Minister of Local Government Erna Solberg, who's also in charge of immigration and integration, stuck her head out yesterday. Norway's Muslim community, she said, needs to modernize its beliefs.

"The Norwegian Islamic community must make more progress, and see what's happening in other European countries," Solberg told newspaper Aftenposten. "Islam in Europe must function differently than it does in Islamic countries." In this regard, she claims, the Muslim community in Norway lags far behind.

She's especially critical of the role that Imams play in Norway. "These religious leaders can't just be brought up from Islamic countries where Muslims are in the majority," Solberg said. "They have no understanding of what it's like to be a Muslim in a country where they're a minority. [..]

The World Islamic Mission in Norway, claiming it doesn't understand Solberg's criticism, asked Solberg to explain what she means by "modernization," which she did on national radio on Tuesday. Divorce, for example, must be more easily available for Muslim women and follow the laws of the land, she said. Pro-forma and forced marriages must be banned and women in general must be accorded equal rights under the law.

The usual reaction from Muslim leaders to such criticism is to feign ignorance, reaffirm their belief in liberalism and diversity, and wait for native multiculturalists to take the offensive on their behalf.

Bishop and anti-war activist Gunnar Stålsett takes the bait. To NRK he warns that such criticism may create a warped image of Islam, and that one should be careful not to portray a religion from its worst sides. This is reflex - both on his part (is there any way one can criticize immigrant traditions that he would approve of?), and on the part of the journalist who called him for comments, knowing what he would say.

Dagbladet's Peter Normann Waage reacts to such criticism coming from the government, and brushes the whole issue off with a summary of what he calls an an ongoing debate in Muslim communities that has led to the birth of a reformed Euro-Islam. Perhaps so, but does he deny that Europe also contains strong impulses towards strict and traditional Islam, and that there is a sizable radical Islamic community that provides terrorist organizations with recruits, supporters and apologists? If not, "but they're not all bad" is an irrelevant reply, unless Waage believes that Solberg really sees all European Muslims as traditionalists. But she doesn't - she explicitly points at reformed European Islam as an example for Norway's Muslims to follow.

More credible is the criticism from Lars Gule, leader of Norway's Humanist Association, who fears that Solberg threatens the freedom of religion. Lars Gule is himself a critic of Islam (and religion in general), and is about to publish a Norwegian edition of Why I Am Not A Muslim by Ibn Warraq. "It is a serious problem for religious freedom in Norway when Erna Solberg prepares government control of the theological development of a religion in Norway". I agree, if that is the case - but it isn't. There was such a proposal to restrict religious freedom last week. The Ombudswoman for Gender Equality Kristin Mile proposed lifting the exemption religious communities have from gender discrimination laws, thus forcing all churches and mosques to treat men and women equally. That would be an unacceptable restriction of religious freedom. (This isn't the first invasive proposal or decision to come from that office.)

What Erna Solberg suggests is related but significantly different. Her idea is to put restrictions on the import of Imams for Norwegian mosques, and to step up requirements for citizenship. This will affect immigrant communities in Norway, but it is only an attack on the freedom of religion if you believe that anyone anywhere has a natural right to residency in Norway. Residents have a right to believe in anything, but not everyone has the right to become a resident. Limiting the import of conservative/radical Imams is not to restrict their right to free expression and belief, only a refusal to grant them a right they didn't have in the first place - the right to say and believe these things here.

Progress Party immigration spokesman Per Sandberg's reply to Solberg is a bit comic. He's miffed that she has jumped from criticizing the Progress Party's immigration views to adopting them without blinking. To understand his frustration, remember that this isn't the first Progress Party idea to go very quickly from controversial to mainstream, with noone bothering to thank the Progress Party for bringing the idea from unspeakable to controversial in the first place.

The most intelligent commentary comes from Hanne Skartveit in VG, who picks up on Solberg's original point, and accuses young Norwegian Muslims of having failed to modernize their religion:

Few Christians believe today that every word in the Bible - both testaments - must be interepreted literally. The problem is that the majority of leaders in the Islamic world believes that the Koran must be interpreted literally. Here we are at the core of the issue.

Young Muslims in Norway ought to be taking the lead in new interpretations. But this is not happening. Instead we see many places that highly educated Muslims go the opposite direction - they become more conservative, more religious, more doctrinarian than their parents.

Most young Muslims who participate in the debate, deny that there is a problem in Islam. I have heard college teacher Nazneen Khan deny that Islam oppresses women. I have discussed with Amber Khan, spokeswoman of one of the largest Muslim communities in Oslo, [World Islamic Mission]. She did her best to avoid direct questions about what she believes about the situation of women in Saudi-Arabia and Iran.

This is by itself worrying. How can I have faith in Amber Khan and her assurances that she is concerned with the position of women in Islam, when she can't even reject the barbaric treatment of her sisters in Saudi Arabia?

This is the core of the issue. The first step towards reform is to acknowledge the problem. Norwegian Muslims - or at least their spokespeople - do not acknowledge the problem. I'm not sure whether they use multiculturalist rhetoric because they believe in it, or because it serves their purpose, but quite a lot of natives really do believe in that rhetoric, and fall for it. So while we wait for Norwegian Islam to reform, we should also reform our own social theories. Human rights are more important than diversity.

I am not convinced by any of the arguments here. I don't think it's appropriate for Erna Solberg or anyone else to insist that Moslems "modernize" their beliefs. But I also think that those who try to blur the conflict between Norwegian civil law and Shari'a are kidding themselves. The imam issue is also a non-starter - how can the government presume to dictate who people choose as their religious leaders?

Having said all this, it may be time that Norwegians (and indeed Europeans and other democratic states) assert what they think are inalienable human rights, even if those assertions run afoul with radical Islam. It is okay, I think, for us to say that forced marriages are a violation of a woman's right to choose, or that certain religions are of inferior status to others, etc. We assert that it is society's business whether people are coerced or oppressed. Women are allowed to wear burkhas if they prefer to, but not if they are forced to.

If we say these things, there will undoubtedly be an outcry about our arrogance and intolerance. And I think we should have the fortitude to say "yes, maybe we are arrogant and intolerant about this, but we are convinced we are right."

It's not our job to reform Islam, or even comment on it. But it is our responsibility to delineate and enforce basic human rights within our borders.

Leif: But what is the difference between saying "sorry, you're not allowed to arrange a marriage between your daughter and a boy from the home country, because this prevents integration" and "sorry, you're not allowed to bring in a Pakistani imam whos interpretation of Islam prevents integration"?

Telling anyone what to believe is not the government's business. But guarding the borders is. If immigration is to work, and I want it to work, we must also put restrictions on immigration. Not sure there are meaningful restrictions we can place on imported imams, but that's a practical issue - I support it in principle. A solution I support in practice to encourage integration and protect the rights of young immigrants is the Danish family reunion rule. No reunions below the age of 24, ever. (Exceptions might be made for _countries_, if we're prepared to accept the charge of discrimination, but not for individuals.)

I agree that the Norwegian government has the right to determine who enters the country and under what circumstances, but we've generally had fairly specific criteria. People aren't allowed to settle in Norway unless they a) have compelling personal reasons (e.g., married to a Norwegian); b) are entitled to political amnesty; or c) can perform a needed function that nobody else in Norway can. We prohibit people from entering Norway on a visit if they haven't obtained the necessary visa, are likely to be subversive to our government, etc. We deport people if they violate the terms of their stay, whether it's permanent or not.

Neither of these criteria apply to this situation. For practical purposes, I just don't see how the government can ascertain whether an imam is "modern" enough. I suppose we can insist that all visitors and prospective residents sign a declaration that they will abide by Norwegian law, but that goes without saying, doesn't it?

Hmmm. Wonder if the ad put the first crack in the dam???

Bjørn, I'm sorry to say - but I refuse to consider Lars Gule as opposed to Islam. Mr Lars Gule is the idiot who brought UseNet discussions to norwegian papers in the case of Jarle Synnevåg.

Much can be said about Jarle Synnevåg and his view of Islam. One thing is certain though - it's Quran-based. His attacks are quite vehemet, but against the religion and those that know what they believe in.

Lars Gule in effect forced Jarle Synnevåg to resign his position at FFI (Forsvarets ForskningsInstititutt - Defence Research Institute) due to his so called racism.

Mr. Synnevåg is a true critic of Islam, basing his criticism on the Quran, on Sharia and on Hadith. The result ? Character Assassination by former terrorist-wannabe Lars Gule. (Source: http://www.mediasnews.com/chrono/chrono1977.php)

More on Lars Gule.

He was convicted on July 19, 1977 - due to being caught with explosives. He was trained by Black September, and was to go through with an operation in Israel. During the trial Gule explained that 25 norwegians had participated in a pyrotechnic course by the palestinians - togethre with the Baader-Meinhof gang and Souhaila Andrawes.

Nice chap, huh? ;)

Rune: "Nice chap, huh? ;)" Indeed. That doesn't disqualify his current views, though, unless he downplays/defends his involvement. But the Synnevåg case does.

Still - he is a critic of radical Islam, which by Norwegian standards is _something_.

http://www.dagsavisen.no/utenriks/2003/05/732196.shtml

This entire post and the subject matter of it (not Bjorn's writing) is rather pathetic and sickening. 'Norwegian mosques'. 'Norwegian muslims'. Norwegian imams. Jesus.

One is tempted to say to Norway (and Europe) - yes, for the purposes of this comment, a broadbrush, Bjorn - just go to the devil, and don't bother being so asininely introspective and righteous about it.

(It's like watching a dupe debate with themselves just how much they're going to give of their life savings to a con artist...)

Burning Norwegian and Danish flags around the world after the Mohammed drawings affair will tell you just how much islam has been modernized. Is there anyone who has started thinking of the idea of boycotting muslims?

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Scandinavia's Cross: We can't handle the truth, November 6, 2003 12:42 AM

The Bishop of Oslo has said that comments made by Cabinet Minister Erna Solberg about Islam "will create a warped view" of the religion. Yes, asking Muslims to better integrate into Norwegian society is something that "can cause provide a mistaken imag...