Danish Muslim mufti Imam Shahid Mehdi sparked an outcry from the Unity List Party and the Danish People’s Party when he stated on television that women who leave their homes or fail to wear the hijab or burka are “asking for rape.” He went on to argue that women who walk around in what he believed to be immodest dressing were not worthy of any respect at all. The Copenhagen based cleric was accused of attempting to rape a 23-year old woman in a local park. She managed to escape and he chased her; she subsequently reported the incident to the police. Mehdi was arrested soon after by local police.
Imam Mehdi argued that the charges against him were racist in nature. When he was being interrogated by Copenhagen police, he refused to plead guilty and maintained that the accusation that he attempted to rape the alleged victim were fabricated against him because he is of Pakistani origin. Although he denied ever having to attempted raping anyone, he did not stop there. Imam Shahid Mehdi, speaking on a local television show “Talk to Gode” is reported to have said: “She disobeys her master, there are two places in the Qur’an where it was ordered to cover themselves. Women make a clean society dirty when they walk around without a Hijab. They are not entitled to respect and are not valuable as those who wear a Hijab.”
Local politicians admitted that Mehdi’s comments could incite Muslim men to rape Danish women who opt not to dress according to his interpretation of the teachings of Islam. As a jurist and Imam of the Islamic Religious Community masjid in Dortheavej, Copenhagen, Mehdi has a considerable following in Denmark, and his insinuation that women who do not cover their hair deserve to be raped could be taken seriously by many. Most striking, however, is the fact that Mehdi is serving as the Rector of a private Muslim school.
It will be interesting to see how this incident affects the relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims in Denmark. Although most Muslims have integrated into Danish society, these comments are bound to increase the level of Islamophobia in a country that is already considerably divided over immigration policies and religion in the public space. The ultra-conservative Danish People’s Party will surely take advantage of this to further its anti-Islamic agenda. Those Muslims and non-Muslims who were peacefully and happily coexisting in Europe are the ultimate losers of the actions of Muslim extremists like Imam Shahid Mehdi and extremist political parties such as the Denmark People’s Party.
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