Daily Times

A bomb and gun attack in Oslo last week killed over 90 in Norway, a country where people take peace and security for granted. The killer, Anders Behring Breivik, uploaded an online manifesto before he went on a killing spree in which he provides the reasons why he did what he did. The manifesto, ‘2083: A European Declaration of Independence’, is a powerful criticism of feminism and multiculturalism. He fears multiculturalism, whereby increasing number of Muslims are accommodated in Europe, will lead to Muslim colonisation of Europe in the next 5-8 decades. He thinks feminism, which has transformed the old male-dominated European family institution into an egalitarian family, is partner of multiculturalism and hence an accomplice in the Muslim colonisation of Europe.

The Labour Party, the party that leads Norway’s ruling coalition government, has single-handedly contributed a lot in making Norway what it is today — a feminist state and society, where multiculturalism, the notion that people from different cultural and religious background can live in peace and harmony, is encouraged at the political level. Breivik thus specifically targeted the Labour Party. The first bomb attack in the heart of Oslo city on the Labour Party-led government buildings targeted the present leadership of the Labour Party. The other attacks on the Labour Party’s youth camp on a small island outside Oslo targeted the future leadership of the Labour Party. The Labour Party is clearly seen by Breivik as a traitor that is accommodating the perceived enemy of Christian Europe — the Muslims, especially Pakistanis, in Norway. On his behalf, Breivik has ‘punished’ the Labour Party for ‘treason’.

In essence Breivik attacked the whole Norwegian society for the values it stands for — tolerance, inclusive social democracy and human rights. The attacks have shocked this peace-loving nation and even the King and Queen of Norway openly wept in a Church service for the innocent victims of the attacks. But the response of all Norwegians is composed, dignified and determined, i.e. the nation will never give up its values for fear of acts of terrorism. In an address to the nation, the King said that freedom is more important than fear and Norwegian politicians vowed to respond to terrorism with more social democracy and more tolerance in Norway.

In his manifesto Breivik thanks like-minded people from many western countries for having helped him to prepare the manifesto. Does it mean that there is a network of right-winger Christians like Breivik across the western countries who might carry out such attacks in future? The Norwegian police is investigating about a potential terror network of this kind. University of Oslo’s Professor Lars Gule, who studies Muslim as well as European totalitarian groups and ideas, told the media that there could be copycat Oslo-type terror attacks by extremist right-wingers in other parts of Europe and North America. The attacks could be on Muslim immigrants in the western countries as well as on the indigenous people who the Christian right-wingers claim to represent.

About 2.5 percent of the Norwegian population is Muslim and Pakistanis, mainly from Punjab and some from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, form the largest Muslim minority population of Norway. When compared to Muslims in some other European countries, Muslims in Norway present a better picture. There are no separate schools for Muslims and both Norwegian and Muslim children attend the same state schools as well as day-care centres. There are no Muslim bodies in Norway that publicly run parallel to the state law, like the British Shariah Councils. There are no exclusive Muslim ghettos in Norway. The Muslims in Norway, especially the Pakistanis, have gradually improved their economic status since they began to arrive in the country in the late 1960s. Pakistanis have contributed to the development of various walks of Norwegian life and the Norwegian politicians have openly admitted their contributions.

And yet there is also a concern about the Pakistanis in Norway. One reason is that majority of the Pakistanis in Norway marry someone from Pakistan. This means that new Pakistanis keep coming to Norway who know nothing about the country and its value system. This challenges the process of integration of the Pakistanis in Norway. This is a matter of concern for many in Norway. Secondly, the Muslim identity of the Pakistanis comes across as their dominant identity at the cost of all their other identities rooted in Pakistan. This is seen in wider Norwegian society, like elsewhere in the west, in the context of the fear of Islam generated since the 9/11 attacks. So much is the Muslim identity dominating the Pakistanis that even Atizaz Ahsan, a prominent Pakistani lawyer who visited Norway in connection with August 14 celebrations a couple of years ago, urged the Pakistanis to show to Norway the secular aspects of their identity rooted in Pakistan. “You have made Islamic Culture Centre in Oslo. This is fine. Now you should also make a Pakistan Cultural Centre in the city,” Ahsan asked them. It is responsibility of the Norwegian government to ensure the security of the Pakistanis in Norway. But at the same time it is also the responsibility of the Pakistanis to show moderation in exerting their religious identity as suggested by Atizaz Ahsan and many of them have to do more to show they respect the Norwegian values. In Norway, just as in Pakistan, there is no need that the Pakistanis portray an Arabised Islamic identity that feeds Islamophobia.

Will the west stop associating Islam with terrorism after a Christian has killed so many in Norway? This question was being asked in various Urdu language radio discussions. The question can be addressed by looking at the response of the Muslims and non-Muslims in the aftermath of terrorist attacks. Entire Norway came out on the streets to reject Breivik and his ideology. Even his father told the media that his son should have killed himself instead of killing innocent people if he was so angry and unhappy with the Norwegian society. There could be no strong words of condemnation from a parent like Breivik’s father. Compare this with what happens in Pakistan. Thousands come out on streets against perceived US atrocities, but there are no street demonstrations against atrocities committed by the Taliban. Thousands of people demonstrated to support and garland Mumtaz Qadri, the terrorist who killed Governor Punjab Salmaan Taseer because the governor had supported a poor Christian women implicated in a dubious blasphemy case. As long as this is going to be the attitude of the Muslims, I am afraid Islam will continue to be associated with terrorism in the non-Muslim world.

The writer is a PhD Research Fellow with the University of Oslo and currently writing a book, Taliban and Anti-Taliban