NORWAY HAS TERRORISTS? THE RISING TIDE OF

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 OSLO 001189 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/EX, EUR/NB, INR, S/CT, DS/IP/EUR, DS/ITA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ASEC KISL PREL PGOV SOCI IS PK NO SUBJECT: NORWAY HAS TERRORISTS? THE RISING TIDE OF ANTI-SEMITISM AND EXTREMISM IN NORWAY REF: A. OSLO 1172 ¶B. OSLO 1141 ¶C. OSLO 1047 OSLO 00001189 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Anti-Semitism and Muslim extremism appear to be on the rise in Norway. On 22 September authorities charged four men for terrorism in the wake of an attack on the main synagogue in Oslo and related threats to the Israeli and American embassies. Two of the suspects are of Pakistani descent, echoing a growth of extremism in the Pakistani population residing in Norway. This extremism is apparent not only in a rash of anti-Semitic acts, but also in public debate where the image of Israel and the US are warped by misinformation. END SUMMARY. ANTI-SEMITISM, OR ANTI-ISRAELISM? ¶2. (U) On Sunday 17 September, multiple shots were fired at the Mosaic Religious Community synagogue in Oslo. See ref A for details. Four men in their twenties were arrested on Tuesday 19 September, including two men of Pakistani origin, one of Turkish decent and one who is ethnic Norwegian. One was recorded as stating that the way to solve problems in the Middle East was to slit the Israeli Ambassador's throat. ¶3. (SBU) The Islamic Council in Norway has been publicly supportive of the Jewish community in the wake of the shooting, sending sympathetic messages through the mail (and the press) stating that 'we are all minorities and should stand together.' One imam, Nehmat Ali Bokhabi, also visited the synagogue in a televised news report. Nevertheless, this same imam was quoted the previous week blaming the US for bringing terrorism upon itself. During the Lebanon crisis in the summer, denunciations of Israeli policies from many imams were extreme. Elements of the Muslim community are clearly hostile towards Israel and Jews. Oslo's synagogue was also the suspected target of an attack foiled by recent arrests in Italy and several newspaper articles stated that Norwegian Muslims were to take part in this attack. ¶4. (SBU) Newspapers this summer were dominated by public debate on anti-Semitism in the wake of the conflict in Lebanon (reftel B),and there was one known battery of a Jewish person that led community leaders to suggest that their members not wear religious symbols in public. There were several protests by Muslim groups in front of the US and Israeli Embassies. The Mosaic synagogue was vandalized earlier this year on several occasions. ¶5. (SBU) The escalating extremism and anti-Semitism may be more acceptable due to the increasing anti-Israeli tone that has appeared in mainstream politics and press, which is a sharp departure from the very pro-Israeli stance that was the norm just ten years ago. Jostein Gaarder, one of Norway's most famous authors and writer of the best-selling book Sophie,s World wrote an anti-Semitic article in the summer of 2006 that garnered international condemnation. The resulting debate made it clear that a significant number of Norwegian commentators support his views. This was followed by a recent poll, which showed that Norwegians were the most anti-Israeli of any European nation during the military action in Lebanon. Another poll showed that more Norwegians blamed Israel than Hezbollah for starting the recent war in Lebanon, a view the Foreign Minister called 'wrong.' Norwegian student groups and city councils have called for a boycott of Israel (as did the Finance Minister before later recanting.) On 25 September the Israeli Ambassador in Norway criticized the Norwegian Royal family for not supporting the Jewish population during its time of need in the wake of the synagogue shooting. After criticism from both the Foreign Minister and the press, the Israeli Ambassador apologized. EXTREMISM AND MISINFORMATION ¶6. (U) The synagogue attack comes on the heels of declarations by two leading imams in Norway that 9/11 was directed by the USG against itself and that Al Qaeda does not exist (reftel A). The imams involved were from the Pakistani community, which numbers about 30,000 and dominates the public discussion on Islam and integration despite the fact that there are several other large Muslim populations in Norway including Iraqis (20,000) Iranians (14,000) and Turks (14,000) who remain largely silent. Other Imams criticized their colleagues for the timing and tone of their comments, but indicated sympathy for the conspiracy theories themselves. The Pakistani community in Norway has its roots OSLO 00001189 002.2 OF 002 in the Kharian district of Pakistan, and many continue to send their children to that area for their elementary education, compounding the difficulties of integration. Gang members from the Pakistani community are very visible and wealthy, and have been involved in acts of violence over the years that continue to hurt the public image of Pakistanis in Norway. The most recent event was a startling daytime shoot-out in the popular port area of Aker Brygge this summer, where several gang members were wounded. Any hope that gang violence would stay in the shadows of the immigrant neighborhoods was shattered. ¶7. (SBU) Immigrants make up a quarter of the population in Oslo, with an unregistered unemployment rate of 44 percent. In several areas of town the immigrant community lives is what can only be called ghettos, despite the public welfare system's generous funding. Of the three non-ethnically Norwegian suspects in the synagogue shooting, two were unemployed. The Pakistani population is in many respects the most established in Norway with 40 years of history in this country, but very few pursue education beyond the age of 15, and many continue to maintain close ties and even homes in Pakistan. Arranged or forced marriages with partners from Pakistan are still common, leading for calls to establish a higher minimum legal marrying age. Only two Muslims have ever been elected to the Norwegian Parliament, both women. This combination leads to a sense of disenfranchisement in the Pakistani-Norwegian community that is exacerbated by the public extremism of several leading imams and a lack of successful role models in Norwegian society. Additionally, the access to information is limited at times by educational background and linguistic ability, resulting in a proliferation of misinformation. In a recent article by a well-known Norwegian commentator of Pakistani origin, he defended the imam's statements that Al Qaeda does not exist on the grounds of free speech, but seemed most delighted that the imam was able to express himself so well in Norwegian. GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSE ¶8. (U) The Norwegian government has not been entirely passive. In response to the shooting, the Prime Minister and Justice Minister visited the synagogue. Earlier, the Minister of Labor and Social Inclusion, Bjarne Haakon Hanssen (who is responsible for integration issues) was both quick to condemn conspiracy theories from local imams (inter alia saying that would hurt employment chances for Muslims),and was the first Minister to visit the Pakistani area from which come many Pakistani-Norwegians. He is publicly critical of forced marriages and decisions to send students to Pakistan for their education and expressed surprise at the amount of money that had been funneled into building homes in Pakistan from Norwegian-Pakistanis who were ostensibly committed to their adopted land. In recent years, the GON has dedicated significant resources to provide language training for incoming immigrants, and has tried to work with immigrant and second-generation youth to minimize inner-city violence. Nevertheless, official voices condemning extremist views are few. ¶9. (SBU) COMMENT: The shooting and threat of terrorism, which can be blamed in part on Norway's failure to successfully integrate its Muslim population, increases our concerns about anti-Semitism and extremism in Norway. Norway remains a very homogenous society, especially outside of Oslo, and the gang violence and religious intolerance is difficult for the Norwegian community to accept as a legacy of immigration. Extremist views in the Muslim community are more visible than before, after exploding onto the scene earlier this year in the cartoon protest. This combination of extremism and anti-Semitism is a surprise to many Norwegian authorities and with very few exceptions they seem uncertain how to combat it in public. Norway is justifiably proud of its reputation as a country for free speech, but this seems to hamper their ability to respond vigorously against radical views. END COMMENT. WHITNEY