the voice of the local Muslim community. Even though part of the establishment has always looked at him with suspicion (Prime Minister Rasmussen has always refused to meet with him), Danish intelligentsia has made him a celebrity — so much of one that even the Washington Post recently profiled him as "one of Denmark's most prominent imams."
But Abu Laban's real face has now been revealed. In September, the imam immediately condemned Jyllands-Posten's cartoons and led protests at the local level. Danish politicians and media, busy with local elections, ignored him. But Abu Laban is not the kind of person who gives up easily. After having contacted ambassadors from Muslim countries in Copenhagen, he put together a delegation with the goal of touring the Middle East to "internationalize this issue so that the Danish government would realize that the cartoons were not only insulting to Muslims in Denmark but also to Muslims worldwide," as he explained in an interview with "Islam Online". The delegation met with, among others, Arab League Secretary Amr Moussa, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Mohammad Sayyed Tantawi, and Sunni Islam's most influential scholar, Yusuf al Qaradawi. The delegation showed each of these leaders the 12 cartoons published by Jyllands-Posten, along with others that had never been published by any Danish publication. The new cartoons were every more offensive, as showing the Prophet Mohammed with a pig face or having sexual intercourse with a dog. While the delegation claimed that the differentiation was pointed out to their interlocutors, there is no other evidence, and rumors about the more blasphemous images began to circulate in the Middle East. Moreover, the booklet that was presented by the delegation contained several other lies about the "oppression" of Muslims in Denmark, claiming Muslims do not have the legal right to build mosques and are subjected to pervasive racism.
With emotions about the cartoons mounting, Qaradawi, the real brains of the Muslim Brotherhood's international network and a key opinion maker in the Middle East thanks to his weekly show on al Jazeera, attacked Denmark directly, warning that an apology would not be sufficient, and that "a firm stance" should have be taken by the Danish government. As Prime Minister Rasmussen refused to intervene, referring to the cherished tradition of freedom of the press in his country, Qaradawi and his ilk unleashed their propagandistic war against Denmark. Abu Laban, from his mosque in the Copenhagen suburb of Nørrebro, is now happily reaping the fruits of his hard work. But, in a quintessential exercise in taqiya (double-speak), Abu Laban has tried to hide his satisfaction to the Danes. Speaking on Danish television, Abu Laban has wept crocodile tears, condemning the boycott of Danish goods and the other consequences of his actions. Yet, interviewed by al Jazeera, the imam has said just the opposite, praising the outrage of the Muslim world at his adoptive country.
So just who is Abu Laban? The Danes are slowly getting a fuller portrait. Friday night, Danish state television DR broadcasted a long report on him and Danes have begun to understand more about the self-proclaimed voice of Islam in Denmark. According to DR, Intelligence documents reveal that Abu Laban has been in close contact for years with members of various terrorist organizations, and in particular with leaders of the Egyptian Gamaa Islamiya. In the beginning of the 1990s, in fact, several leaders of the Gamaa escaped the long arm of the Egyptian mukhabarat and relocated to Europe. Copenhagen became the new hometown of two of the group's leaders, Ayman al Zawahiri, currently serving as Osama bin Laden's right-hand man, and Talaat Fouad Qassimy. From the quiet of the Scandinavian capital, the men published Al Murabitoun, the Gamaa's official publication. Abu Laban worked as a translator and distributor of the publication, which glorified the killing of Western tourists in Egypt and urged the annihilation of Jews in Palestine. Then Abu Laban worked closely with Said Mansour, a Moroccan man currently charged in Denmark for running a publishing house that distributed jihadi material.
All of this is not news to Danish security officials, but now Danes are slowly becoming aware of the facts. And Abu Laban's celebrated celeb status is about history in Denmark. Danes have no more patience for those who preach love in one language and war in another, those who publicly play the role of the victim, demand tolerance and then secretly incite hatred. While much of Europe has been asleep at the wheel, oblivious to the monumental threat radical Islam poses to its future, at least one country is increasing awake. Denmark's first battle is domestic, unmasking the enemy's fifth column inside its borders. As embassies burn, the rest might want to catch on, too.
— Lorenzo Vidino is a senior terrorism analyst at the Investigative Project and author of the book Al Qaeda in Europe: The New Battleground of International Jihad.
Interesting. Good post. Ping.
There's two things that can be observed about the current cartoon controversy that should make you wonder about some kinda hidden agenda here.
First, the Danish cartoon was published in Sept. 2005. Why is it only now that it's payed attention to?
Secondly, watching the demonstrations in the middle east and elsewhere of the muslims burning the dutch flag in great numbers. Where did they come across all those dutch flags?
I don't care what country your in, getting your hands on flags that belong to another country within your own country usually takes a special order which takes time to get. This was NOT a spontaneous uprising.
Somebody has pre-planned and organized the whole thing.
Third, the timing. It's awfully coincidental that this uprising started exactly the same time as the IAEA voted to refer Iran to the UN security council, and subsequently Iran to announce full scale enrichment to resume.
Now, lets backtrack and start fitting the pieces together.
On Sept 17th 2005, Mahmood Ahmadinejad Irans president address' the UN in New York, there he claims he was enveloped in a strong light, not stage lighting or anything like that, but a supernatural light. This he has taken as a sign of sorts that he has been called to make way for the Muslim "Mahdi".
The Mahdi is the muslim version of "Messiah". He has made no effort to hide this fact and has been very vocal about it. He has even said he hopes to hasten that coming.
Article on Sept 9 2005:
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/GI09Ak01.html
There is an anti-Sunni semi-clandestine society, called the Hojjatieh that Ahmadinejad is in bed with.
When the first danish cartoon was published back in Sept. '05 this Hojjatieh group came to and met with local danish Imam's to discuss what to do about the blasphymes cartoons.
If you've read the linked article you saw that this groups doctrine is to hasten the coming of the mahdi through the spread of chaos in order to bring about a true islamic republic.
If this current situation over a flippin' cartoon isn't chaotic, then somebody needs to slap Webster to re-write the definition of the word chaos then.
Let's hope this is more than wishful thinking.
If this is the guy who started the war, then he should be the first casualty.
Dollars to donuts that even if they begin to grasp the two faced lies that are being perpetrated against them the Danes (and Europeans in general) will not extend that understanding in relation to Israel and the claims of the so called Palestinians.
As well as a darned good idea...
bump
Amen! Hogs on some out-of-the-way Danish farm gotta eat too.
Bookmark
Is he "deep-throating" a feather duster?
What's that furry thing he's trying to eat?
Because, they are green eyed monster and want it all.
http://www.jihadwatch.org/
This link has the Moslem drawn cartoons:
Gateway Pundit: Islamic Society of Denmark Used Fake Cartoons to Create Story!
http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2006/02/islamic-society-of-denmark-used-fake.html
Talk about hypocrisy.
While it isn't overly difficult to obtain flags of various nations in the industrialized world, in the third world it is another story. The article itself puts the lie to the idea that this was spontaneous. No, it was calculated from the start, for a number of reasons...
the infowarrior
"Somebody has pre-planned and organized the whole thing."
****You have hit the nail on the head exactly. This is the agenda of Islam. It's based on the same principle as cancer. First it invades one area.....then it gradually increases it's population and influence in various parts until it raises it's ugly head. The Islamic agenda is to first visit somebody's house. They show the peaceful and tolerant side of Islam. Then to the community, the town, the region, the state and the country. They marry within the community, or populate with immigrants, children, etc.....They find the sociological fractures or political weak points and focus on those easiest to inflitrate. Then, then provoke one against the other to create a fracture that turns the country inside out...ie, race, economic status, political whatever can be used as fuel. If none, they find some silly reason to give justification for their riots, Jihad's, or other BS they come up with.
Their characterics are to lie, cheat and live only within their means of the lowest order. They hate knowledge, independence, and truth. They love death, whereas we love life. Their religion is based, sincerely, on Satanic level disguised as God. But, Allah is not the same God. He is in fact, a manifestation of evil and comes from a Satanic spirit. This is true.......
This is what we are truly dealing with. The political correctness of the non-Muslims and fear of Jihad is what keeps Islam strong. Their brainwashing techniques are beyond anything you can imagine. They are focusing their attention now in Africa, the U.S. and the Balkans.
VERY excellent point(s), and I agree. This is all too neatly coming together to be a coincidence. I look at my young ones and shake my head some days.
Red sheet, white paint. Take a good look at the next pic you see - the flags are all home made. BTW, those are Danish flags. Dutch flags are for Holland.
Every freeper must read this dissection of Islamic treachery. How this awful Imam was welcomed to Denmark then proceeded to destroy it best he could. All in the name of his false prophet who had been lightly mocked in 12 cartoons
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