Moderate Muslim parliamentarian to stay on in Denmark

Mar 27, 2006, 15:10 GMT

Copenhagen - A moderate Muslim member of the Danish parliament who was the target of veiled threats by a Lebanese-born imam is not quitting politics, a close aide said Monday.

Naser Khader of the opposition Social Liberal Party would however take a timeout from parliament. He has also cancelled meetings until Saturday when he was due to attend the first annual general meeting of the group Democratic Muslims, group co-founder Fathi El-Abed said.

Khader has been a vocal supporter of Denmark's freedom of expression during the ongoing row over a Danish newspaper's publication last September of controversial cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.

That position has drawn criticism and last week a French documentary was broadcast where imam Ahmed Akkari expressed veiled threats against Khader.

Akkari said that Khader should be bombed if he gained a cabinet post.

Later Akkari said the remarks were a joke, but last week he was forced to step down as spokesman for some two-dozen Muslim groups in Denmark.

Akkari and a fellow imam, Abu Laban, were questioned Monday over their remarks that were secretly taped but none of them was charged, Copenhagen police told Danish news agency Ritzau.