Multiculturalism and Islam in Europe: A Case of Norway

Activity: Public Seminar

Speakers: H.E. Mr. Robert Kvile, Ambassador of Norway to Pakistan; Dr. Shireen M. Mazari, Political and Defense Analyst; Atle Hetland, Social and Human Scientist from Norway; Amir Iftikhar Waraich, President PANA.

Chair: M. Akram Zaki, former General Secretary Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Pakistan Norway Friendship Association (PANA) joined hands with IPS in holding a seminar on “Multiculturalism and Islam in Europe: A Case of Norway” on September 07, 2009. Dr. Shireen M. Mazari, Political and Defense Analyst, Atle Hetland, Social and Human Scientist from Norway and Amir Iftikhar Waraich, President PANA spoke on the issue while M. Akram Zaki, former General Secretary Ministry of Foreign Affairs and member IPS National Academic Council chaired the session. Ambassador of Norway to Pakistan H.E. Mr. Robert Kvile were also present in the seminar.

Dr. Mazari said that European countries attracted the manpower from across the world towards them for getting human resource for their industrial and technological development. “Now Europe is finding it difficult to accommodate the cultures, beliefs and practices that these people carried with them into Europe,” she maintained. The post 9/11 scenario had witnessed increased xenophobia and antagonistic behavior towards Islam and Muslim communities in Europe, she observed, adding “prejudice and discrimination against Muslims has not only been frequent in individual attitudes but is also reflected in national policies and state practice.

Dr. Mazari stressed that the west needed to acknowledge that its political and social life was driven and designed by Christian ethos. “This self-recognition would help the West to enter into inter-faith dialogue with other communities and beliefs,” she argued.

She deplored that instead of promoting and protecting multiculturalism Western democracies were requiring members of various ethnic, religious and linguistic communities and representatives of distinct cultures to assimilate into local culture. This marginalization of Muslims in European and American societies had been steering Muslim youth towards sticking harder to their beliefs and protecting their identity, she maintained.

Taking part in the discussion, H.E. Mr. Robert Kvile explained that Norwegian citizens were skeptic about Islam and Muslims because of lack of knowledge about Islam. “We need to fight against negative sentiments against Islam and other religions that have migrated to and are now part of Norway,” he maintained.

Mr. Atle Hetland said that although the Church did not occupy a central position in individual life in Norway, yet Norwegians by and large associated themselves with Christianity and Christian ethos that lay in the basis of Norwegian culture, he observed.

Mr. Waraich informed the audience that general elections were scheduled in Norway on September 14 and lamented that one of the political parties of the country had been vowing to expel Islam and its manifestations from Norway. Hate was being indoctrinated into the minds of individuals and voters were told that there was a serious threat that Europe would be converted into Eurabia within next few years if rise of Islam was not urgently and effectively checked, he told.

Highlighting the need to address intra-Muslim divisions among Muslim diaspora, Mr. Amir Iftikhar underlined that Muslims in Norway were not enjoying social and political rights in proportion to their population.

Mr. Akram Zaki said Norway was declared world’s most peaceful country in the world in 2007 but there were obvious signs of tension growing among members of local and migrated communities now. Mr. Zaki observed that those who were in a stronger position in every society tended to gain greater benefits and seemed less interested in sharing them with the weaker segments of society, adding self-righteousness also made it hard to accommodate other approaches and views. “Peace and harmony can only be guaranteed through justice and justice needs self reflection,” he concluded.