Ahmad Abu Laban
Encyclopedia
Ahmad Abu Laban
(b. 1946, Jaffa
, British Mandate of Palestine – d. February 1, 2007, Copenhagen
) was the leader of the organisation called the Islamic Society in Denmark
and a central figure in the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
.
, and he grew up there. In 1969 he graduated as a mechanical engineer. In 1974 he married his cousin Iman; the couple had seven children. He studied Islam
ic theology with scholars in different Muslim countries. He was employed in the Persian Gulf
oil industry from 1970 to 1982, and in a contracting company
in Nigeria
from 1982 to 1984. He contributed to Islamic projects in education in different states of Nigeria
.
He emigrated to Denmark
in 1984 and lived there for the rest of his life. On January 19, 2007 the Islamic Society in Denmark announced that Abu Laban had cancer
, and that it probably was lung cancer
. Abu Laban died on February 1, 2007, aged 60.
At the time of his death, Ahmad Abu Laban worked as a religious advisor with Islamic Society in Denmark. According to the Society's website, he was a member of the "Co-ordination council of Imam
s" in Europe.
and Egypt
because of his Islamist
views. He was a well-known character in the Danish media for his often radical statements about Islam and the integration of immigrants into the Danish society.
Sri Lankan researcher Rohan Gunaratna
, author of the book Inside Al Qaeda, has characterised Ahmed Abu Laban as an Islamic extremist. Rohan Gunaratna also accused Abu Laban of giving political and economic support to al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya
, an Egyptian radical group that is part of Osama bin Laden
's network.
At his Friday prayer April 5, 2002 Abu Laban called on his congregation to offer their lives in a jihad for the Palestinian cause.
in the conservative newspaper Jyllands-Posten
. In November 2005 he was one of the leaders of a delegation that toured the Middle East to ask for diplomatic support, one of the factors that sparked the widespread anger in the region in early 2006. Along with Akhmed Akkari, he authored the Akkari-Laban Dossier which was used on that tour.
Three additional images- allegedly sent to Abu Laban but never published - were added to the list of cartoons actually published in the dossier handed out during this tour. Ahmad Akkari has explained that the three drawings had been added to "give an insight in how hateful the atmosphere in Denmark is towards Muslims."
(b. 1946, Jaffa
Jaffa
Jaffa is an ancient port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world. Jaffa was incorporated with Tel Aviv creating the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel. Jaffa is famous for its association with the biblical story of the prophet Jonah.-Etymology:...
, British Mandate of Palestine – d. February 1, 2007, Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
) was the leader of the organisation called the Islamic Society in Denmark
Islamisk Trossamfund
The Islamic Society in Denmark is a Muslim religious organisation in Denmark led by Ahmad Abu Laban, which has played a significant role in bringing international Muslim attention to the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy, distributing a 43-page dossier, in order to raise inform the...
and a central figure in the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
The Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy began after 12 editorial cartoons, most of which depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad, were published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on 30 September 2005...
.
Personal life
In 1948 his family emigrated to EgyptEgypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, and he grew up there. In 1969 he graduated as a mechanical engineer. In 1974 he married his cousin Iman; the couple had seven children. He studied Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic theology with scholars in different Muslim countries. He was employed in the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
oil industry from 1970 to 1982, and in a contracting company
Independent contractor
An independent contractor is a natural person, business, or corporation that provides goods or services to another entity under terms specified in a contract or within a verbal agreement. Unlike an employee, an independent contractor does not work regularly for an employer but works as and when...
in Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
from 1982 to 1984. He contributed to Islamic projects in education in different states of Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
.
He emigrated to Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
in 1984 and lived there for the rest of his life. On January 19, 2007 the Islamic Society in Denmark announced that Abu Laban had cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
, and that it probably was lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
. Abu Laban died on February 1, 2007, aged 60.
At the time of his death, Ahmad Abu Laban worked as a religious advisor with Islamic Society in Denmark. According to the Society's website, he was a member of the "Co-ordination council of Imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
s" in Europe.
Controversy
Abu Laban was persona non grata in the United Arab EmiratesUnited Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
because of his Islamist
Islamism
Islamism also , lit., "Political Islam" is set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary...
views. He was a well-known character in the Danish media for his often radical statements about Islam and the integration of immigrants into the Danish society.
Sri Lankan researcher Rohan Gunaratna
Rohan Gunaratna
Rohan Gunaratna is an international terrorism expert. He is the head of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research ] at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore...
, author of the book Inside Al Qaeda, has characterised Ahmed Abu Laban as an Islamic extremist. Rohan Gunaratna also accused Abu Laban of giving political and economic support to al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya
Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya
Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya is an Egyptian Islamist movement, and is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union and Egyptian governments...
, an Egyptian radical group that is part of Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
's network.
At his Friday prayer April 5, 2002 Abu Laban called on his congregation to offer their lives in a jihad for the Palestinian cause.
Muhammad cartoons controversy
Ahmed Abu Laban became involved in the media crisis which erupted in Denmark after the issue of the Muhammad cartoonsJyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
The Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy began after 12 editorial cartoons, most of which depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad, were published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on 30 September 2005...
in the conservative newspaper Jyllands-Posten
Jyllands-Posten
Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten , commonly shortened to Jyllands-Posten or JP, is a Danish daily broadsheet newspaper. It is based in Viby, a suburb of Århus, and with a weekday circulation of approximately 120,000 copies, it is among the largest-selling newspaper in Denmark...
. In November 2005 he was one of the leaders of a delegation that toured the Middle East to ask for diplomatic support, one of the factors that sparked the widespread anger in the region in early 2006. Along with Akhmed Akkari, he authored the Akkari-Laban Dossier which was used on that tour.
Three additional images- allegedly sent to Abu Laban but never published - were added to the list of cartoons actually published in the dossier handed out during this tour. Ahmad Akkari has explained that the three drawings had been added to "give an insight in how hateful the atmosphere in Denmark is towards Muslims."
Other controversial comments and citations
- On August 21, 1994 Abu Laban was interviewed in Jyllands-PostenJyllands-PostenMorgenavisen Jyllands-Posten , commonly shortened to Jyllands-Posten or JP, is a Danish daily broadsheet newspaper. It is based in Viby, a suburb of Århus, and with a weekday circulation of approximately 120,000 copies, it is among the largest-selling newspaper in Denmark...
following a massacre committed by the AlgeriaAlgeriaAlgeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
n terrorist organisation GIAArmed Islamic GroupThe Armed Islamic Group is an Islamist organisation that wants to overthrow the Algerian government and replace it with an Islamic state...
that led to the murder of among others seven Christian Monks and a number of foreign tourists. Asked if he could condemn the massacre he replied: "Perhaps the tourists are spreading AIDS in Algeria just like the Jews are spreading AIDS in Egypt."
- In his Friday sermon immediately following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the USA, he preached that "[he mourned the victims] with dry tears".
- Responding to Theo van GoghTheo van Gogh (film director)Theodoor "Theo" van Gogh was a Dutch film director, film producer, columnist, author and actor.Van Gogh worked with the Somali-born writer Ayaan Hirsi Ali to produce the film Submission, which criticized the treatment of women in Islam and aroused controversy among Muslims...
’s murder, his response was publicly to criticise it. Not long after, he criticized the European abuse of free speech for the issue of the controversial film Submission of the murdered Dutch film-maker.
- When Amina LawalAmina LawalAmina Lawal Kurami is a Nigerian woman. On March 22, 2002, an Islamic Sharia court sentenced her to death by stoning for adultery and for conceiving a child out of wedlock...
from NigeriaNigeriaNigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
was condemned to stoning, he refused to condemn the sentencing, considering he is not a judge and know not much about the actual episode.
- After a gang killing in CopenhagenCopenhagenCopenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Abu Laban proposed to deter any vengeance killing by the payment of a sum of "blood money" amounting to DKR. 200,000 – or the equivalent of 100 camels, according to his calculation, in today’s currency, to prevent any revenge.
- Interviewed on Danish television he was asked if he respected Osama bin Laden, Abu Laban replied: "[Osama bin Laden] is a businessman and "freedom fighter"
- "I call these people rats in holes" was his characterisation of the Danish liberal politician Naser KhaderNaser KhaderNaser Khader is Danish-Syrian and a former member of the Parliament of Denmark for the Conservative Party. As a member of Parliament, he has represented both Social Liberal Party and Liberal Alliance, the latter as founding leader, until January 5, 2009...
.
- In his Friday prayers on 5 April 2002 Abu Laban called on his congregation to offer their lives in a jihadJihadJihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
for the Palestinian cause. Outside the mosqueMosqueA mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
buses were waiting to take the congregants to a demonstration at Parliament Square, where they held up signs equating the Israelis with the nazists, and burned the IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i flag.