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Muslim MP candidate exits

By The Copenhagen Post

Published 28.02.08   00:00 

Asmaa Abdol-Hamid says she is taking a one-year break from her party duties - primarily due to the headscarf dispute

The Red-Green Alliance's earlier parliamentary candidate, Asmaa Abdol-Hamid, has stated she is taking a one-year break from the party and will not run in the next election due to the uproar over her wearing a headscarf.

Abdol-Hamid has been a controversial figure in Danish politics since she was selected as an MP candidate last year. She has since made several unpopular comments based on her Muslim faith and is again in the news for saying she would not remove her headscarf if she were to address the assembly.

In the last election, Abdol-Hamid was not selected for a seat because the Red-Green Party secured only four parliamentary seats and already had sitting MP's to fill those slots.

Abdol-Hamid told Politiken newspaper she was disappointed in both her critics and her own party.

'I have to admit that my disappointment in the left wing hasn't waned,' she said. 'And while there's all this hubbub out there over Muslims, with one over-the-top suggestion after the other, the Red-Green Alliance has been disturbingly silent.'

Abdol-Hamid also said she was troubled by comments from Socialist People's Party leader Villy Søvndal telling members of radical Muslim group Hizb ut-Tahrir they could 'go to hell'.

The Muslim politician did say, however, that she would remain with the Red-Green Alliance and would likely run for MP again after returning from her break. (RC)

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