A moderate Muslim’s fight to build a moderate constituency

Naser Khader and Flemming Rose:
Reflections on the Danish Cartoon Controversy

Middle East Quarterly

On March 9, 2007, Middle East Quarterly publisher Daniel Pipes interviewed Naser Khader, a prominent Danish parliamentarian, at the parliament building in Copenhagen, and Flemming Rose, who as culture editor of Jyllands-Posten commissioned the cartoons at the center of the controversy.[1] After a brief leave of absence while the controversy cooled, Flemming returned to his duties at the paper. At the height of the violence in February 2006, Khader founded the Democratic Muslims in Denmark to unite moderate Muslims to stand against the radical imams fueling violence and intolerance. On May 7, 2007, Khader announced he would leave the Social Liberal Party to form the New Alliance after a party member and immigration spokesman donned a Muslim headscarf in an effort to pander to religious conservatives.[2]

I met Khader when I was in Washington.

READ THE INTERVIEW

September 23, 2007 | 3 Comments »

3 Comments / 3 Comments

  1. A moderate Muslim is much like a liberal Christian, on the brink of extinction. Just as fundamentalism is rapidly pushing liberal Christianity over a theological cliff, radical Islam is destroying the “nonbelieving” segment within its ranks.

    This inevitable side effect (a return to basics) of religion makes me wonder if the “benefits” of a “lasting faith” are all that they’re cracked up to be.

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