The Norwegian daily Dagbladet today covers anti-Semitism in the schools under the heading “Jew” has become an insult.
Government initiates plan against religious-based bullying
- When “jew” becomes an insult among certain youth-groups and muslims are called terrorists, we need to take it very seriously. Everyone must be allowed to live with their religion, says Minister for children and equality Anniken Huitfeldt. This week she visited class 9B at Ila school in Olso, where muslims, jews and christians attend the same classes. Yet the word “jew” is the school’s most commonly used insult, according to several of the students.
- Some students at school said “fuck jew” to a girl in the tenth grade after the bombings in Gaza. It is very unfair for someone to hold this against her just because she is jewish, says Sagal Ali Yusuf (14), a student at the school.
Bullied for being friends with a jew
Another of the girls in the class, who does not want to have her name revealed, says one of her best friends is a jew. When she told her muslim friends about this, they reacted with disgust.- They said “jew-friend” to me and the like. I cannot understand it as jews are just ordinary people, says the 14-year old girl. .
- If we cannot manage religous-based bullying in the classrooms, we will not be able to manage it in society either, says Anniken Huitfeldt.
The students in 9B believe it helps to discuss contemporary religious issues during religion classes rather than merely learning about events which occurred for thousands of years ago. They will to a larger degree have the opportunity to do this when the action plan is implemented from 2009 to 2012.
Entrenched situation
Both jews and muslim youths have lately expressed that the situation between religious groups have become entrenched and that they feel threatened, according to Huitfeldt.Therefore the government now sees the need for an action plan. It all started with the violent demonstrations in Oslo against the invasion of the Gaza-strip. After the events Huitfeldt gathered youth from the Det Mosaiske Trossamfunn, Ung Muslim and Islamsk Råd Norge in order to ask them how Norway is to get rid of religious-based bullying.
Together they arrived at a series of resolutions (see fact box). Somaya Choukri (16) from Ung Muslim is one of the youths who has helped Huitfeldt.
- We muslims sometimes have it hurled after us that we are terrorists just because we look different or have a different background. Even though I wear a hijba and don’t drink alcohol, I am Norwegian. I am born here, says Choukri.
The new action plan is to further equality and hinder ethnic discrimination. In practice this entails massive attitudinal change in kindergardens, schools and recreational programmes throughout the nation. The Directorate for Education is to develop a five-year programme for inclusive tuition – and upbringing.
- Racism getting worse
The leader of SOS Racism, Trond Thorbjørnsen, believes it is positive that the government focuses on religious-based bullying and that Huitfeldt has spoken directly with the youths. But he does not believe that such an action plan is sufficient in itself.
- Action plans are presented on a regular basis, but this one needs to be seen through and we are dependent upon mobilizing ordinary people. The last years we have seen an increase in overt racism with more harassment of jews and muslims, says Thorbjørnsen. He believes the explanation lies not in lacking religious understanding, but that most of those who use “jew” as an insult do so as an expression of racism.
