– I understand that many are disappointed now. I am also. But you have to follow the safety advice you get, Gharahkhani says to news. He was invited to hold an appeal during the celebration at Rådhusplassen in Oslo, but then the police went out and asked people to stay away. – I know that there were many who had looked forward to holding such a solidarity celebration. There had been a need to meet and give a hug to each other, he continues. The President of the Storting, who last week was involved in hoisting the pride flag outside the Storting, emphasizes that pride as such has not been canceled. – It must be possible to get a selection in not very long. It is important for me to share the message that we stand together in grief and show solidarity with the queer movement which is now having a very tough and difficult time, he says. Storting President Masud Gharahkhani chose to record the speech digitally when it became clear that he still could not hold a pride appeal at City Hall Square on Monday. Photo: Mats Rønning / news Out against homophobia Instead of an appeal to a rainbow-colored sea of people on Rådhusplassen, the President of the Storting recorded the speech digitally and without the audience in the Eidsvold Gallery in the Storting. But the message he wants to convey is clear: There must be a settlement with hatred against queers in several environments, not least in churches and mosques. – Threats, violence, hate speech and incitement. As a society, we have a responsibility to deal with this. It also has the religious milieus, he says. Masud Gharahkhani watches the hoisting of the pride flag in front of the Storting on 18 June. It was the first time the flag was hoisted in front of the National Assembly. Photo: Mats Rønning / news – In which groups do we encounter this hatred? – I think there are many different groups. But I see that it is a cocktail of fake news, conspiracy theories, hate speech and incitement. Then it is important that the religious communities use their meeting places and initiate changes in attitudes and say that it is important with pride markings. – Why is it important that religious communities especially address this? – Religious communities are important meeting places for many people. Like the schools, the religious communities can play a decisive role when it comes to attitudes in Norwegian society, he says and continues: – I myself am a Muslim, and as Muslim President of the Storting, I contributed to a historic celebration last week by flying the pride flag. In 2019, I also participated in the pride parade with my father and my son, precisely to show that we have a common responsibility in the freedom struggle in Norway. Famous doorman Gharahkhani’s parents fled with him from Iran to Norway when he himself was a little boy. When asked what went through his mind when he heard that the perpetrator also has a background from Iran, he answers as follows: – Evil is evil and hate is hate. We also saw this on July 22 and in connection with the attack on the mosque in Bærum. The Islamic Council of Norway issued a press release on Monday in which the umbrella organization condemns the mass shooting and states that the actions are completely contrary to Islamic teachings. The organization points out that few know better than Muslims what it is like to be exposed to stigma, hate crime and terrorist attacks. – We therefore have great empathy with the queer society. Gays, like everyone else, should feel safe in Norway, writes IRN. The President of the Storting says it is important to take joint responsibility in the fight against incitement, also in religious circles. And he says that he and his family know the doorman Saman, who helped many of the guests at the London pub, and himself has a background from the same city in Iran as the perpetrator. – It shows that there was one man who tried to kill and one man tried to help, and that it is not where you come from, skin color or religion that plays a role. Evil is evil, he says. Erna Solberg: Challenges in several environments When asked if he thinks religious environments must also change their theology, in the encounter with queers, he answers as follows: – As a Muslim, I have a responsibility for humanity and charity. The rights of the queers are also a battle I have to take. We must stand up for each other in this society. The topic of religious communities’ attitudes towards sexual minorities also became a topic when Conservative leader Erna Solberg summed up the political half-year at a press conference on Monday. Conservative leader Erna Solberg and deputy leader Henrik Asheim spent a lot of time on the terrorist attack when they summed up the political half-year on Monday. Photo: Terje Bendiksby / NTB – There are challenges associated with this in both Muslim and Christian communities. We have made great strides in fifty years in Norway. But many come here from countries where it is still criminal to be gay, Solberg said. She stated that everyone, regardless of their own political or religious views, must respect that in Norway it is allowed to love whoever you want and choose your own partner. – What is your signal to religious circles that have a different view of gay marriage than what is presented during pride? – That in Norway one must make sure that every utterance – also with respect that in Norway we choose our own lives – must not contribute to hate speech. In Norway, people can live the lives they want, including their own members. And they have to make sure that it does not end in big breakups in families, if someone chooses to be gay. – Do you think congregations and denominations that advocate a different view of homosexuality than you must change theology? – No, theology must be as it is, but they must have respect for the fact that theology should not affect other people’s right to make choices. Theology must be about what you practice in your life, not what you think others should practice. Your religious freedom stops at the border of other people’s right to also have freedom, says Erna Solberg to news. Speculation Zaniar Matapour (43) is charged with murder, attempted murder and terror after he opened fire on the nightclubs Per on the corner and the London pub, which is popular with queers. His contact with Arfan Bhatti and an extremist Islamist network, and the fact that the shooting took place during the celebration of pride, have been used to substantiate claims that the motive may be found in hatred of homosexuals and an extreme Islamist ideology. But his defender, lawyer John Christian Elden, believes speculation about the motive is only suitable for creating fear in the population. – It is an objective fact that the attack did not start against London or pride, and that they killed as far as I know, has nothing to do with pride. Whether, despite this, it is relevant to talk about hatred or terrorism, the investigation must show, Elden writes in a text message to NTB on Monday. His client has so far refused to be questioned until the police agree to his demand that an interrogation be filmed and published publicly unedited. He has therefore not himself expressed what the motive was.
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Realize that many are disappointed now – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
