Asmaa Abdol-Hamid
Encyclopedia
Asmaa Abdol-Hamid (born November 22, 1981) is an Arab-Danish social worker and politician living in Odense
.
descent. Her father grew up in a Lebanese
refugee camp
. Her mother's family also lived in Lebanon, but moved to Saudi Arabia
for a few years. In the 1970s, her parents moved to the United Arab Emirates
before they contacted Dansk Flygtningehjælp during the mid-1980s, due to the police's harassment. The family was granted political asylum in Denmark, moving to Genner, South Jutland.
, and then in 1998 they moved to Vollsmose
, Odense
, to give the children more opportunities for higher education.
In 2004, she graduated with a degree in social advicer from Odense University College of Lillebaelt and worked as family coordinator in Roskilde
. She also started a successful girl's club. She is now working in Vollsmose.
Asmaa Abdol-Hamid was the first hijab-clad television host in Denmark and got elected as a deputy in the Danish Parliament, and she is the first women with scarf who attended the Danish City Council in Denmark.
.
In 2005 she was elected as deputy member of the Odense city council for the Red-Green Alliance
. She then first came to media attention when she refused to shake a male colleague's hand, instead putting her hand on her heart in greeting.
She served as spokesperson for the eleven Muslim organizations who filed a complaint with the police after the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy, contending that Jyllands-Posten should be criminally prosecuted for publishing editorial cartoons depicting the Islamic prophet Muhammad
. After a two-month investigation the Regional Public Prosecutor concluded that no apparent violation of Danish law had been committed that would trump the publishers' right to free speech.
In 2006, Abdol-Hamid hosted a TV show "Adam og Asmaa" together with Adam Holm. The show caused much debate since it was the first time a TV host in Denmark wore a hijab
. The Danish feminist group Feminist Forum said her appearance "strengthens ethnic and gender equality in Denmark" but the Women for Freedom association said, "The choice of Asma Abdol-Hamid (sic) ... is an insult to both Danish and Muslim women." another feminist organisation, Feministisk forum, wished the TV-station congratulations on the appointment of Asmaa. Feminist forum think that it was an important step towards equality.
In 2007, she announced her plans to run for the Folketing, gaining the candidacy for a Copenhagen
seat for the Red-Green Alliance. She is listed seventh on the party's parliamentary candidate list. Her candidacy caused debate in Denmark over the fact that she intends to serve wearing a hijab
. She also received support from some imams during the elections. Although she was not elected, she may still appear in the parliament as a substitute for Johanne Schmidt-Nielsen
. Pia Kjærsgaard
, leader of the Danish People's Party
, commented that they (the politicians) would throw Asmaa out of the Folketinget if she were to start out with saying "in Allah's name, the glorious, the merciful" from Folketinget's platform.
Odense
The city of Odense is the third largest city in Denmark.Odense City has a population of 167,615 and is the main city of the island of Funen...
.
Family background
Abdol-Hamid is one of seven children. She was born in the United Arab Emirates to parents of PalestinianPalestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
descent. Her father grew up in a Lebanese
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
refugee camp
Refugee camp
A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees. Hundreds of thousands of people may live in any one single camp. Usually they are built and run by a government, the United Nations, or international organizations, or NGOs.Refugee camps are generally set up in an impromptu...
. Her mother's family also lived in Lebanon, but moved to Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
for a few years. In the 1970s, her parents moved to the United Arab Emirates
United 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...
before they contacted Dansk Flygtningehjælp during the mid-1980s, due to the police's harassment. The family was granted political asylum in Denmark, moving to Genner, South Jutland.
Childhood
She and her family are practicing Muslims. When she was 14 the family moved to RødekroRødekro
Rødekro is a town with a population of 6,098 and a former municipality in Aabenraa municipality in Region of Southern Denmark on the Jutland peninsula in south Denmark. The former Rødekro municipality covered an area of 202 km², and had a total population of 11,695...
, and then in 1998 they moved to Vollsmose
Vollsmose
Vollsmose is a suburb of Odense, Denmark, approximately 3 km North-East of central Odense. The city is made up by large concrete blocks and few row-houses. It has 12,000 inhabitants. The area has in the 90's been known throughout Denmark because of the high crime-rate. In the latest years many...
, Odense
Odense
The city of Odense is the third largest city in Denmark.Odense City has a population of 167,615 and is the main city of the island of Funen...
, to give the children more opportunities for higher education.
In 2004, she graduated with a degree in social advicer from Odense University College of Lillebaelt and worked as family coordinator in Roskilde
Roskilde
Roskilde is the main city in Roskilde Municipality, Denmark on the island of Zealand. It is an ancient city, dating from the Viking Age and is a member of the Most Ancient European Towns Network....
. She also started a successful girl's club. She is now working in Vollsmose.
Asmaa Abdol-Hamid was the first hijab-clad television host in Denmark and got elected as a deputy in the Danish Parliament, and she is the first women with scarf who attended the Danish City Council in Denmark.
Political career
In high school Abdol-Hamid joined Social Democratic Youth of DenmarkSocial Democratic Youth of Denmark
The Danmarks Socialdemokratiske Ungdom is the youth organisation of the Danish Social Democrats.- History :The Social Democratic Youth movement of Denmark was established in 1920 after a break-up of the former youth organisation, the Social Democratic Youth League...
.
In 2005 she was elected as deputy member of the Odense city council for the Red-Green Alliance
Red-Green Alliance (Denmark)
The Red-Green Alliance is a socialist political party in Denmark.- History :The party was formed in 1989 as an electoral alliance by three left-wing parties, Left Socialists , Communist Party of Denmark and Socialist Workers Party...
. She then first came to media attention when she refused to shake a male colleague's hand, instead putting her hand on her heart in greeting.
She served as spokesperson for the eleven Muslim organizations who filed a complaint with the police after the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy, contending that Jyllands-Posten should be criminally prosecuted for publishing editorial cartoons depicting the Islamic prophet Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
. After a two-month investigation the Regional Public Prosecutor concluded that no apparent violation of Danish law had been committed that would trump the publishers' right to free speech.
In 2006, Abdol-Hamid hosted a TV show "Adam og Asmaa" together with Adam Holm. The show caused much debate since it was the first time a TV host in Denmark wore a hijab
Hijab
The word "hijab" or "'" refers to both the head covering traditionally worn by Muslim women and modest Muslim styles of dress in general....
. The Danish feminist group Feminist Forum said her appearance "strengthens ethnic and gender equality in Denmark" but the Women for Freedom association said, "The choice of Asma Abdol-Hamid (sic) ... is an insult to both Danish and Muslim women." another feminist organisation, Feministisk forum, wished the TV-station congratulations on the appointment of Asmaa. Feminist forum think that it was an important step towards equality.
In 2007, she announced her plans to run for the Folketing, gaining the candidacy for a 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...
seat for the Red-Green Alliance. She is listed seventh on the party's parliamentary candidate list. Her candidacy caused debate in Denmark over the fact that she intends to serve wearing a hijab
Hijab
The word "hijab" or "'" refers to both the head covering traditionally worn by Muslim women and modest Muslim styles of dress in general....
. She also received support from some imams during the elections. Although she was not elected, she may still appear in the parliament as a substitute for Johanne Schmidt-Nielsen
Johanne Schmidt-Nielsen
Johanne Schmidt-Nielsen is a member of the Danish parliament for the Red-Green Alliance, and a member of the executive committee of the party...
. Pia Kjærsgaard
Pia Kjærsgaard
Pia Merete Kjærsgaard is a Danish politician. She is a co-founder and current leader of the Danish People's Party, a nativist, national conservative political party in Denmark...
, leader of the Danish People's Party
Danish People's Party
The Danish People's Party is a political party in Denmark which is frequently described as right-wing populist by political scientists and commentators. The party is led by Pia Kjærsgaard...
, commented that they (the politicians) would throw Asmaa out of the Folketinget if she were to start out with saying "in Allah's name, the glorious, the merciful" from Folketinget's platform.
Views
- HeadscarfHeadscarfHeadscarves or head scarves are scarves covering most or all of the top of a woman's hair and her head. Headscarves may be worn for a variety of purposes, such as for warmth, for sanitation, for fashion or social distinction; with religious significance, to hide baldness, out of modesty, or other...
- "Wearing a headscarf does not mean that I’m oppressed or deprived. The values on which I live my life are Islamic and not Arab. It is important to make a distinction between religion and culture. In many respects, the Arab way of thinking discriminates against women; even though I am an Arab, I don’t make my choices on a cultural basis, but in the light of my religion."
- IntegrationRacial integrationRacial integration, or simply integration includes desegregation . In addition to desegregation, integration includes goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely...
- "I don’t like the word ‘integration’. Everyone uses the word without being able to make any clear-cut definition. Ethnic minorities are not a problem in themselves; when identifying reasons for the lack of integration in Denmark, I prefer to talk about social classes and look at people’s class background rather than their ethnic identity."
- War in Iraq - In July 2007, Asmaa Abdol-Hamid told tabloid newspaper B.T.B.T. (tabloid)B.T. is a Danish tabloid newspaper which offers general news about various subjects such as sports, politics and current affairs.A large, red neon sign displays the B.T. logo at the square Trianglen in Østerbro, a part of Copenhagen....
that she supports the Iraqi resistance movement against the occupation forces and that "they have the right to live in a country where they can make their own decisions". In a reaction to the controversy which her interview started, she maintains her support for the Iraqi resistance, and compares it to the Danish resistance movementDanish resistance movementThe Danish resistance movement was an underground insurgency movement to resist the German occupation of Denmark during World War II. Due to the unusually lenient terms given to Danish people by the Nazi occupation authority, the movement was slower to develop effective tactics on a wide scale...
against the German occupationOccupation of DenmarkNazi Germany's occupation of Denmark began with Operation Weserübung on 9 April 1940, and lasted until German forces withdrew at the end of World War II following their surrender to the Allies on 5 May 1945. Contrary to the situation in other countries under German occupation, most Danish...
during Second World War. She thinks resistance against a foreign occupation is not only legitimate but a human right. In response to her remarks 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...
, a fellow Muslim Dane, stated that Abdol-Hamid spoke so much nonsense and contradicted herself so often that one "gets completely dizzy." Khader pointed out that the Iraqi government had been freely elected by the Iraqi people and been recognized by the United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, concluding that Abdol-Hamid was "not to be taken seriously politically."
- PovertyPovertyPoverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
- Abdol-Hamid, who herself shared a one room flat with her six sisters in the ghetto of VollsmoseVollsmoseVollsmose is a suburb of Odense, Denmark, approximately 3 km North-East of central Odense. The city is made up by large concrete blocks and few row-houses. It has 12,000 inhabitants. The area has in the 90's been known throughout Denmark because of the high crime-rate. In the latest years many...
, in the town of OdenseOdenseThe city of Odense is the third largest city in Denmark.Odense City has a population of 167,615 and is the main city of the island of Funen...
, says her mission is to fight for the underclass, and the Danes in "deep poverty".