Norwegian racism on the rise
Emotions are running high as Norway debates the Islamic threat, or rather, what exactly Islamism, extreme Islam or radical Islam is. One would think we’re all entitled to a school fee refund (which, by the way, is highly likely at any rate).
The PST (Norway’s equivalent to the British MI5 or the US Secret service) definition reads thus:
Movements willing to apply the use of violence as a means to meet their ends.
A very fitting definition for their purposes, of course, but hardly an accurate one. Even our politicians seem to disagree on the matter, as we’re all trembling with fear of an imminent Jihad on Norwegian soil – for no obvious reason at all.
Unless you consider turning down a bill forbidding blasphemy and a proposal that Muslim WPC’s – of whom there are but a handful – should be allowed to wear hijabs a threat to our security.
More on the subject:
I’ve published several postings over the matter in Norwegian, causing a torrent of hateful propaganda, portraying Islam and Muslims as the essence of evil.
You may think of Norway as a very peace-loving and sweet country, but underneath that varnish lies an indescribable hatred towards Islam, Muslims – or perhaps just immigrants from third world countries in general, and from Arab countries, North-Africa, Pakistan and the Middle East in particular.
Time – or lack thereof – forbids me to offer translations, but I can assure you that endless comments and public polls leave little doubt that today’s Norwegians indeed with ease could have joined the German Nazi party some 70 years ago – if they only were German.
Of course, you could argue that I’m exaggerating, but Muslims are accused of
- taking our jobs
- unwillingness to work
- destroying Norwegian culture
- imposing their religion on us
- the raise in crime statistics
- raping our women
- abusing their own children and wives
- conspiring to perform acts of terrorism
Some even speak of our culture being superior to theirs.
Sounds familiar, you say? That could very well be:
It has in fact reached a point where even postings on Russian-Western relations becomes a question of Islam criticism (in Norwegian), leaving yours truly to expect the worst.
Photo: Ayatollah Khomeini on an Iranian wall. Photographer: Mr. Minogue/Wikimedia Commons
I noticed this I while ago, after I left Norway. I lost faith in humanity when reading the comments on db.no, and dreaded going home watching Norwegian TV.
I was left with the impression that we are all really racist fucks. But conditions apply.
First of all, I think Tabloid on TV2 is ruining this country, and I say that because I mean it.
Secondly, there are actually quite a large group of oppegående Norwegians as well. I work with some of them, and I know some other quite decent people too.
Thirdly, there are too many racists fuck in this country, and it makes me sad to admit it. We are more racist than any other people I have lived with, except in Malaysia, where the Chinese, Indians and Malays lived separately, as far as I could tell.
One thing I did learn in Malaysia, however, was that muslims are like the rest of us. Quite a lot of them pray, and there is no ham there anyway, so no one eats it, apart from the Chinese. Apart from that they are OK.
They seem to be behaving OK here in Oslo too.
So what the hell is the problem anyway?
Dear Jarle,
If you are interested in a short overview of some of the underlying reasons for this image of Islam in Norwegian (and “Western”) culture, and even an attempt at explaining the use of hijab amongst different sorts of Muslim women, I can recommend this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Rethinking-Muslim-Women-Veil-Challenging/dp/1565642872
I don’t agree with it fully, though I still think it is a good read
Have a nice day, and thanks again for letting your voice be heard!
Dear Bjørnar and Hadia,
Like both of you, I’m deeply shocked and appalled by the reactions I’ve seen over these last couple of weeks.
Hateful attacks from Progress party sympathisers are as could be expected, I suppose, but Labour’s foggy statements of late have sanctioned immigration scepticism as more or less political correctness, thereby instigating a deluge of hate.
I find it hard to believe what we’re witnessing.
Agreed.
I find it insane that so many of our fellow Norwegians seem to equate “freedom of expression” with “freedom to make disrespectful and derogatory statements about people with a different religion and/or skin colour”.
Norwegians think they are the best/richest/smartest/most rational people on earth. We’re not, actually, and we have a bunch to learn (both what to do and what not to do) from people who have dealt with immigration and multiculturalism for a while. Like the US and UK, but also places like Holland, Argentina and Australia.
These countries have also dealt with thinking that they are the coolest country on earth and then realising that they’re not. In fact, they’ve also thought they’re RICH and then realised they’re not.
We have a lot to learn, indeed.
But, sadly, it’s typically Norwegian to think we’re best, even when we’re far from it.
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