“Welcome to Our Land, Ahmed”

A couple of years ago Dymphna wrote about the Danish imam Ahmed Akkari. Now Mr. Akkari is back in the news, having relocated to Greenland. Our Danish correspondent TB has this to say about him:

Ahmed Akkari is among those ultimate prices any Western society will have to pay when trying to save the world by helping out Muslims ‘in need’. I could make a long list of his ‘merits’, but I will refrain out of time restrictions. Here are some facts that might give you an idea of the character of this guy:

1.		He served a prison sentence for violence against an eleven year old for apparently pulling off his sister’s veil while playing football.
2.		He was caught on tape making bomb-threats against MP Naser Khader during the Motoon crisis.
3.		He is a former spokesman of the weird institution called Islamic Faith Community in Denmark.
4.		This ‘man’ was deeply implicated in the Akkari/Laban dossier which was distributed in the Middle East during the Motoon crisis. He traveled the Arab world with his brothers-in-arms from the Islamic Faith Community bringing false pictures and allegations about the very country who gave him everything when he needed it the most.
5.		After the Motoon crisis he went on holiday in Lebanon (yes, the country he originally fled to get asylum in Denmark along with his family) and when the war broke out he was one of the first to board the ships sent from Denmark to rescue all Danish citizens from this Paris of the Middle East.

I could go on, but you get the idea.

Here’s an English-language report on Mr. Akkari’s recent move, from the Greenlandic media:

Ahmed Akkari, who featured significantly during the Mohammed crisis in Denmark, is now employed as a teacher in Narsaq.

Akkari told Sermitsiaq that he considered his move to Greenland a ‘cultural’ one.

‘I haven’t moved because I’m tired of Denmark. There was an available position in Narsaq, which I applied for. I think Greenland is an exciting country and I’ve been well received in Narsaq. I plan to stay here for at least a year.’

[…]

‘I’m also well-known in Narsaq where people have stopped me and asked where they’ve seen me before.’

The new teacher described the Greenlandic people as very laid back and friendly, before joining his colleagues to play football.

TB found a somewhat more acerbic article about Mr. Akkari, this time in Danish. Here’s what he said about it:

Akkari has arrived in Greenland and it’s causing quite a stir up there. A lot of Greenlanders have noticed what has been going on in Gjellerup, Århus. A long article in JP has fragments of the debate from up north. Although there are some friendly voices, I would not exactly characterize the debate as being ‘welcoming’. I have not got time for a translation, though.

Fortunately, our Danish correspondent Kepiblanc stepped up to bat and translated it for us. He had this to say about the Greenlanders:

By the way, Greenlanders are devout Christians. Wherever they can find a barren rock they’ll erect a church — be it of stone, driftwood, or rubble. Many Greenlanders have taken their names from the Bible, like Luke, Peter, Matthew, etc… instead of their native names.

It’s a must for me to fire up my radio on Christmas morning and listen to the broadcast of the Greenland Christmas sermon — all the old Danish psalms in the Inuit language and with extraordinary enthusiasm…

And now (with Kepiblanc’s approximation of the colloquialisms in the original) the article from yesterday’s Jyllands-Posten:

“He kick da’ stoopid Dane in da’ cojones”

Former Århus imam Ahmed Akkari got himself a new job as a teacher with the public school in Narsaq, Southern Greenland, where his arrival has already sparked a storm of debate

The controversial former Århus imam Ahmed Akkari’s presence in Narsaq, Greenland already stirred up a furious debate in the Northern part of the kingdom.

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Greenland journalist Noah Mølgaard had hardly published his article about Akkari on the internet daily sermitsiaq.gl’s homepage when the first letters to the editor appeared, making fun of Akkari, who played a central part in the Mohammed-crisis. For example, “johndoe” writes:

“We wish the citizens of Fatwa-rsaq all good luck with the new citizen. We suppose that Akkari can use his halal expertise in the local fish industry and — all of a sudden — Narsaq becomes the worlds leading exporter of halal-shrimp.”

“Akkari, he very, very big hero in Greenland. He kick da’ stoopid Dane in da’ cojones, when they not understanda da’ culture of others. Me thinks Islam fine idea. Burka very smart. In da’ town here no dentists so babes don’t smile. Maybe they happy for burka. Just like da’ politicians: we don’t talka problems, therefore no problems. Now I go home cook some chicken Al(lah) Akkari…”

Learn from our hospitality

Other letters are more serious. some are very critical towards the Danish imam and teacher, while others bid him welcome to Greenland

Several readers noticed that Greenlanders are persecuted and harassed by Muslims in Gjellerup. For example, “boesen” writes:

“I’m anxious to see if Akkari can explain to his new neighbors why the imams in Århus can’t stop the Muslims assaults on Greenlanders in Gellerupparken”.

On the same topic “canadahuse” writes:

“Let’s hope that he himself can learn a thing or two during his stay in Greenland about how to treat ones’ neighbors and optionally forward his knowledge to his fanatic Muslims in Denmark and the rest of the world. I hope he notices the Greenlanders’ hospitality and he realizes that hey aren’t as filled with hate and slime as those Muslims who harass Greenlanders. Unfortunately too many unpleasant episodes are taking place in Gjellerup and elsewhere with groups of Muslims who don’t know how to live among fellow citizens”

“Pedestrian” asks, “what the hell is he doing in Narsaq?” and goes on:

“His neighbors undoubtedly drink. Does that mean they should be stoned out of the area, like in Gellerupparken? Because that’s how those Islamists (and Akkari is exactly that) treat other people who drink? It’s scary that he came here after all the trouble he made in Denmark. We are not interested in ANY of them. We are not the landfill for Denmark!”

Tell everybody the same thing

“Akkari became notorious in Denmark because he could talk with people. Greenlanders also like to talk. The difference is, that Greenlanders say the same thing no matter to whom they talk. On TV Akkari, together with his colleague Abu Laban, said one thing to a Danish audience and the opposite in Arabic. That’s hard to tolerate when being a Greenlander”.

In a reference to an article in Jyllands-Posten, a reader points to the fact that Ahmed Akkari a few years ago was convicted for violence against a 11-year old in the Lykke School in Århus. Akkari was sentenced to 40 days (suspended) behind bars.

And, on a friendlier note, this from “napa”:

“Leave the man alone. Last year he said he wanted to work as a teacher in Greenland, and now that dream has come true. Being a Muslim doesn’t mean he will force the Qur’an down his pupil’s throats. He doesn’t teach religion, only English and Danish. Give the man a chance. We are known as tolerant and friendly towards others.”

The reader “tole” supports this view and writes:

“Welcome to Greenland, Akkari. Let him work peacefully in his profession”.

Finally, writes “saamu”:

“Welcome to our land and your land, Ahmed. We might have a lot of prejudice, especially regarding religion, but we hold respect and freedom in high esteem. I hope you will enjoy your stay”.

I’ll let TB have the last word on this topic:

His reasons for going to Greenland one can only speculate about. But I can assure you that it is not because of a ‘burning’ desire to educate people in the grammar of either the local or the Danish language.