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The Muslim community in Norway is facing major challenges.
Chronicle

By Ellen Reiss, the author

The last few days, Louiza Louhibi focused attention on how some religious (read Muslim) extremists harassed other Muslims and former Muslims. The extreme conflict outreach elements represent fortunately an exception, for Louhibi has also received massive support from prominent Muslim Tina Shagufta Kornmo, Mohamed Abdishazan and Abid Raja. Yet is also broader Muslim communities face challenges: Many young Muslim women live in a reality with little freedom, little room for critical discussion and little diversity.

Gender, not people
The last six months has stormed around the organization Islam Net. One reason is their strict practice of gender segregation. Such segregation is common in religious events. In all the mosques in Norway is segregation for granted the petition. But it does not happen only here. For example, says some women I interviewed for the book report Sisters, which comes out today, that they are not comfortable with being close to the boys. Islamic Cultural Center on Grøndel handing out pamphlets that say that women should wear the hijab for its own sake. In order not to arouse men's desire. It is also about power: Boys and men feel that they have a greater right to free speech than women, and in some cases they can decide upon them.

Love a threat
This also has implications for how relationships and marriage are formed. Especially in the Pakistani mijøet it is customary to speak of love as a threat. Marriage should be entered into in conjunction with the family. Culture is often justified on the basis of religion, which makes it particularly difficult to break the pattern. If you choose love in spite of the family's wishes, there is a risk that the family breaks contact with one. Divorce in some communities will be difficult, but a woman I interviewed told me: "It is worse to enter into love marriages than divorce."

Social control
Fear of "assimilation" or "Western" behavior, is also an everyday reality for many people I have met in the work book. There may be fear of a decadent and sexually hilarious life with alcohol and partying. There may be resistance to an individualism that says that girls and boys will be in charge of their lives even without all the others to believe something the whole tiden.Eller there may be resistance to a feminism which establishes the right of women to promote their own opinions and choose regardless of cultural norms about gender.
Everything is part of a larger problem: social control. There are cultural differences, but in some Muslim milo emphasis is often strong constraints on social behavior, to whom one should be reviewed, and when and where to go. The women have the least leeway. Boys also meets strict gender roles, but they have freer rein.

Homosexuality
Although such control due to lack of culture, the religion would like to legitimize some of the control. Again, it becomes harder to resist. Switch Mon norms, it can have serious consequences. Women at risk of rumor spreading in the environment, isolation from family and friends, harassment and ultimately vold.Ytterpunktet is homosexuality. Homosexual orientation, especially if you practice their sexuality, are still not accepted in Norway and sanctioned very hard. There is a persistent focus on the issue in the media, not least from Sara Azmeh Rasmussen and Amal Aden. But the discussion in the media like to be on an ethical basis, not a religious one. Muslims should take a broad real debate on the religious arguments for and against homosexuality.

Small ytringsrom
The conclusion is that young Muslim women have too little ytringsrom. The narrow room is not only liberal women, but also conservative Muslims. In conversations with Muslims I often hear how important it is that the laundry is not aired. The culture puts a lid on things that are controversial. Over the years it has happened, and it happens, a trend of improvement. But women still have too few opportunities to express critical in Muslim communities.
Several of the women I've spoken with has an active desire to change things. They do not do it by open confrontation, but by giving shit norms and behave in their own ways. There are a number of small rebellion in which they become examples for others.

Positive change
A lot is actually changing for the positive. But what happens when more or less discreet action, rarely in open confrontation, because the resistance of solid and sanctions more severe. "Noisy" women Amal Aden and Sara Azmeh Rasmussen is not considered as part of the environment and therefore has little legitimacy, so they are easily dismissed. Some of ukult trip I have described, justified in Islam, but fortunately a lot of work to change the understanding of what religion stands for. Also, more young people put themselves into Islam, read the sources critically and take back their religion and their right to self-understanding and expression. Fortunately there are many who, in a small way, fighting for their freedom. And Louiza Louhibi may no longer Muslim, but very brave and a role model for all free men.


A chronicle about the first article:

http://translate.google.com/translat...E9hNko&act=url

There is hardly a clearer picture of what a number of Muslim girls have to contend with.

Louiza Louhibi is a brave young woman. She was recently published in Aftenposten and talked about the persecution she suffered after she was presented as a rape victim. Among other things she could read online that she deserved to be raped because she was un-Islamic, then it has followed the new threats. After all the bad Louhibi have experienced, her demeanor is anything but a victim-like. It could be seen when she NRK TV debate Thursday asked Islam Nets frontman Fahad Qureshi to the wall with the question: "Do you want me to lead a dialogue with those who want to have raped and killed afterwards?"

Louhibi pointed to something important in the debate, that the recruitment of like-minded users happens through social media. In the new report book Sisters. How young Muslim creates his own freedom, it comes out a different side of the Internet's impact on girls from a Muslim background. Through online discussions, they have easier access to high to have an opinion about the society around them.

The girls in the book reflects on the interpretation tyranny among the scholars and the predominance of men in the Arab communities. Critical reveals the paradoxes in the encounter between Islam and Norwegian gender norms. One of those places, for example the question "Where in the Muslim world today is practiced the equality that exists in Islam?" The answer is that it only happens in Norway.

It is striking how ambitious the interviewees are, and how through knowledge and education to fight for themselves. The book's author, Ellen Reiss, therefore seems a little too pessimistic in the feature article "Young Muslim women should be silent," which was printed in VG this week. Here she interprets the narrow concept of freedom on behalf of his interviewees, but the book seems most of them strong and independent within their own borders.

Meanwhile, Reiss a point when she points out that women's oppression comes disguised as religion. That's why the games are in online forums with names like Islam Net and islam.no. In a striking collective search for identity have sought Muslim youth together to debate how the orthodox should live. In such venues the girls can demand respect through knowledge. But one of the girls in the book says that she was banned by Islam Net to mean something other than the majority. Islam is Net should immediately realize that they have everything to gain from an open and inclusive debate.

On the web can be met with harsh words, words. In a TV debate, one might be part away. Fahad Qureshi laughed without NRK presenter struck at point no. Unfortunately. Right now there are many indications that the Muslim girls raise their voices in the fight to be respected as something more than representatives of a religion, a family or a minority. And when they need all the support they can get.