An official state committee in Norway recommended today that police officers be allowed to wear the turban, the hijab, and other religious gear while on duty. A little while later, however — apparently after dipping a toe into the turbulent waters of public opinion — the Ministry of Culture announced that no such decision had been made.
Our Norwegian correspondent The Observer has translated an article about this morning’s announcement, and sends this commentary about the aborted decision and its aftermath:
I have translated a depressing article from today’s Dagbladet about the rapid deconstruction of Norway instigated by radical and dim-witted Norwegian multiculturalists and their allies. These brainwashed cultural relativists condescendingly berate their compatriots, who are worried about losing their identity and culture, that nonwestern immigration constitute absolutely no threat whatsoever to Norway and Norwegian culture.
Really?
Why then are all the cultural changes that are occurring in Norway at the moment justified with the rationale that Norway is becoming increasingly multicultural? The population of Norway was roughly 3.9 million when this immigration started in earnest in the late 60’s. As of now first- and second-generation immigrants number almost 900,000 and this number (mostly non-Western) is expected to grow by an additional 1,250,000 by 2040, according to figures released by the Norwegian bureau of statistics (SSB).
Talk about cognitive dissonance.
These dimwits even have the nerve to suggest that Norway doesn’t have a unique culture; everything has apparently been imported from abroad. Norwegians are a people without roots, customs and traditions, a terra nullius if you like.
Our first Muslim government minister, Hadia Tajik, who happens to be Minister of Culture, will have the last word in this matter. A couple of years ago when she was just a simple government department advisor, she anonymously co-authored a press release, without having the authority to do so, that boldly stated that hijab had been allowed as part of the uniform in the police force.
One doesn’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out where this is going.
An update from The Observer at 11:00am EST:
Apparently Hadia Tajik, Norway’s Minister of Culture, has announced at a press conference just now that the hijab will not be allowed in the police force.
In my opinion this is not a decision that she has made herself, but is coming from someone higher up in the system. I presume that the response from the ‘peasants’ couldn’t be ignored (“we can’t afford to treat them too harshly in an election year”).
As I mentioned in my commentary to the translated article, Tajik wanted to allow the use of the hijab in 2009, when she co-authored a press release that declared it as an acceptable supplement to the police uniform.
I guess it’s still another couple of years down the track.
The translated article from Dagbladet:
Are considering allowing hijab and turban in the Norwegian police force
This is the conclusion of the Life-Stance Committee which will deliver its report to the Minister of Culture later today.
Judges and police officers should be allowed to wear hijabs and turbans while carrying out their duties concludes the Life-Stance Committee which will submit its report to the Minister of Culture on Monday.
It also proposes to replace traditional marriage ceremonies with civil unions.
Sturla Stålsett, who is an ordained priest, has led the Faith and Life-Stance Committee for the past two years. Along with a majority of twelve other committee members, he recommends that judges and police officers should be allowed to wear religious headgear. Only three committee members are opposed to the recommendations, writes Aftenposten.
There has been considerable political opposition to amending the police uniform regulations. The main argument is that the police and the judiciary must remain completely neutral. It is however permitted for soldiers in the military to use headgear such as hijabs, turbans and Jewish yarmulkes.
Disagrees
“I feel the same way now as I did when we passed the resolution at our national convention and which has been agreed upon unanimously in Parliament: It is important that those who exercise civil authority against individuals on behalf of the State come across as completely neutral. An in such instances they can’t wear a hijab or any other religious garments, but rather wear completely neutral clothing. And that means that police officer wear a uniform and judges wear a cloak,” says Jan Bøhler, the spokesperson for judicial matters for the Labour Party.
Politician and member of the AUF, Prableen Kaur agrees with the Committee:
“The Life-Stance Committee has taken into account that society is becoming more and more diverse, and that it is necessary to have a proper framework to encapsulate this diversity. It is a decision that reflects the times that we’re living in, and which are going to mirror tomorrow’s society in a more accurate manner,” she says.
The report will be presented to Minister of Culture, Hadia Tajik (AP — Labour Party) on Monday. The report also contains a number of other proposals that are likely to generate a debate, writes Vårt Land [“Our Country” — Christian newspaper].
Civil unions
The Life-Stance Commission wants a Norway that is open to all belief systems and where there is plenty of room for differences. The Committee wants to establish a clear principle in which national commemorations of mourning and celebrations are not delegated to any specific religious denomination.
“Faith and spirituality should not be feared or tucked away, but rather be allowed to express themselves visibly and naturally in opinions, attitudes and actions,” writes committee leader Sturla Stålsett in an op-ed in Vårt Land.
The Committee believes that religion should have a prominent position in society, but that the church shouldn’t be the master of ceremony at national commemorations. The Committee therefore wants civil unions to be the norm, rather than traditional weddings.
The committee also wants to ensure that arrangements such as traditional ‘church services’ for students’ don’t exclude other faith groups from inviting its students to religious services during school hours.
The committee also wants to sever the ties between the military and Christianity and the Norwegian Church. Faith should no longer be used to strengthen cohesion in a conflict situation, writes Stålsett in the op-ed.
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