The Norwegian Inquisition - Sunset in the Land of the Midnight Sun
(Note: This essay is an English continuation of one published in Norwegian and translated to Swedish before)Stortinget, the Norwegian parliament, in April 2005 passed a new Discrimination Act. The act says in pretty clear words that in cases of suspected direct or indirect discrimination due to religion or ethnicity, Norwegians are guilty until proven otherwise. To me, it is surprising that they are allowed to pass such legislation at all. Isn't it a fundamental part of all international law that a person should be innocent until proven otherwise? Aren't our politicians thus depriving Norwegians of even the most basic human rights? However, I have heard claims that it is technically legal to do this. The act was passed in April with the approval of all parties in parliament, more than 80 % of MPs, with the sole exception of the right-wing Progress Party. Immigration spokesman for the Progress Party, Per Sandberg, is deeply disappointed and fears the consequences of the new legislation. "This law will jeopardize the rights of ordinary, law-abiding Norwegian citizens. The principle of reverse burden of proof means that Norwegians are guilty of discrimination unless they can prove otherwise. It will lead to many convictions of innocent people. Reverse burden of proof is also combined with liability to pay compensation, which means that innocent persons risk having to pay huge sums for things they didn't do."
It is unclear why this act is needed at all, given that a survey of immigrants only a few months ago indicates that a vast majority don't feel they've been discriminated against in Norway. Racism appears to be less widespread than earlier believed. And why on earth are we supposed to show this ridiculous reverence and respect for their utterly failed Islamic cultures in the first place? Why should people who come from some of the most advanced countries on the planet have to crawl for those who come from the most backward ones? If their Islamic societies are so great, how come people from these countries burn their passports and treat their fingers with acid to remove fingerprints, all in order to get into ours?
"Anti-racist" organizations are given a significant role in the new law. There is a new, state-sponsored Equality Ombudsman who will be responsible for enforcing it, and coerce all employers who refuse to abide by it. A multicultural Inquisition, in other words. Cabinet minister Erna Solberg, who has earlier called for the establishment of a sharia council in Norway, proposed the new act. It will cover everything from the workplace to the housing market. In a recent case, a local furniture store wouldn't allow a female employee to wear a head scarf, arguing that it violated the store's dress code. Solberg’s proposal will toughen the law, and also require those charged to mount proof of their innocence. Solberg argues that existing law already makes it illegal for employers, for example, to prevent women from wearing head scarves if their religion calls for it. Her proposed law "would make this even more clear." This law could open the floodgates for all kinds of unreasonable demands from Muslim immigrants in particular, who will be given a licence for extortion of employers, courtesy of the Norwegian parliament. For instance, it is likely that they can now claim that it is “discrimination” if they don’t have a special prayer room provided. Already, Muslim taxi drivers demand a separate prayer room at Oslo Airport, where they can pray during working hours, but have received a negative answer. The leader of the Somali Taxi Association, Ali Hassan, finds this discriminating and unacceptable, and is planning a law suit over the matter: "We think we have a right to pray during working hours. We demand to get a room where we can perform prayers, without losing our spot in the taxi queue." At the same time as this is going on, blind people with their guide dogs are finding it increasingly difficult to get a taxi ride in the Oslo region, where Muslims make up a high percentage of cab drivers.
It is frustrating that Norwegian authorities make it mandatory for all non-Muslims to accept hijab, the Islamic veil, in their workplace. Many non-Muslims find hijab offensive, and even some Muslims, too. The veil, is not ”just a piece of cloth”. It serves as a demarcation line between proper, submissive Muslim women and whores, un-Islamic women who deserve no respect and are asking for rape. The veil should more properly be viewed as the uniform of a Totalitarian movement, and a signal to attack those outside the movement. An Islamic Mufti in Copenhagen, Denmark, sparked a political outcry after publicly declaring that women who refuse to wear headscarves are "asking for rape." Apparently, he isn’t the only Muslim in Europe to think this way. Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet reported in 2001 that 65 percent of rapes in Oslo were performed by "non-Western" immigrants – a category that, in Norway, consists mostly of Muslims. The article quoted a professor of social anthropology at the University of Oslo, Unni Wikan, as saying that "Norwegian women must take their share of responsibility for these rapes" because Muslim men found their manner of dress provocative. The professor's conclusion was not that Muslim men living in the West needed to adjust to Western norms, but the exact opposite: "Norwegian women must realize that we live in a multicultural society and adapt themselves to it." In January 2005, Norwegian media reported that 2004 saw the highest number or rape charges ever recorded in the capital city of Oslo. Strangely enough, there was now no mentioning of how immigrants were grossly overrepresented in rape cases. Why not? Unless there has been a sudden and unexplained drop in the number of immigrants raping Norwegian women between 2001 and 2004, which is unlikely, the statistics should be at least as staggering in 2005 as they were before. If they are not revealed, it can only mean that “somebody” didn’t like the numbers presented in 2001, and decided to bury them. That “somebody” must be a person high up in the police hierarchy, maybe even in the government. The same thing happens in Sweden. So in the end, the safety of young Scandinavian women is sacrificed in order to keep the glossy image of a multicultural society intact.
Militant Islamists like Mullah Krekar do reside in Norway. Besides, Norwegian police have already issued a mobile security alarm to Progress Party leader Carl I Hagen. They worry that he's a target for terrorists unhappy with some anti-Islamic remarks he made last summer. Hagen criticized Islam, and could see no similarity with the concept of moral and justice found in Christianity. Hagen also said that if Israel loses in the Middle East, Europe will succumb to Islam next, if Islamic fundamentalists have it their way. Christians should support Israel and oppose Islamic inroads into Europe. In an unprecedented step, a group of Muslim ambassadors to Norway blasted Carl I Hagen in a letter to newspaper Aftenposten, claiming he had offended 1.3 billion Muslims around the world. Pakistan’s ambassador in particular has interfered in unacceptable ways in Norwegian internal affairs before, trying to instruct and intimidate a Norwegian politician of Pakistani origin who dared to voice her support for banning Islamic veils from Norwegian schools.
Dr. Ole Jørgen Anfindsen, editor, HonestThinking.org, believes that Norwegian authorities have cheated with prognoses for the number of immigrants. According to his numbers, ethnic Norwegians will become a minority in their own country before 2050 if the current trends continue. The number of Muslims in Norway over 15 years has quadrupled, meaning an annual growth of more than 9%. A Norwegian researcher warns that ethnic gangs can give Norway the kind of immigrant-related organized crime that accompanied waves of migration to the USA. Dr. Inger-Lise Lien concludes that the ethnic groups themselves are worried. Oslo, which used to be a safe Scandinavian city, today looks more like New York City pre-Giuliani. Native Norwegians are quietly moving out of the immigrant ghettos in inner-city Oslo in large numbers. Tensions with immigrants have spread even to smaller towns. The trend is identical to what can be seen in neighboring Sweden, where several cities are now on the verge of collapse. Norway has already experienced what seems to have been an attempted Islamic terror attack. At the same time, there is new legislation proposed against "discriminating" statements made about specific groups, even on Internet discussion forums and websites. Which means that Norwegians can't say too much about Muslim immigrants destroying the country, because that is racism and thus illegal. At a time when the multicultural ideology is increasingly seen as a mistake in many countries, the authorities here respond by making it the official state ideology and banning all opposition. The heavily left-leaning Norwegian media are remarkably quiet about this, and do not make a fuzz about this infringement of freedom of speech.
Scandinavia is a Utopia lost. Previously quiet Scandinavian nations now suffer Islamic terror threats and death threats against people criticizing Islam. Norway celebrates 100 years as an independent state this year. Judging from this new discrimination act and the runaway Muslim immigration, perhaps the anniversary should be called “From independence to colonization”. At the same time as their women are no longer safe in the streets because of immigrant gangs, the authorities respond by making Norwegians de facto second-rate citizens in their own country. They use their own people as stepping stones for their personal careers in the UN bureaucracy. Pompous, hypocritical Scandinavian clowns, lecturing about how to create the perfect society while their own citizens find it increasingly hard to live in their major cities.
To Americans out there: Tired of hearing Europeans criticize you and how “fascist” your administration is? Well, it wasn’t the USA that just passed a law - with the support of more than 80 % of the lawmakers – that states that their own citizens are guilty until proven otherwise. Want to get even with some smug anti-American Europeans? Here’s your chance. Leave a message on my Fjordman blog if you want to write something about this case. I will try to help with translations as much as I can. There is unfortunately no shortage of material.
posted by Unknown @ 10:18 PM
20 Comments:
This law sounds terribly distressing.
It would however, be absolutely delicious if this law would be uniformly & diligently applied against the population that routinely incites hatred against 'infidels'.
Silly me. It just dawned on me that the individuals that apply this law against those that incite hatred would be viewed as committing a hate crime in the process - now wouldn't it?
Oy, it hurts to try and wrap my head around this logic.
Fjordman:
Has the law been passed against the wishes of the Norwegian people? I ask as 80% of MPs voted for such a law, indicates that there must be support for this law among native Norwegians. If that is not the case, and the law is against the wishes of the people, how strong is the opposition to this legislation? Do Norwegians usually accept legislation which they find idiotic or absurd.
I sincerely hope that Norwegians are really angry with this law. I find it inconceivable that such a law has been passed unless the ruling elite think that Norwegians are sheep or, and this is a big step, they deliberately set out to incite a reaction.
If Norwegians are vehemently opposed to this law, then I believe, this can be a start to the removal of the pernicious influence of islam in Norway.
DP111
DP111: Most Norwegian don't have any idea what this law is all about, BECAUSE THE MEDIA DON'T TELL ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT IT WILL MEAN. People who have read my post about this in Norwegian are shocked, and angry.
The problem of the PC Western media, is one that is the most urgent at this moment in time. I would have though that the media would make a big issue about this, or atleast the Right leaning media, if there are any.
The problem of the media's collusion almost with illegal immigraion and islam, is everywhere. It is in the USA, as it is in Europe as a whole. Britain, with The Daily Telegrph, he Daily Mail and Express, are the exceptions. In the US for instance, there is a raging rwow going on about the Minutemen ie thjose who are3 trying to defend the borders of the US.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/cc/?id=110006707
This article ius worth reading, as it indicates the seriousness of the situation.
contd:
Now I have no angst against immigrants who come to work in the West, and are keen and enthusiastic to adopt Western values. The problem is one of islam. That is a problem in the US just as much as in Europe, and probably greater in the US. Three salient features illustrate this for the US.
1. The US was the one that suffered 9/11 and the previous attack on the WTC. These attacks were not, as usually explained, because US was deemed as hostile to Islam, but as any knowledgeable of islam will know, quite the contrary. A nation can expect an islamic attack if it shows increasing dhimmitude to islam. A robust posture to islam, in almost all cases, leaves the muslim population asking for charity. Thus Norway, by passing this legislation, is making itself susceptible to a terrorist attack.
2. The inroads of the islamic agenda in schools and universities in America, is quite alarming, and bodes nothing but ill for the future.
3. Pres Bush's agenda of pouring blood and money into the sands of Arabia, is rewarding the enemy instead of punishing, while leaving the door open to the RoP.
There are no easy answers Fjordman. Norwegians have native rights on their side if they wish to use them. Native rights will always trump immigrant rights when push comes to shove. Norwegians have to use those rights before they are marginalised. They have to make politicians scared of Norwegians instead of being scared of immigrant muslims, as they are now. In fact this fear of hurting muslim sensitivity and thus igniting murderous riots, is one that is used by mullahs around the world to get their way with the West. Witness the abject dhimmi postures of Secretary Rice to the false report of the desecration of the koran.I would have thought that it was not the business of a high official of the US government, of all governments, to say what she did. Has she got what she hoped for? Far from it, as most muslims do not believe her abject "apology". All that has transpired is that the US government has been humiliated for nothing gained. This dhimmi attitude is one that is more likely to excite another attack on the US.
Coming back to the issue. Norwegians must make their politicians frightened of them rather then of muslims, as seems to be the case right now. Muslims have played their cards extremely well by making any criticism of islam, as a cause for rioting. We then circumscribe our freedoms, just as not to inflame muslims. Thus step by step we lose. The way forward is clear. Your government has done you a favour by passing a legislation as inane as this, in the hope that Norwegians will force them to start tbe ball rolling in the opposite direction. If Norwegians accept this legislation, they have no one to blame but themselves for what ensues in the future.
I hope and pray for all of us, that Norwegians will do the right thing for themselves, as well as the many immigrants, muslims among them, who came to Norway, hoping to have put dar al islam behind them.
I hope you read this for the problems in the US.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/cc/?id=110006707
DP111
'The Muslim comes in with the sword and goes out with the sword.'
I am not sure of the origin of this saying, but a Lebanese (Maronite) told me.
There is a change in the air. Your politicians, Fjordman, who ignored the safety of their citizens and depleted their rights will be running for cover very shortly. Make sure you know who they are.
New Zealand is a nice place for Nordic people. There are fiords, four skiing fields, plenty of safe beaches, snow capped mountains, a small population, and not many muslims, (although a lot of Ba'athists are escaping to here - they think it is a safe place. Heh.)
The soloution to all this is for Europe to start it's own version of the Minute Man project. The more support you gain from ordinary citizens then the less taboo the topic of immigration will become.
Americans are fed up with illegal immigration just like Europeans are, but atleast we have some citizens trying to do something about it.
Europeans need to become more active and let their politicians, their media, and more importantly their fellow citizens know exactly how they feel.
By the way does Europe have any sort of conservative media? In the U.S. we atleast have talk radio, and now we also got Fox news and the blogs.
Does Europe have any talk radio?
Why doesn't Europe in general just *diversify* its immigrant stream? People talk about how Europe needs young immigrants to continue its generous social welfare programs. Well, fine-- but why do the stupid immigration authorities skew the immigrant stream such that most immigrants are Muslim/Arab?
There are some pretty easy solutions to Europe's demographic issues that don't involve turning Norway (and Europe in general) into a Muslim land. (1) Open up immigration to South America. There is a vast pool of millions of Christian immigrants in South America who would love to work in Europe if they could get a visa. Remember that in Argentina, Brazil and Chile in particular, millions have come from northern Europe and so already have links to Scandinavia, Germany, and the Netherlands. Even those who don't (e.g. in Central America) frequently have an interest in immigrating to North Europe, and they'd probably be a better fit. Just give a preference in visas to South and Central Americans, and you've solved the problem. Similarly, reserve more visas for Hindus and Christians from South India to go to Norway, as well as for Eastern Europeans and Chinese immigrants (who are both often educated and very high quality). You can open up Europe to immigration while not Islamicizing Europe, just by changing the stream.
(2) Any immigrant in Norway who embraces radical causes, commits crimes, or is too lazy to work (leeching off the social welfare system), should be deported back to their home country, regardless of where they come from. Norway is under no obligation to host leeches or people who engage in criminal activity. In fact, Europe should set up a point system that favors young immigrants (e.g. with children), productive immigrants, and educated immigrants who follow the local laws.
(3) Give strong incentives for Norwegians to increase their native birth rate. Make the size of state pensions contingent, for example, on having children and raising them. Tell people that it's *OK* to stay home and raise children rather than being so go-go about one's career-- both are fine. Most of all, encourage a resurgence of evangelical Christianity in Norway, promote it as an elemental fiber of Norwegian society.
What a damn shame
With extreme laws like this you are going to invite an extremist response. You in Europe are going to get another Hitler if you are not careful. You have a habit of replacing one stupidity for another.
I grieve for you guys. Your beautiful unique countries with their own cultures and histories are going to fade away. The anticolonial leftists are perpetrating the new colonisation. Eurabia. The belligerant religion is going to have its way with you and kick you to the kerb. It's suicide, I can't look.
Fjordman,
I've been reading your blog for a few months now and must commend you on educating those of us who live elsewhere, in my case the U.S., about the issues of Muslim immigration in Europe, especially Scandanavia.
This latest installment literally makes me feel sick. It is a shame that the elitists in power have lulled the populations into a sense of complacency with overly-gratutious welfare programs, and that instead of fixing the problem by scaling back welfare programs, (which unfortunately the populous would cry and scream about) their solution is to import in more "workers" to provide more of a tax base. I absolutely cannot wrap my brain around the logic of this solution, it makes no sense to me whatever.
Meanwhile, these immigrant workers don't wish assimilate, and wind up placing an even greater burden on the welfare state. Now it seems any criticisms of the elitist's solution or failure of immigrants to assimilate is being made illegal and if one is accused of such acts, they are guilty until proven innocent.
I only wonder when it will reach the point where I can no longer read your blog. That, my friend, would be a travesty.
I live in Norway and am educated by Fjordman myself. As he stated, the press here does not report this nonsense because it will help the cause of the Progressive Party. What I don't understand is why they have been so quiet about it.
Does Norway have some sort of a Constitutional Court that might annull this law as a violation of a basic civil right, the presumption of inncocence?
Hey, Fjordman, have you seen Caroline Glick at todays Jerusalem Post?
Check it out, you will need a (free) registration. She wrote an OP-ED regarding Bat Ye'or predictions of EUarabia and why Israel should not fall in the same PC-(crap)trap.
...Sweden got bashed in the collateral fire.
Interesting post as usual Fjordman, I'll put it on the front page of FOMI.
According to the Aftenposten article, 14,3 % of the Oslo population are from a non-western background. How many of these are muslims, do you have any idea?
I posted your article here:
http://www.rightnation.us/forums/index.php?showtopic=77898
Denmark has slowly started to figure out who the enemy is. Let's hope Norway can do better than Sweden.
The native Norweigans have to speak up for their rights. Apathy will be the death of your culture.
And I thought Quisling was hanged...
The Western world is under attack, from within and without. The time is coming for all Westerners to come together in order to save our civilization for our descendants.
When the witch hunt begins and you can no longer write that which you wish, contact me, any and all of you. I own my own servers and am beholden to no one. I will host your websites here in America, where speech, for now, is still free.
epublius at mystpaul dot net
For three months a minimum of 100 hackers attacked my servers in a continuous mode. No one breached them, though they slowed to a crawl.
Fjordman,
I think you would find this blog interesting:
http://www.amnation.com/vfr
It's American in origin, but I think the blogger is spot-on in his plan for the deportation of those who represent radical, non-Western Islamic fundamentalist ideology, in whatever form it takes.
In line with a comment where Norway should look to other regions in the world for immigrants to support their [insane] welfare state, why don't they invite, no, encourage, [read: fly for free as well as house for free :-)] Norwegians abroad, who have a distinct cultural, as well as emotional connection to Norway in one form or another? Consider: they certainly have more of an interest on the persistence of Norwegian culture than Muslims do. Of course, this wouldn't bode well with your elite; this doesn't boost their image as multicultural heroes as well as some other possible seedier goals.
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