"It's
about freedom of speech and Islam," Rose said.
"Some
Muslims are asking for an apology pointing to a lack of respect.
"They're
not asking for respect; they're asking for subordination - for us as
non-Muslims to follow Muslim taboos in the public domain," he
argued.
Although
Rose expected some complaints, he was unprepared for the deluge of
criticism, said the Jyllands-Posten.
Rose
is happy that he has sparked a debate.
"Usually
we speak about them and us, Muslim immigrants and the local
population, but in this case many Danes criticized the paper while
many Muslims supported the paper," he argued.
"This
is actually the first time Muslims participated on a public platform
alongside Danes."
Control
Moller
said the right-wing Danish People's Party, the country's third
largest, is behind controversial government attempts to stabilize
Denmark's growing Muslim community at no more than 10 percent of the
total 5.5 million population.
"The
emphasis is rapidly becoming to keep out as many people as possible,
regardless of whether they've been tortured or persecuted," he
said.
Naveed
Baig, a Danish Muslim and member the group Muslims In Dialogue, echoed
a similar position.
"The
parliament is dominated by right-wing parties," he said.
"They
are trying to control immigrants, not facilitate them."
The
Muslim activist also criticized some elements within the Muslim
minority.
"Muslim
extremists are making things hard for the majority of Muslims who
fully accept secularism and democracy."
