Mustafa urges mentally ill people in Folketinget to act regarding their homosexuality: He is now a Danish citizen.

Should one be granted Danish citizenship if one has rejoiced over the death of a Muhammad cartoonist and believes homosexuality is wrong?

No, says the Danish People's Party.

Therefore, the party proposed denying the man behind the statements, 44-year-old Mustafa from Morocco, Danish citizenship.

After a year-long debate on whether one should more thoroughly check the democratic mindset of applicants for Danish citizenship, the politicians suddenly took a quick decision in November to invite three applicants to a hearing in the Folketing.

Ultimately, in order to be able to deny them citizenship, even if they met the many requirements for obtaining a Danish passport - from self-sufficiency to having passed the naturalization exam.

The most controversial of the three applicants to the hearings, Mustafa, now shares his account of the proceedings. For yesterday, the Folketing passed a law granting him Danish citizenship. So now he - after a month as a silent figure in a heated debate - feels free to speak up.

- I'm glad I'm going to be a Danish citizen. I want to thank the politicians who voted against DF's proposal. They have used their common sense and fairness.

Mustafa is from Morocco and arrived in Denmark in 2002. Out of concern for his own safety, he does not wish to reveal his last name, but DR knows his identity.

- I have lived in Denmark for many years and have always worked and paid my taxes. I feel I have contributed a lot to society. I feel Danish and have great respect for Danish values and legal principles. I am not an anti-democratic extremist.

Were politicians afraid that you were?

- Yes, maybe. Because I have written something on Facebook for a long time.

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Still think homosexuality is wrong

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Mustafa wrote a Facebook comment in 2021 in response to an article with the headline "The Islam-critical cartoonist Lars Vilks has been killed."

The politicians in the Indfødsretsudvalg were made aware of it, and that is why they invited Mustafa to a hearing.

Why did you write "It's good to hear" in response to Lars Vilks' death?

- It was because he had drawn something I thought was wrong. Every time he drew something, there was disagreement between Danes and Muslims.

So you thought it was good he died?

- I didn't think that then, but I don't think it now.

But you still think it's not in order that he made Muhammad drawings?

- I don't think it's allowed to draw Muhammad or burn the Quran, because it creates so much hatred and problems in society.

When the burqa ban was passed in the Folketing in 2018, Mustafa wrote on Facebook: "Mentally ill people in the Folketing. I should do something about your homosexuality instead."

Mustafa explains that he is "ok with the burqa ban" today. And that he apologized to the politicians at the hearing for calling them mentally ill.

- It was not my intention to offend anyone. I know that homosexuality has been allowed in Denmark for many years. I respect that. I am against discrimination and harassment of homosexuals.

So you think homosexuality is in order?

- No, I don't think homosexuality is in order, but I respect the right to be homosexual in Denmark. Many other Danes do too.

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What are the requirements to obtain Danish citizenship?

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A foreign citizen can only obtain Danish citizenship by law. That means it is only the Folketing that can grant citizenship.

To obtain Danish citizenship - also known as naturalization - one must meet a series of conditions that a majority in the Folketing has agreed upon in the Naturalization Agreement. One must:

* Give a declaration of loyalty and allegiance to Denmark and Danish society.

* Live permanently in Denmark and be registered at a Danish address.

* Have resided lawfully in Denmark for nine consecutive years. However, it is two years for Nordic citizens.

* Not have committed certain criminal offenses. For example, a fine of over 3,000 kroner results in a four-and-a-half-year waiting period before one can become a citizen.

* Not have public debt to the state.

* Be self-sufficient. That is, one cannot have received public assistance within the last two years.

* Have been in full-time employment for three and a half years out of the last four.

* Be able to document one's Danish language skills.

* Pass the naturalization exam.

* Participate in a municipal constitutional ceremony, where one gives a handshake with the mayor or a council member from one's municipality of residence.

If one meets the requirements, one automatically becomes the subject of a bill to be granted Danish citizenship. If one does not meet the requirements, one can apply for dispensation to the Indfødsretsudvalg.

Source: Ministry of Immigration, Integration and Housing (https://uim.dk/statsborgerskab/udenlandske-statsborgere/betingelser/)

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'I have just exercised my freedom of speech'

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When Mustafa received the invitation to a hearing in the Folketing, he was concerned. It was a new development in Danish politics, and therefore it received a lot of media attention.

And as he read and heard his own comments about Lars Vilks and homosexuality being repeated in the media, he feared that a majority would vote against the proposal for Danish citizenship for him.

But his anxiety disappeared when he attended the hearing with the approximately 10 politicians in the Indfødsretsudvalg.

- I was a bit nervous before and at the beginning of the hearing, but it was actually a pleasant hearing. It was quiet and peaceful, and the politicians were friendly.

But he does not think it was necessary to have a hearing. Even though he acknowledges that he had written some controversial things on Facebook. And that it is not a serious matter to be denied Danish citizenship.

- It's not a serious matter, where I have committed a crime. I have just exercised my freedom of speech. Says Mustafa.

Liberal Alliance, Denmark Democrats, and Conservatives voted for DF's proposal to deny Mustafa Danish citizenship based on his statements. But the government and the left-wing parties voted against it.

Both Mustafa and the two other applicants, who were present at the hearings, therefore had a broad majority behind them to become Danish citizens.

The law takes effect on January 1, 2025, and then all good 2,000 people must give a handshake to a mayor at a constitutional ceremony in their municipality before they can receive a Danish passport.

Warning: This article was translated by a Large Language Model, in case of doubt, you can always visit the original source.