Minister opens first Islamic cultural centre in Denmark

HE the Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs Dr Ghaith bin Mubarak al-Kuwari attending the official opening of the Islamic cultural centre in Rovsingsgade, Copenhagen.

 QNA/Agencies/Copenhagen

HE the Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs Dr Ghaith bin Mubarak al-Kuwari yesterday opened the first Islamic cultural centre in Denmark.

The cost of setting up the cultural centre, called Hamad bin Khalifa Centre, was covered by HH the Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani.  It is managed by the Danish Islamic Council.

Addressing the opening ceremony here yesterday, HE Dr al-Kuwari said the day marks a significant milestone in the history of ties between the Muslim world and Denmark. He added that the opening of Hamad bin Khalifa Centre “is an actual reflection of a firm desire” by the two sides to know each other more.

He said that Qatar and its leadership effectively contribute to all the positive initiatives for dialogue between cultures and civilisations and mutual understanding between peoples. He stressed that Qatar is proud of its support for this cultural project and views it as a bridge to build trust, and as a beacon to achieve mutual understanding, between Denmark and the Muslim world.

He hoped that the centre would succeed in overcoming the effects of the negative images at the turn of the century, which were a source of tension between Denmark and the Muslim world.

Danish Islamic Council chairman Abdelhamid al-Hamdi handed Dr al-Kuwari a gift for HH the Father Emir from the Muslims of Denmark.

Qatar’s Ambassador to Netherlands Kahlid bin Fahad al-Khater attended the opening ceremony along with a group of senior officials at the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs.

Earlier, spokesman for the Danish Islamic Council Mohamed al-Maimouni,  said : “We were so happy with this donation: it’s a generous gift that comes with no demands.”

The organisation initially tried to raise money for the cultural centre in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia before an appearance on Qatar’s Al Jazeera news channel caught the attention of HH the Father Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani.

The group told Gulf financiers it wanted to create a platform for dialogue between Danish Muslims and other groups in Danish society.

To that end, representatives from the Church of Denmark as well as from the Jewish community were invited to yesterday’s inauguration.

 “With this platform you can avoid conflicts like the one over the cartoons, because it creates dialogue and understanding,” al-Maimouni said.