Norway: 'there is no sneak Islamization here'

Norway: 'there is no sneak Islamization here'

Sometimes one news story follows another so fast, that it's hard to keep up, much less check on events of the past.

In a recent speech Siv Jensen, head of the Norwegian Progress Party, railed against what she called 'sneak Islamization', bringing as one example sex-segregated swimming classes.

Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet visited Oslo school Møllergata, where they have separate swimming and gym classes, and published an articled headlined 'there is no sneak Islamization here'. The sub-headline reads: 'Introduction of sex-segregated gym had nothing to do with Islam, says a prinicipal at an Oslo school'

From the article:

Principal Eva Kjøge tells why they have this custom. "When this was a high school, there were girls who felt run over by the boys in gym class. Therefore we introduced girl classes." She adds: "It had nothing to do with Islam that time."

(..)

The separate gym class arrangement was expanded when the percent of Muslim students increased. Today about 40% of the school's 220 students are Muslims.

(..)

- do you feel that you contribute to sneak Islamization?

"The most important thing is that the student learn to swim," the principal answers diplomatically.

-----

Møllergata school made the news several months ago when discussion flared up around sex-segregated gym and swimming classes. This is what Eva Kjøge told Norwegian news agency NTB last August: "As a result of immigration to the city the problem arose that Muslim girls weren't allowed to have gym and swimming together with boys. Then the school had to find arrangements."

Granted, Eva Kjøge was then a new principal and might not have been aware of the history of the school's gym class arrangements. Reading what she says carefully, she doesn't really contradict herself, either. The arrangement might have been started for girls of all types, but was then expanded because Muslim girls were not allowed by their parents to join those classes.

The problem here is that Dagbladet, so eager to prove there's no 'sneak Islamization', didn't bother digging too deeply. When Kjøge said it had nothing to do with Islam 'that time', the paper didn't want to know when such arragments did have to do with Islam.

Sources: Dagbladet, Addressavisen (Norwegian)

See also:
* Norway: FRP against 'sneak Islamization'
* Oslo: Debate about segregated swimming classes
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Netherlands: Blogosphere debate

Netherlands: Blogosphere debate

The Dagelijkse Standaard (Daily Standard) is a rather new Dutch-language blog, featuring articles by a list of Dutch writers. Islam expert Hans Jansen was one of those writers, until he discovered that Michael van der Galien, who also writes runs PoliGazette, was a convert to Islam.

Michael van der Galien never hid the fact, but apparently it was new to Jansen. When Jansen discovered that his co-blogger was a convert to Islam, he emailed the blog editor in an exchange of emails (posted on the site, NL), which led to him leaving the blog.

Jansen wrote that having a covert to Islam as a co-fighter for freedom of speech in the Netherlands was something he would have to think about. He later said that he left the blog due to differences of opinion with the chief editor, and not specifically due to this point.

For Michael van der Galien's response to this story (in English), see One man less - a minor Dutch controversy and The side that wants to destroy the West

Sources: Dagelijkse Standaard 1, 2 (Dutch)


For more on Jansen:
* Netherlands: Arabist accuses bank of Islamist propoganda
* Netherlands: Arabist Hans Jansen causes irritation among his peers
* Netherlands: Muslims upset at Jansen
* Netherlands: Tolerating Muslims excesses