European Interfaith leaders in ‘utter condemnation’ of Denmark violence

European Interfaith leaders have united to condemn the twin Copenhagen attacks which left two murdered.

The Gathering of European Muslim and Jewish Leaders (GEMJL) ‘strongly condemned the murderous terrorist attacks in Copenhagen yesterday’, which left Jewish security guard Dan Uzan, protecting a Bar Mitzvah and Finn Norgaard, shot in a cafe, dead.

Following the attack, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated calls for European Jews to make aliyah. This was criticised by Copenhagen’s chief rabbi, amid rising European anti-Semitism, and threats towards European Jews.

Signed by Jewish Islamic leaders from across Europe, in addition to British Interfaith and community groups, the statement offered a tribute to the two victims, and offered solidarity to the Jewish community in Denmark.

Quoting religious texts, it said Muslims and Jews stand united in our ‘utter condemnation’ of violence. “In both the Talmud and the Koran it states that ‘He who has destroyed one human life has destroyed the whole world and He who has saved one human being has saved the whole world.’

“We are one with the Jewish community of Denmark, which saw one of its bravest sons, Dan Uzan, shot down while saving the lives of scores of other people celebrating a bar mitzvah inside the synagogue.”

It praises the Danish Prime Minister, Helle Thorning Schmidt for vowing to ‘protect the Danish Jewish community’ and saying that ‘Jews belong in Denmark’, concluding: “As Muslim and Jewish leaders from countries across Europe, we believe that both the Jewish and Muslim communities are integral to Europe and must stay.”

Interfaith signatories of the statement:

• Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp (The Netherlands)
• Joseph Levi (Chief Rabbi of Firenze, Italy)
• Senaid Kobilicia (Head imam, The Islamic community of Bosnia-Herzegovina in Norway).
• M.A., Dipl.-Paed. Moussa Al-Hassan Diaw, (Austria Lecturer at University College of Education Linz, speaker of EUISA network (RAN Europe), prevention and deradicalisation network derad.at and derad.org)
• Fiyaz Mughal OBE Founder and Director Faith Matters
• Esmond Rosen (Jewish Volunteering Network, UK)
• Samia Hathroubi (European Director for the Foundation For Ethnic Understanding)