• عربي
  • Fr
  • Es
No Result
View All Result
European Eye on Radicalization
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Who We Are
      • Editorial board and staff
      • Contributors
    • Vision
  • Articles
  • Reports
  • Reading Radicalization
  • Events
  • Videos
  • Glossary
  • Resources
    • Bibliographies
    • Journals
  • Contact
  • EnglishEnglish
    • العربيةالعربية
    • FrançaisFrançais
    • EspañolEspañol
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Who We Are
      • Editorial board and staff
      • Contributors
    • Vision
  • Articles
  • Reports
  • Reading Radicalization
  • Events
  • Videos
  • Glossary
  • Resources
    • Bibliographies
    • Journals
  • Contact
  • EnglishEnglish
    • العربيةالعربية
    • FrançaisFrançais
    • EspañolEspañol
No Result
View All Result
European Eye on Radicalization
No Result
View All Result
Home Articles

A Case Study of Religious Soft Power Gone Bad

2 July 2020
in Articles
A Case Study of Religious Soft Power Gone Bad
553
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

European Eye on Radicalization

 

The Issue

A recent article in the Danish newspaper Berlingske revealed what seems to be the latest move in Qatar’s actions to fund and infiltrate European mosques and Islamic centers.

This time it was the Hamad bin Khalifa Civilization Center in the Great Mosque of Copenhagen — in the city district of Nørrebro — which had allegedly received nearly a quarter-of-a-billion dollars in donations from the Gulf State.

Built in 2014, the Hamad bin Khalifa Civilization Center is one of the biggest mosques in Europe and the first purposely built mosque in the Scandinavian country.

In order to increase its grip on the Center — which is property of the Danish Islamic Council — the board of directors has been partly replaced, so that Qatar now holds an absolute majority.

Notably, the new board features Shaheen al-Ghanim, previously working at the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs in Qatar.

Danish Reactions

The response from different Danish parties and perspectives has been quite strong. The Danish People’s Party’s foreign spokesman Pia Kjærsgaard, for instance, complains: “If you sit on the board of a mosque in Denmark, but live in Qatar, it is clear what interests you are trying to protect. And it is not Denmark.” Kjærsgaard added that some of the initiatives Qatar is allegedly undertaking in the country would “make your hair stand on end”.

More broadly, Danish politicians have demanded from the government an end foreign interference in Danish mosques after Qatar has taken control of Grand Mosque in Copenhagen.

When it emerged shortly afterwards that the controversial Qatar Charity, which is tightly linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, had donated money to a free school in Aarhus, the Minister for Immigration and Integration Mattias Tesfaye explained: “The government considers it very serious if forces with a medieval view of democracy, freedom, and equality, are trying to gain influence in Denmark through donations … to undermine democracy and fundamental freedoms and human rights.”

At the same time, the government announced that it will propose a bill banning the receipt of donations “from certain natural and legal persons”.

Radical Preachers

Imam Abu Bilal, convicted of calling for the killing of Jews, has preached several times in the mosque but, when that information came out in February, representatives of the Grand Mosque said that Abu Bilal Ismail was not considered extreme, even though he features in a video urging to “destroy the Zionist Jews”.

To make things worse, there is the fact that the radical statements of this preacher seem to date back at least to 2014-2016, when he was imam at the Grimhøj Mosque in Aarhus and was filmed with a hidden camera while explaining that stoning women to death is the right punishment for fornication.

Western Myopia Vis-a vis the Risks of Religious Soft Power

Arguably, the fact that the latest issues related to Qatar influence in social and religious affairs in Europe came to light is extremely positive, as it has allowed Danish politicians and the public to engage in a much-needed debate about the appropriate level of scrutiny on religious so-called soft power exerted by some outside countries.

Moreover, the Danish debate is showing a high degree of wisdom and farsightedness, as opposed to a sort of myopia that is widespread among European countries when it comes to these kinds of interference, financial or otherwise.

The Qatar Charity has funded 140 mosques and Islamic centers in Europe, most of them in Italy, where this debate has barely begun.

The abovementioned myopia is not usually a result of nefarious intentions — at least not exclusively. More often, it is due to the lack of knowledge and awareness of soft power mechanisms, radicalization processes, and financing systems.

Christian Chesnot and George Malbrunot, who recently published their in-depth investigation of Qatar funding to the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe, The Qatar Papers, investigated Qatar and Qatar Charity activities in Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Kosovo, Great Britain and France,[1] and, in their own words, the extent of the founding astounded them.[2]

It is possible to curb problematic Qatari behaviors, as has been seen with the increasingly strong pressure exerted by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries since mid-2017 that has reined-in Qatar’s adventurism in places like Libya and Syria. In a similar fashion, Denmark’s peaceful but firm reaction to Qatar’s meddling in its intern affairs represents a model that more than one European country should now follow.

_______________________________________________________

 

Notes

[1] Christian Chesnot — George Malbrunot, Qatar Papers. How Doha finances the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe, Global Watch Analysis Editions, 2019, p. 8.

[2] Ibid. p. 7.

Related Posts

Between the Archaic and the Futuristic: ‘Neoreactionism’ As a Strand of the Far-Right
Articles

Between the Archaic and the Futuristic: ‘Neoreactionism’ As a Strand of the Far-Right

14 April 2021
Islamist Lawfare Against the European Union
Articles

Islamist Lawfare Against the European Union

12 April 2021
Why Are Mass Shooters Always Male?
Articles

Why Are Mass Shooters Always Male?

8 April 2021
The Gap Between Popular and Elite Views of Islamism in Switzerland
Articles

The Gap Between Popular and Elite Views of Islamism in Switzerland

6 April 2021
Europe and COVID-19: The Rule of Law Has Fallen Ill
Articles

Europe and COVID-19: The Rule of Law Has Fallen Ill

5 April 2021
Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?
Articles

Can Turkey Break With the Muslim Brotherhood?

2 April 2021

Latest from Twitter

Popular

Becoming Ansar Allah: How the Islamic Revolution Conquered Yemen

Becoming Ansar Allah: How the Islamic Revolution Conquered Yemen

24 March 2021
Why European Countries Do Not Repatriate Their Foreign Fighters

Why European Countries Do Not Repatriate Their Foreign Fighters

22 March 2021
Radical Shiism and Iranian Influence in Saudi Arabia

Radical Shiism and Iranian Influence in Saudi Arabia

29 March 2021
Europe and COVID-19: The Rule of Law Has Fallen Ill

Europe and COVID-19: The Rule of Law Has Fallen Ill

5 April 2021
The Gap Between Popular and Elite Views of Islamism in Switzerland

The Gap Between Popular and Elite Views of Islamism in Switzerland

6 April 2021
What Went Wrong: Intelligence and other Failures in Western Counterterrorism Policies

What Went Wrong: Intelligence and other Failures in Western Counterterrorism Policies

15 March 2021

© 2018 EER - Copyright © European Eye on Radicalization.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Who We Are
      • Editorial board and staff
      • Contributors
    • Vision
  • Articles
  • Reports
  • Reading Radicalization
  • Events
  • Videos
  • Glossary
  • Resources
    • Bibliographies
    • Journals
  • Contact
  • EnglishEnglish
    • العربيةالعربية
    • FrançaisFrançais
    • EspañolEspañol
  • عربي
  • Fr
  • Es

© 2018 EER - Copyright © European Eye on Radicalization.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.