Danish writer Rune Engelbreth Larsen has teamed up with photographer Jacob Holdt to produce an open letter and YouTube video with an urgent appeal to president-elect Barack Obama concerning the rampant racism and xenophobia in Denmark.

Racist sentiment may be common in many countries, but Denmark is one of the only countries where actual demands to deport all Muslims proliferate in a party which virtually dictates government policy.

Their parliamentarians say things like: "Muslims come with a beggar's staff in their hand, but as soon as they're in from the cold it becomes a stick to beat us with". Does this rhetoric remind us of something?

The Bush-appointed American Ambassador has repeatedly stated his shock at the level of racism in Danish politics.

This open letter and YouTube video is a desperate attempt to make people see what's going on in a country that was once a champion of social justice and human rights. Not any more, alas!

The appeal and YouTube video may be found here:

http://www.panhumanism.com/letter_to_obama.php

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-6YcD-LZno (as usual, YouTube removed the video!!! Instead you can find it on BLIP.TV as shown below)

The two author's own statement about their appeal:

PLEASE HELP CIRCULATE THIS MESSAGE

An Open Letter to Obama: On Racism in Denmark

The Danish author of 'American Pictures' Jacob Holdt, and Danish author and columnist Rune Engelbreth, have published "An Open Letter to Barack Obama on Racism in Denmark" as a video-message on Youtube and Facebook.

The authors are concerned about the rising influence of the anti-immigrant Danish People's Party and hope to get the attention of the American President Elect as well as the American public and media.

A new series of cartoons depicting the prophet Mohammed are about to be published in Denmark where political discrimination and hate-filled rhetoric directed against ethnic and religious minorities has become a dominating part of mainstream politics.

A critical appraisal of the danger from our neighbors and friends abroad may prove to be a helpful necessity, similar to the criticism directed at the USA in the years when American politicians demonized their own black minority to attract white voters. Many Americans today express gratitude for the international support in those years and in line with the American ambassador to Denmark James P. Cain, hope that Denmark can avoid repeating America's past mistakes.

WATCH AND CIRCULATE THE VIDEO:

http://www.panhumanism.com/letter_to_obama.php

Yours truly
Jacob Holdt & Rune Engelbreth Larsen

[Hat tip: Carsten Agger]

Here is a time-waster news of the day:

This undated photo made available by Danish public broadcaster DR1 shows 18-year-old Iraqi-born, Huda Falah who DR1 says it has chosen as the winner.

Iraqi-born Huda Falah was on Tuesday named Miss Headscarf 2008, beating 46 contesters in the competition organized by Danish public broadcaster DR.

Huda, 18, won the competition that was open to anyone aged 15 or older.

"The woman is like a diamond and you don't show it to everyone," Falah said in an interview with the broadcaster, adding she entered the competition in order to help bridge the divide between Muslim and Danish youth.

And the iPod, maybe?

The broadcaster's 15-19 online community DR Skum announced the competition in May, but underlined it was a fashion contest, not a beauty contest and open to anyone - regardless of religion!!!

DR's youth club, 'Skum', believes that the project would display the 'cool Muslim women' who 'often make up a very fashion-conscious and style-confident part of the Danish street scene'.

It looks like some Danes are getting desperate to show some respect to what other Danes are dying to insult. Or is it a real respect to the 3.7 percent of the country's population - Muslims (210,000 persons - that is 7 times the population of Monaco)? According to U.S. State Department, they are the second largest religious group there! In spite of that, Hijab has recently been the focus of a heated debate in Denmark to ban wearing it. It is pity to see the West confusing Hijab and modesty with or other religious symbols such as crucifix. Stories like these and campaigns such as the one lead by Danish Peoples Party (DPP) only shows how much ignorant, racist and anti-Muslims that part of Denmark is.

While DPP is fighting to marginalizes Muslims, some are beginning to realize the sheer impact of the hatred they have fueled against themselves from Muslims all over the world after the cartoons scandal and the support they shown in favor of insulting Qura'an by the Dutch lawmaker, Geert Wilders, in his infamous short clip.

Anyway, as a winner, Huda will receive an iPod and a hot, specially made headscarf designed by a Danish fashion boutique. Five semi-finalists will walk away with subscriptions to Muslim Girl magazine.

Now, I have a question to these Danes: Are you done ridiculing Islam and regard the hijab as a symbol of what you see as the inferior status of women in Islam? This competition is just a kind of a joke, but it's also something I hope will force Danes to accept women who choose to wear a headscarf.

A screen grab from the Denmark Radio Web site in Copenhagen shows contestants for the Miss Headscarf competition on Tuesday, June 3, 2008.

Last but not least, the whole point of the Hijab is that it's a symbol of chastity and modesty; to cover women instead of turning them into objects. I don't mind looking at a nice objects, but this object is not one of them!

Here is an interview with the winner, subtitled to English:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOIP9PdSciM[/youtube]