Danish Muslim Organization Sues City Officials for Libel

Denmark’s Islamic Religious Community (Det Islamiske Trossamfund), the largest Muslim organization in the country, filed four claims of libel between Jan. 15 and Feb. 10, according to Danish newspaper Politiken. The accused parties include a national radio station and a newspaper, as well as Copenhagen City Council member Lars Aslan Rasmussen and Copenhagen Mayor of Culture Carl Christian Ebbesen. Most of the inflammatory statements were directed towards Imam Haithham al-Haddad, a British preacher who now resides in Denmark, who was falsely accused of calling Osama Bin Laden a martyr.

Similar libel cases in Denmark have set a precedent for how this one might be resolved.  The editor of Berlinske, a prominent national newspaper, settled a claim for 10,000 kroner (about $1500) earlier this year. Editor Tom Jensen has since stated that he felt uncomfortable paying the settlement, but knew that Berlinske could not substantiate their statements about Imam al-Haddad.

Each of the current claims is also for 10,000 kroner, as well as a withdrawal of the inflammatory statements – conditions that each of the defendants have refused, according to The Copenhagen Post.  Mayor Ebbeson replied to the claim, “I believe it is foolish for them to come with demands for compensation instead of making the discussion public. We live in a democracy. They should take the debate to Copenhagen instead of burying it in a lawsuit.”

In light of the resistance from both sides, negotiations are ongoing.