Islamophobia sweeps through Europe

A member of Belgium’s right-wing populist and nationalist political party Vlaams Belang (VB) has said she is going lodge a complaint against Islam’s holy book, the Quran, at the European Court of Human Rights.

In an interview with the De Zondag newspaper published on Sunday, Anke Van dermeersch claimed that the Quran was against the European Human Rights Agreement, calling it a “military handbook.”

“I am going to take the matter to the European Court of Human Rights to warn the public about the dangers of the Quran,” said Van dermeersch, alleging that verses in the holy book incite violence.

A similar call was made in a French manifesto published in the French daily Le Parisien on April 21 signed by approximately 300 intellectuals and politicians, including former President Nicolas Sarkozy and former Prime Minister Manuel Vall.

The French manifesto wrongfully declared that the Quran incites violence, and stated that this violence is a part of “new anti-Semitism” perpetrated by French Muslims.

Van dermeersch claimed that Muslim women wore the hijab, or the headscarf, because of social pressure. She added that girls under the age of 18 should be banned from wearing the headscarf.

When asked whether she had read the Quran, Van dermeersch confessed that she had not read the whole holy book. “I have only read the parts about the matters of concern,” she said.

Van dermeersch recently released a book titled “A.N.K.E. #PolitiekIncorrect” which features a woman wearing red shoes with one foot propped up on top of the Quran. “I put it to protest the discrimination against women in the Quran,” she said. Belgian Muslim politicians decided to lodge a complaint because of the photo.

Additionally, Danish minister Inger Stojberg said fasting throughout the working day raised challenges for modern society, adding that it can be “dangerous for all of us.”

“I want to call on Muslims to take leave from work during the month of Ramadan to avoid negative consequences for the rest of Danish society,” Stojberg wrote in a column for BT.

Ramadan is holiest month in the Islamic calendar. At sunset, Muslims gather for “Iftar,” the fast-breaking meal of the day. Charity is a very important part of Islam and is even more significant during Ramadan when Muslims are reminded to be generous and to increase their charitable activities.

Stojberg, who is known for her hardline immigration policies, has previously shared an offensive caricature of Prophet Mohamad on her social media account.