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Jesper Marquard Langballe (31 August 1939 – 15 March 2014) was aDanishLutheran priest, author and politician who represented theright-wing populistDanish People's Party (Danish:Dansk Folkeparti) in the Danish parliament,Folketinget, from 2001 to 2011. Langballe was elected in theViborg constituency. His sonChristian Langballe was elected to the Folketinget in 2011.
Langballe was born inCopenhagen as the son ofphysician Mogens Marquard Langballe and housewife Agnete Langballe, née Wolfhagen. He is the cousin ofSøren Krarup, another MP for Dansk Folkeparti.
He was educated as ajournalist atSkive Venstreblad 1959-61 andRingkøbing Amts Dagblad 1962-63 and as a priest at theMinistry for Ecclesiastical Affairs institute 1972–75. He worked as a journalist atJyllands-Posten 1964–72 as cultural reporter and back page editor doing political satire. Later he worked as a priest inThorning-Grathe parish 1975–2007. He has since 1982 been a co-editor and writer at thefundamentalistLutheran religious periodicalTidehverv.
Langballe has been spokesman on church affairs for the Danish People's Party in the last few years and has positioned himself as a strong proponent for the privileged status of theDanish National Church (Danish:Folkekirken) and its close connection to the state, described in theDanish constitution.
In this context he has, for instance, stated as follows about the wishes of theCatholic church in Denmark to have its member contributions collected alongside state taxes, like the state Lutheran Church of Denmark:
The tax collection is a part of the state backing, and it shall not be provided for other religious communities. If you start doing this, then what about other private associations? In this context we are talking about an association with a religious purpose. But it might as well be a handball club.[1]
In January 2010, Jesper Langballe defended controversial statements[2] byLars Hedegaard, chairman of theDanish Free Press Society, in the Danish newspaperBerlingske Tidende stating that:
Of course Lars Hedegaard should not have said that we see muslim fathers raping their daughters, when the reality rather seems to be that they simply kill them (the so calledhonor killings) – and besides that turn a blind eye to uncles raping them.[3]
These controversial statements were later to be moderated by Langballe following pressure from party chairmanPia Kjærsgaard, and he expressed his regrets about the phrasing - while he still supported the general message of the statement.[4] During the general uproar following the statements, city council member in Viborg for the Danish People's Party,Rikke Cramer Christiansen, decided to leave the party in protest.[5]
Islam andislamization is seen by Jesper Langballe as an imminent threat to Denmark and Europe:
Islam and Christianity cannot be reconciled. And they haven't been able to during the 1400 years that Islam has been in existence. I see the religion Islam as a threat to any society where it settles.[6]
As a member of the Danish parliament I have eagerly contributed to integration work and I wish it all the best. But you shouldn't, trying to help integration, subject yourself to self-censorship and stop talking about real problems.If islamization is allowed to go on unhindered in Denmark, there is definitely a risk that in a few years we are subjected to sharia. Of course there is.[7]
In his original piece inBerlingske Tidende (mentioned above) Langballe explicitly referred to the book1400-års krigen[8] (The 1400 Year War), as well as referring to the bookMødom på mode[9] (Fashionable Virginity) written by Danish authorKristina Aamand and her husbandAsif Uddin.
1400-års krigen[8] is written by the above-mentionedLars Hedegaard along with Langballe's party fellowMogens Camre. The summary of the book says (in English):
Lars Hedegaard and Mogens Camre analyze, for the first time in Danish, the Islamic war theory, strategy and tactics in its full extent. Militarily, theologically, historically, psychologically.
The book shows how badly prepared the West is for the newjihad, ajihad far more sophisticated than earlier Islamic conquest attempts. If the EU and the West do not soon awake, it will ultimately mean the end of freedom.
The authors also show that even though Islam is a skillful and determined opponent, we still have the opportunity for action if we want to avoid the destiny that has fallen upon all other non-Muslim populations having come under the iron heel of Islam.[8]
As opposed to Lars Hedegaard og Mogens Camre, Kristina Aamand has denounced Jesper Langballe's use of her book.[10]
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