Category Archives: Videos

Ambassador Ahmed visited the Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen where he discussed the issues relating to Islam in Denmark, including the controversial publication of the cartoons depicting the Prophet of Islam in 2005.

The Little Mermaid statue is one of the iconic symbols and major tourist destinations of Denmark. It was unveiled in 1913 and depicts the main character of the famous tale by the Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen.

While in Copenhagen, Ambassador Ahmed, Dr. Amineh Hoti, and Harrison Akins visited Rabbi Bent Melchior, the former Chief Rabbi of Denmark, at his home in order to discuss the Jewish and Muslim communities of Denmark.

Rabbi Melchior is descended from a long line of rabbis and became Chief Rabbi of Denmark in 1969, succeeding his father who served as Chief Rabbi from 1947 to 1969. Rabbi Melchior has been very involved in bringing the different faith communities together both in Denmark and internationally. Since 1999, he has been Honorary Life President of B’nai B’rith Europe as well as being involved in numerous other international organizations.

During the interview, Rabbi Melchior discussed the history of the Jewish community in Denmark, his experiences in World War 2 during which the Danish people saved the vast majority of the Danish Jewish population from the Nazi concentration camps, the lessons the Jewish community learned in integrating in Denmark, and what he sees as the essence of Judaism.

The Journey into Europe team recently arrived in Copenhagen, Denmark where the visit was launched with a lecture on the Journey into Europe project by Ambassador Akbar Ahmed at the University of Copenhagen.

The lecture was sponsored by Professor Ehab Galal of the Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies and the Forum for Islam Research at the University of Copenhagen. The audience was at capacity in a packed room in spite of the freezing rain and end of semester exams. There were many distinguished guests in the audience–Ambassador Masroor Junejo, the Pakistani Ambassador to Denmark; Rabbi Bent Melchior, the former Chief Rabbi of Denmark; and many other prominent professors and leaders in the Muslim community.

While in Copenhagen, the Journey into Europe team has a very hectic and exciting schedule, meeting with leaders of the various faith communities in Denmark, interviewing other prominent members of Danish society, and visiting with the Muslim community in their mosques and homes in order to better understand Danish society and culture and the experiences of Muslims in this Scandinavian country.

Ambassador Ahmed sat down with Paul Smith, the Director of British Council USA, in Washington, DC to discuss British identity and how to improve relations between Muslims and non-Muslims today. Paul Smith, educated at King Edward’s School Birmingham and Queens’ College Cambridge, has worked with the British Council since 1983, where he has served previously as the Country Director of the British Council for both Egypt and Afghanistan.

The British Council is a British organization specializing in international education and cultural relations, with offices in over 100 countries. It has been involved in building bridges between the West and the Muslim world, particularly through cultural-based projects such as “Our Shared Future” which aimed at promoting positive relations between Muslims and non-Muslims through supporting scholarship and cultural exchanges.

While in London, Ambassador Ahmed, accompanied by his team including intern Mina Hoti, visited the Pakistani High Commission on Lowndes Square. The team was joined by Arsallah Khan Hoti from Pakistan. They were welcomed by the Acting High Commissioner His Excellency Mohammad Imran Mirza. Ambassador Ahmed served as the Pakistani High Commissioner from 1999-2000.

During the visit, His Excellency spoke about the Pakistani community in the UK and the Quaid-e-Azam, Mr. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who was educated at Lincoln’s Inn in London. During the late 1990s, Ambassador Ahmed completed the Jinnah Quartet, examining the life of the Quaid-e-Azam. The Quartet included a feature film, a documentary film, a book, and a comic book.

In London, Ambassador Ahmed visited the Prince Albert Memorial in Hyde Park where he discusses the connection between empire and immigration. Price Albert was the Prince Consort of Queen Victoria, the Empress of India. He died in 1861 after contracting typhoid fever, plunging Queen Victoria into mourning for the rest of her life. A number of public monuments were raised in his honor after his death, including the Prince Albert Memorial.

While in London, the Journey into Europe team went to Borough of Tower Hamlets in East London where they visited the East London Mosque, one of the largest mosques in Western Europe. During their visit, they spoke with Dilowar Khan, the Executive Director of the East London Mosque, and Salman Farsi, the Media Officer of the East London Mosque Trust, about the history of the mosque and the Muslim community of Tower Hamlets.

The Journey into Europe team visited the city of Xanthi in the Western Thrace region of Greece where Dr. Amineh Hoti talked with Nuseybe Bosnak, a member of the Turkish Minority community, about her identity. The European region of Western Thrace, near the Turkish border in northern Greece, has been inhabited by a Muslim population for centuries, even prior to the Ottoman Empire coming in the 14th century. Today, the Muslim community of Western Thrace numbers over 100,000 with some villages having populations which are 100% Muslim.

In Thessaloniki, Greece, Ambassador Ahmed sat down with Professor Angeliki Ziaka of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, a specialist in the history of religions and the study of Islam and Arabic civilization. In the discussion, Professor Ziaka spoke of the history of Islam in Greece, Greek identity, and the interaction of Greek culture with both the Islamic world and Europe, what she referred to as the “Circle of Light.”

Ambassador Ahmed and the Journey into Europe team were in Thessaloniki, Greece. Founded in 315 BC, the city was named after the sister of Alexander the Great. In Thessaloniki, the Journey into Europe team interviewed a number of leading Greek academics and learned of the great contributions of Greek culture to world history and the importance of applying its lessons of humanism and reason to today’s problems.