In The Name of Allaah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.

Allaah [The Exalted] said:

[ وَكَذَٲلِكَ جَعَلۡنَا فِى كُلِّ قَرۡيَةٍ أَڪَـٰبِرَ مُجۡرِمِيهَا لِيَمۡڪُرُواْ فِيهَا‌ۖ وَمَا يَمۡڪُرُونَ إِلَّا بِأَنفُسِہِمۡ وَمَا يَشۡعُرُونَ – And thus We have set up in every town the greatest of its criminals to plot therein. But they plot not except against their ownselves, and they perceive (it) not]. [Soorah Al-An’aam: Ayah 123]

[وَكَذَٲلِكَ جَعَلۡنَا فِى كُلِّ قَرۡيَةٍ أَڪَـٰبِرَ مُجۡرِمِيهَا – And thus We have set up in every town the greatest of its criminals] – Meaning: Those figureheads whose crimes were great and whose transgressions were severe. [لِيَمۡڪُرُواْ فِيهَا‌ۖ -to plot therein]- Meaning: Through deception, calling to the path of shaytaan and waging war – through speech and deeds- against the Messengers and their followers. However, their plots and machinations only backfired on them. That is because they plotted and Allah too was planning, and Allah is the Best of the planners.

Likewise, Allaah set up great ones amongst the leaders of guidance and the most virtuous of them, who opposed those criminals, refuted their statements and strove against them in the path of Allaah. They followed the paths leading to the path (of Allaah) and Allaah aided them. Allaah gave them an acute discernment and kept them steadfast. So the days of victory and defeat alternated between them and their enemies, until the affair came to its final end-victory and triumph (for the believers) and the good final end is for the Muttaqoon (i.e. the pious and righteous persons who fear Allah much (abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which He has forbidden) and love Allah much (perform all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained)]. (2)

Rasmus Paludan’s behaviour is something well known of the enemies of Allaah and His Messengers, therefore what is incumbent upon the believers is to refute his statements just as Imaam As-Sadi stated, “Likewise Allaah set up great ones amongst the leaders of guidance and the most virtuous of them, who opposed those criminals, refuted their statements and strove against them in the path of Allaah. They followed the paths leading to the path (of Allaah) and Allaah aided them. Allaah gave them an acute discernment and kept them steadfast. So the days of victory and defeat alternated between them and their enemies, until the affair came to its final end-victory and triumph (for the believers) and the good final end is for the Muttaqoon (i.e. the pious and righteous persons who fear Allah much (abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which He has forbidden) and love Allah much (perform all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained)]”.

Allaah [The Exalted] said: [وَجَاهِدْهُم بِهِ جِهَادًا كَبِيرًا – And make Jihad against them (by preaching) with the utmost endeavour, with it (i.e. with the Quran).” [Surah Furqan. Aayah 52]

Shaikh Abu Khadeejah [may Allaah protect him] quotes Imaam Asd-Sadi [may Allaah have mercy upon him] as follows: “Allāh addressed the Messenger (صلى الله عليه و سلم) with this verse and it was revealed to him in Makkah. And make Jihad against them with it, meaning the Jihad of the Qur’an and the Jihad of the Qur’an at that time was the establishment of Tawḥīd (Islamic Monotheism) and īmān (faith) and the eradication of shirk (the worship of others besides Allāh [سبحانه و تعالى]. Why? Because when that verse was revealed there was no hadd punishment upon the thieves, there was no stoning of the adulteress, there was no obligation of the Hijab. So which Jihad was he commanded to make? It was the Jihad of al-tawḥīd, to abolish shirk and to call the people to the worship of Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) alone and then when that īmān (faith) and tawḥīd was established in their hearts, Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) established for the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه و سلم) the Islamic state in Al-Medina, after which period all the other regulations of Al-Islam came. This included fasting in the month of Ramadan, Zakat, the performance of Hajj, the wearing of the Hijab, the prescribed punishments against the criminals, and Jihad upon the battlefields. So which Jihad was the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) commanded with in Makkah? The Jihad that Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) calls: “the great Jihad”. That was the Jihad of the Qur’an, the Jihad of Tawḥīd. This is why the scholars say, that the Jihad against ahlul al-bid’ah (the people of innovation) is more virtuous than Jihad against the open enemy”. (2)

Therefore, this is the sound approach- manifest the beauty of Islam, clarify for the one who enquires, refute the slanderers, behave well towards non-Muslims and refrain from criminality. Neither are protests allowed in Islam nor is Rasmus Paludan worthy of it, rather the Qur’an, the Sunnah and understanding of the companions must be followed in all affairs. Read here: https://salaficentre.com/2022/04/19/the-one-who-burns-the-quraan-out-of-hatred-and-the-one-who-protests-in-the-streets/

[Ref 1: An Excerpt from Tayseer Al-kareem Ar-Rahmaan Fee Tafseer kalaam Al-Mannaan By Imaam Sadi (rahimahullaah)] Slightly paraphrased]

[Ref 2: https://abukhadeejah.com/people-are-talking-of-jihad-and-you-salafis-are-still-talking-about-tawheed/