Qatar control in Copenhagen's Grand Mosque

According to Berlingske, the Islamic Gulf state of Qatar has taken control of the "Hamad Bin Khalifa Civilization Center" mosque in Rovsingade, which has received nearly a quarter of a billion in donations from Qatar.
The
rocky desert state of Qatar has now been firmly in power at the Copenhagen
Grand Mosque Hamad Bin Khalifa Civilization Center in Rovsinggade in Nørrebro.
Berlingske
can reveal today that the board of directors of the fund behind the mosque has
been replaced, so that five people from Qatar now have an absolute majority.
One of the new board members is Shaheen al-Ghanim, who has been director of the
Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Aaffairs, which according to Berlingske is a kind
of ministry of religion in Qatar.
The
Great Mosque in Rovsinggade has already had a close connection to Qatar.
Organizations affiliated with Qatar have donated at least DKK 227 million to
the Copenhagen Store Fund, which operates the mosque in Rovssinggade.
When
the information about the major donations came to light in February, there was
a stir in Christiansborg. Not least, two of the then three board members
affiliated with Qatar were resident in the desert state.
The
Danish People's Party's foreign spokesman Pia Kjærsgaard said this time to
Christian newspaper:
“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 '.
She
added, "that the hairs rise on her arms" when she hears about Qatar's
donation to the Grand Mosque.
When
it emerged shortly afterwards that the Qatar-based money tank Qatar Charity,
which is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, had donated money to a free
school in Aarhus, DF Education and Municipal Mayor Jens Henrik Thulesen Dahl
asked questions about the case for foreigners and integration minister Mattias
Tesfaye (S). Among other things, the Minister replied:
“The
government considers it very serious if forces with a medieval view of
democracy, freedom and equality through economic donations try to gain
influence in Denmark. Influence that can help 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".
Berlingske
can reveal today that Qatar's new, enhanced influence in the mosque in
Rovsinggade is the culmination of a power struggle on the board of the
Copenhagen Large Fund. Three board members have been critical of Chairman
Hamdi, but the critical board members are now out of the board.
Religion
scientist Lene Kühle says to Berlingske that the boardroom mess is not
necessarily about religion. Rather, it is a question that the Qatari people
want to secure their investment, she believes. However, the fact is that the
"Hamad Bin Khalifa Civilization Center" has also been disputed for
religious reasons. For example, Imam Abu Bilal, convicted of calling for the
killing of Jews, has preached several times in the mosque. When that
information came out in February, representatives of the Grand Mosque said that
Abu Bilal was not considered extreme.