Bjorn Jansen
In Norway's educational
system, history is not a valued subject. It is included under either
"Social Studies" or "Norwegian." Many Norwegians are
therefore unaware how their society and democracy were formed, or of the
enormous prices paid to attain them. Recent generations seem to take them for
granted.
Norway's education system is
also permeated with an idealistic vision of equality and a belief in cultural
relativism: that everyone, every culture and every religion are of the same
value. Schools and even preschools are obliged to work to wipe out class
differences. The majority of teachers are idealists who believe in the idealism
they are obliged to preach. Islam is presented in schoolbooks as "just
another religion" -- attractive, and portrayed as if has already been
reformed, a situation just not the case.
There are no debate clubs in
Norway. The result is a pressure for consensus of views and thoughts. To
express an opinion that runs against the stream can be associated with
"being difficult," "argumentative" and that what you think
is "wrong," with unpleasant overtones of "you are wrongly
programmed."
The media refuses even to look
at Islam's doctrines. Rather than investigate Islam for themselves, politicians
in Norway put their blind faith in what the imams and the Islamic Council of
Norway say is Islam. If the media and the politicians admit there is a problem,
they will be forced to retract their belief in multiculturalism and apologize.
How, then, does one express
dissent in a country whose politicians and media are rooted in socialist
thinking; where discussing religion is a no-go; where politics has replaced
religion and where there is a small population ensuring conformity of thought,
with the risk of being sanctioned for expressing other thoughts?
It seems that most people in
Europe -- in the wake of the Paris massacres at the magazineCharlie Hebdo and
the kosher supermarket -- have either forgotten, or never been taught, that
Muslims have invaded Europe several times before. In the Eighth Century, the
Moors (Muslims from North Africa) succeeded in conquering Spain and the early
medieval French King, Charles Martel, fought and put a stop to the Moors'
invasion of France. It took 800 years to expel Islam from Spain; the final
expulsion of the Moors from Andalusia occurred 1494. Later, the Ottomans made
it to the gates of Vienna in 1683. How has Islam's nature and history in Europe
been forgotten?
Norway, like many other
countries in Europe after World War II, has built up an expansive welfare
state. It is based on the principle of shared values, shared goals and shared
faith in the state. Historically, Norway has prided itself in being a largely
classless society with a large middle class, and only a small upper class or
nobility.
In Norway's educational
system, history is not a valued subject. It is included either under the
umbrella of "social studies" or "Norwegian." This
downgrading, combined with the erosion and virtual removal of Christianity from
the education system, means that many are unaware of how their society and
democracy were formed, or of the enormous prices paid to attain them. Recent
generations seem to take them for granted.
The development of the West,
which began with Socrates in Athens; then proceeded to rule of law based on
verifiable evidence and equal justice from Rome; then the theological debate
that preceded the Reformation and the Renaissance; the Enlightenment and the
growth of science -- all of these, over hundreds of years, have shaped
constitutions and created today's democratic societies. Today's constitutions,
legal systems, codes of ethics, and even desired values for children, are based
on the values and qualities expressed in both the Old and New Testament, but
most young people are not aware of this.
Islam is an ideology. All
nations have their own, although this may not be obvious to those who are born
and brought up in them. What, then, is Norway's post-war ideology (or
idealism), and how does it permeate Norway's society today?
Before large amounts of oil
began to be extracted in the 1970s, Norway was largely a monocultural society.
However, the last 40 years have been a high-speed transition to a multicultural
society, whose previous solidarity and joint values are now being broken down
and questioned by parallel and, in the case of Islam, some widely opposing
values and goals.
With immigration comes a
larger gap between the poorest and richest than before, but Norway retains its
strong social values of equality and its dream of solidarity -- perhaps a key
reason why socialism still has such a strong hold on the country.
Norway's education system is
permeated in an idealistic vision of equality and a belief in cultural
relativism: that everyone, every culture and every religion are of the same
value. Schools and even preschools are obliged to work toward wiping out class
differences. As the state opposes the idea of private schools, there is
virtually no alternative to the state school. The majority of teachers are
idealists who believe in the idealism they are obliged to preach.
Cultural and religious
relativism prevail. Islam is presented in schoolbooks as "just another
religion." Key practices, such as washing before praying, and praying five
times a day, are presented; but Mohammed's biography, Islam's ideology and agenda,
the concept of the kafir[infidel] and all its aggressive contents
are brushed under the carpet. Islam is presented as an attractive religion,
not an ideology, and is portrayed as if has already been
reformed, a situation that is just not the case.
There is no tradition of
debate clubs in Norway; the result is pressure for consensus of views and
thoughts. To debate, in England, is considered an art. Many schools have debate
clubs, and there is no harm seen in disagreeing strongly, then still going
after to the pub. In Norway, in the workplace, to disagree is not always a safe
option. To express an opinion that runs against the stream can be associated
with "being difficult," "argumentative," and that what you
think is "wrong," with unpleasant overtones of "you are wrongly
programmed."
Norway's politicians are both
younger and less experienced than their European counterparts, who mostly enter
politics later in life after a career in business. Few of Norway's politicians
have an international perspective from higher education or a career apart from
politics. Many have gone straight into politics from student days. They are
raised in a society with a small population entrenched in a socialist
consensus, and that presses for conformity. How then does one express dissent
in a country whose politicians and media are rooted in socialist thinking;
where discussing religion is a no-go; where politics has replaced religion, and
where there is a small population ensuring conformity of thought, with the risk
of being sanctioned for expressing other thoughts?
Most of the media has the same
socialist outlook as Norway's politicians. There is either complete ignorance
or a blind refusal to go to the root of Islamic terrorism, or how Islam's
doctrine effects the socialisation, mindset and actions of Muslims. Despite the
existence of informative, independent websites such as document.no and rights.no, the media refuses even to look at
Islam's doctrines.
Rather than investigate Islam
for themselves, politicians in Norway have put their blind faith in what the
imams in Norway say is Islam. Likewise Islamsk Råd, The
Islamic Council of Norway, has been given media space to determine what Islam
is or is not.
The last three years have seen
an explosion in the knowledge of Islam by the man-in-the street, largely thanks
to the internet, and inspired by key figures such as Geert Wilders, Ayaan Hirsi
Ali, Irshad Manji, Brother Rachid and Norway's own Hege Storhaug. While no
voice critical of Islam gets coverage in the media, recent coverage in the
media of Germany's populist PEGIDA movement
(Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the West) has already started
changing this lapse.
PEGIDA was started in Dresden
last October by Lutz Bachman, who stepped down on January 21, 2015, after a
photo of him posing as Hitler surfaced. Its wildfire popularity throughout
Europe in just three months or existence seems due to the politicians' and
media's neglect of their populace -- especially the media's refusal or
inability to undertake independent investigative journalism.
People are now discussing what
exactly is preventing the European media from going to the root of Islam --
discussing which elements of Islam's key scriptures (the Koran, the sira and
the hadith) are at conflict with the non-Muslim world.
If the media and politicians
admit there is a problem, they will be forced to retract their belief in
multiculturalism and apologize for voluntarily allowing a change in Norway's
demographics, with potentially many violent outcomes. They might have to admit
that the media and politicians know of the dangers of Islam's doctrines but do
not dare to publish them; that maybe they have been collectively threatened and
are afraid of the consequences. Other countries' media might be afraid to talk
about Islam's doctrines because of their dependence on oil from the Middle
East, but this is not the case for Norway.
PEGIDA's followers can trigger
a sorely needed debate on the unopened Pandora box of Islam's doctrines. They
can also ask questions that need to be asked, but that neither politicians nor
the media have so far had the guts to ask. Caricatures and cartoons are only
the symptom; we need to get to the root.
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