DENMARK

Ahmed Lutfi Oezer was born in Denmark and is the Manager at the F.C. Toros 95 (Youth Club). This club focuses on trying to influence children to be all rounded by involving them in soccer and online computer games so that they can gain the interest of the children in order to influence in a way that will help integrate Muslims in Denmark and help build better futures for them. He is also a member in the Council of Integration in the City of Hvibovre and is pursuing his studies in the field of Engineering.

City: Copenhagen

Bassan El-Daoud is the Youth Club Director of the Klubben I Bispehaven. Bassam is of Palestinian descent.

Bircan Eker is the head of section at The Labor Market Authority.

Fathi el Abed is a spokesperson, Board member and co-founder of the Democratic Muslims. Democratic Muslims is a non-profit organization that was founded in the midst of the recent Danish cartoon crisis. Fathi is also the Co-chairman of the Danish Palestinian friendship association. Privately Fathi works as a consultant. He has a master's in business administration from Copenhagen Business School. He is a frequent commentator in the Danish media on Palestinian issues, he also writes frequently for various Danish newspapers, mainly the Palestinian issue. He was born in Beirut in a refugee camp.

City: Copenhagen

Imam Fatih Alev has been practicing as an imam in Copenhagen since 1999, delivering his khutbas in Danish. He is member of the organization Muslims in Dialogue. Since August 2001 until April 2006 he was a columnist on a monthly basis for the daily Politiken and has written on religious and social issues, often commenting on the debate on Islam and Muslims. He is spending some of his time as co-editor of Islam.dk. He has been heavily involved with the Danish media since 2001. He is member of the board of Islamic-Christian Study Centre, a dialogue and diapractice oriented association that has been established by Muslims and Christians in cooperation in 1996. Furthermore he is involved with European Muslim Network. His parents are from Turkey and he was born in Denmark in 1972.

City: Copenhagen

Jamilla Jafer is the Union Adviser at The Secretariat of Management in Denmark. They have a center for integration and equality. She is the Vice Chairman in the democratic Muslims. She was born in Copenhagen and has a Masters degree in Law.

Mattias Pape Rosenfeldt, Media scientist, working on publishing the first nationwide newspaper for the Muslim community in Denmark.

Mona Kanwal Sheikh has a Master Degree in Political Science, and is specialized in radical Islamism. She is currently board member of the Documentation and Advisory Centre on Racial Discrimination (DRC) and vice chair of the INGO European Network Against Racism (ENAR). She has previously been board member of a number of organizations working for minority rights such as the Association of Ethnic Minorities (POEM) and the Integration Council of Copenhagen Municipality. In 2001 she was nominated to the Danish Parliament and elected board member of the central council of the Danish Social-Liberal Party (DRV). She is an experienced debater, freelance writer/commentator and frequently gives lectures on issues related to Danish integration politics, "European Islam", religion and secularism at different educational institutions and religious forums all over Denmark. Mona has edited and contributed to a number of anthologies and produced several articles - especially on questions relating to Islam in European context - published in a diversity of pamphlets, journals and Danish newspapers. During her many years' work in different NGO's, Mona has initiated and organized a number of dialogue conferences and welfare activities On the basis of her activities she is frequently quoted in Danish media. Mona Sheikh is born in Denmark and is of Pakistani origin.

City: Copenhagen

Naveed Baig, born in Denmark, is a project coordinator, Imam (chaplain) and speaker. Immersed in promoting the Muslim community, he is very active in civil society organizations. He is the co-founder of MID (Muslims in Dialogue), the largest youth organization in Denmark. Mr. Baig is also a member of the steering committee (working group) of IKS (Islamic Christian study center), which also functions as a dialogue center. He has written various articles for Danish newspapers and journals, including an Islamic theology for spiritual care and counseling, sharing his gained knowledge from his work in hospitals and prisons. Furthermore, He contributed to an anthology regarding the post-cartoon scenario published by the 'information' publication. He participated in the month long series 'Islam's faces in Denmark' on DR (Danish Radio), and has also been quoted by various newspapers especially with regards to dialogue work and Islamic spirituality. Furthermore, he has organized and participated in outreach ventures as lectures at various universities, churches and for hospital staff. He was recently part of a Danish delegation to Syria in the aftermath of the cartoon crisis, supported by the Danish foreign ministry.

City: Copenhagen

Naser Khader was born in 1963 in Damascus, Syria to a Palestinian father and a Syrian mother. Originally Nasser studied engineering at the Danish Technical University but after two years, he switched to Economics at Copenhagen University, where he graduated in 1993 with a Master's in Political Science. He also holds a degree in Middle East Studies from Odense University, which he attained in 1993. Mr. Khader also pursued supplemental courses in rhetoric and communications in 1994-1995 at Aarhaus University. He began his career as an Arabic interpreter and translator and later became a translator and consultant for Radio Denmark. In 1996, he consulted for DAB Housing Society. He is a member of Parliament of Denmark and has been affiliated with the Social Liberal Party since 1984. Mr. Khader was a member of the central board of the City Council in 1996 and soon after, became the City Councilor in 1997 until 2000. He is a member of the Danish Council of Ethics as well as the Housing Foundation for Single Mothers and New Europe. He served on the management committee for Building and Works Foundation, and during the year of 2000-2001, he participated in the think-tank on integration with the Ministry of the Interior. Since 2000, he has also been an ambassador for UNICEF. As a proponent leader of the peaceful co-existence between Islam and democracy, he established the movement, Moderate Muslims, which was later renamed the Democratic Muslims during the time of the cartoon controversy. As an immigrant himself, he understands the crisis of identity, which many experience. He writes in his biography that a difficulty in moving from a Muslim culture to a non-Muslim culture is not simply the different environment; it is linked with the fact that many do not know or understand from where their own culture finds its roots. Mr. Khader has been bestowed many awards honoring his achievements and efforts as the Danish Authors' Association award for Peace and International Understanding, the Cultural Award from the Union of Commercial and Clerical Employees in Denmark, the "Intercultural Award", the Native Language Award and the Heiberg Award, while also being recognized as the "Outstanding Person of 2001" by the Juniors' Chamber Award and also one of the most important people in Denmark in the 20th century.

City: Copenhagen

Rubya Mehdi, Specialized in Islamic Law from Copenhagen University, lecturer at the University of Copenhagen and active participant in debates concerning interpretations of sharia in Denmark.

Sherin Khankan is anMA. in Sociology of Religion and Philosophy from University of Copenhagen. She is a Lecturer, teacher, activist, columnist, and public speaker. She has specialized in contemporary Islamic activism in Europe and the Middle East. The Founder and Chairwoman of Association of Critical Muslims she is also the Founder and leader of Face to Face, a counseling service for Muslim women in Denmark. She is currently working on a book about Islamic activism in Denmark to be published fall 2006. She has contributed to several anthologies, e.g., Syrernes Damaskus (The Syrians' Damascus), De R¿de Sko- Feminisme Nu (The Red Shoes- Feminism Now), and Ord pŒ Samvittigheden (Conscience and Words) Member of a think tank called Co-existence of Civilizations, created in the aftermath of the cartoon crisis.She is the co-founder of Mesopotamia, a consultancy firm that aids businesses in strengthening their communication with Muslims.

City: Copenhagen

Shehzad Inayat, MSc Economics and Finance from Copenhagen Business School. Occupational area: Finance and Accounting. As an active member of the Copenhagen branch of Muslims in Dialogue, Mr. Inayat hopes to bridge gaps between communities and give a better representation of the religion of Islam. Born in Copenhagen, Demark.

City: Copenhagen

Ummar Arshed is born in Denmark and is active in promoting the ideals of the Muslim community and to minimize the growing divide between Western and Muslim society. He is currently the president of Muslims in Dialogue.

City: Copenhagen