A Third of Danish People Believe the Country at War with Islam, Survey Claims

Copenhagen, 24 Syawwal 1437/29 July 2016 (MINA) – A third of Danish people believe their country is at war with Islam, according to a new survey.

The survey asked 1,045 adults whether they agreed or disagreed with the statement “Denmark, together with the rest of the Western world, is at war with the religion of Islam and not just radicalised Muslims”.

Thirty-three per cent agreed, while a further 56 per cent disagreed and 11 per cent said they did not know.

An Islam expert at the University of Copenhagen said the result was “worrying” .

Jørgen Bæk Simonsen told broadcaster TV2: “It is thought-provoking that we have now reached a point where the way we talk about one another has led to a third of the country’s population believing that we are at war with Islam”.

The study found the majority of people who agreed with the statement were over age of 70 and typically only educated to high-school level.

Around 60 per cent of people who identified themselves as voters for the anti-immigration Danish People’s Party, The Local reports.

But the party’s integration spokesman, Martin Henriksen, said he did not agree with the statement.

Özlem Cekic, a Muslim and former Socialist People’s Party MP, told TV2 that more dialogue was needed between Muslims and non-Muslims in Denmark.

“What we should be doing instead is supporting one another, both Muslims and non-Muslims. The terrorists win as soon as we direct our anger toward moderate Muslims instead of at the terrorists themselves,” Ms Cekic said. (T/R07/R01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)