According to BT this morning, a controversial issue has caused a stir in the Danish election campaign, with a so-called ”mufti” issuing what amounts to a fatwa directed at Muslim voters in Denmark, according to one of Denmark’s top Muslim scholars, who wrote in a Facebook post: “In short: It is forbidden for Muslims to run for office or vote for parties that support extreme Zionism and genocide in Palestine.”
The author of the post is Islamic scholar Imran bin Munir Hussain, who has a Facebook account under the name Abu Malik al-Hanafi, according to BT.
He clarified his position in the comments, explaining that Israel is “unparalleled in its evil,” and therefore supporting or accepting it is “completely and unequivocally forbidden” for Muslims. He claims that “Israel today has surpassed Nazism in brutality and evil,” adding: “This also means fighting the terrorist state of Israel and its supporters in all areas – economics, politics, and debate – including all parties that effectively support Israel’s right to commit genocide, even if they say they are not doing so,” according to what was published on the BT website.
BT also reported that they tried to contact Imran bin Munir Hussain but to no avail. They wanted to ask him exactly which parties Muslims, according to him, are not allowed to vote for, and why he believes he has the right to interfere in which party his religious followers will vote for. However, Imran bin Munir Hussain did not respond to their inquiries, according to the website.
On the other hand, Professor Thomas Hofmann, an Islamic scholar at the University of Copenhagen, pointed out in a written commentary that Hussein is not only talking about the private lives of his fellow believers, but also about how they should behave politically: “Under a democracy, it is of course legitimate to disagree with the foreign policy of the government or parties. It is legitimate to believe that Israel is committing crimes. But when a religious authority declares unequivocally (in short and directly) that a certain voting behavior is forbidden, this is a very authoritarian exercise of religious authority,” according to the BT website.
He added, “It blurs the usual distinction between religion and politics. Islam is being exploited to control the behavior of Muslim voters.” This is how Hoffman assessed the situation, noting that the mufti clearly did not intend to promote political dialogue among Muslims in Denmark. He told the source, “Instead, he frames himself in a way that makes it impossible for you, as a Muslim, to say “no” or “thank you”: because who supports extremist ideologies and genocide?” He continued, “It’s a statement that confirms the classic Islamic studies characterization of Islam as a religion that doesn’t separate politics from religion. It’s a statement that shows the upcoming municipal elections are on the imams“ radar,” according to BT.
It is worth noting that the municipal elections will be held on November 18th.
