The integration spokesperson for the Social Democrats (Socialdemokratiet), Frederik Vad, expressed his surprise upon learning about the case of Simon El-Shenaib, who had praised the late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Facebook. Vad referred to his earlier comments regarding “a third acknowledgment,” where he warned that individuals who appear to be well-integrated into society can still harbor radical views. “This case confirms my point that it is not sufficient to have a job and education to exclude radicalized opinions,” Vad stated. He finds it absurd that a person who is considered well-integrated into Danish society would express support for a figure like Haniyeh.
The discovery of El-Shenaib’s post originated from a similar incident in Sweden, where Islamists were caught making anti-democratic statements. Tobias Grotkjær Elmstrøm, the judicial spokesperson for the Moderates (Moderaterne), believes Vad’s previous comments are stigmatizing, but he acknowledges the existence of the problem. “It is reprehensible to praise a Hamas leader, but there is no reason to generalize,” he remarked. The party’s integration spokesperson, Mohammad Rona, added, “Of course, there are bad apples that we need to respond to. However, it is important not to generalize based on isolated incidents.”
Frederik Vad emphasized the importance of continuing to express surprise at such cases to avoid becoming indifferent, maintaining that opinions and values cannot be measured solely by external success metrics. Despite efforts, B.T., a Danish tabloid newspaper, has been unable to obtain a comment from Özlem Cekic, a former member of the Danish Parliament (Folketinget) who has also been critical of Vad’s statements.