In the Autumn of 2005 Yvonne Ridley was in Copenhagen, being the star speaker at a meeting arranged by an association calling itself Muslims in Dialogue. The meeting was attended by around 1,000 mostly young Muslims and of course gender segregated.
Below, some excerpts from an article written by one of the panelist, Lars Erslev Andersen, who is a historian and terror expert.
Yvonne Ridley makes some hair raising remarks
But there was to be no dialogue that evening. Already after a few words of Ridley's speech, it became abundantly clear that she had not come to initiate dialogue, but only to present a petrified ideology based on the fact, that all evil in this world is caused by the United States and Great Britain, and terrorism is merely a result of this western evil, while Muslims are innocent victims. Her comparison of Tony Blair with Pol Pot speaks in this context for itself.
Jeppe Kofod distanced himself from her views, but tried otherwise in his friendly way to engage in dialogue. However, he, understandably I think, became somewhat tight lipped, when Ridley taught him, that his positive view on the recent elections in Afghanistan and his negative view of the Taliban regime showed, that he had succumbed to malicious Western propaganda. Personally I did not believe my ears when I asked Ridley if she did not find it problematic that Islamists distribute recruitment videos showing the slaughtering of hostages by terrorists in Iraq and she replied that it was necessary for Muslims to have these videos as an alternative news coverage to the Western media's propaganda. Seeing these scenes of slaughter as an alternative and essential news coverage seems to be an expression of a sick mind, and seeing that this viewpoint even elicited applause from the audience, depressed me.
While Jeppe Kofod laudably attempted to engage in dialogue, and I, without much success, tried to bring a little objectivity, Jon Kaldan was brave enough to denounce Ridley's views, which he rightly pointed out are devastating for the desired dialogue. That afternoon I had had a meeting with the Prime Minister and strenuously argued for the necessity of dialogue between the Muslim immigrant community and the Danish society. I must admit, that Monday evening I doubted very much the usefulness of such a dialogue. If someone like Yvonne Ridley is regarded as a representative spokeswoman for associations such as "Muslims in Dialogue". Then dialogue is merely a disguise for ossified propaganda.
I certainly hope it is not to be the norm and the level of dialogue, which I still think may be helpful. "
http://www.uriasposten.net/archives/2625
Topic: Douglas Murray puts Yvonne Ridley in her place