– What happened at Furuset library when Abid was going to talk about his book is completely hopeless, says Arina Aamir. The 19-year-old meets us at Furuset. Right next to the library. Where Liberal politician Abid Raja had an unpleasant experience on Friday 1 November. He was twice interrupted by men in the audience. One of them walked towards the stage where Raja was standing, and had to be stopped. This led to Raja getting bodyguards from the Police Security Service (PST). He has also been questioned. Aamir believes the incident is an example of a grim tendency: that people with a minority background who raise problems among minorities are met with strong reactions. – Then we get fewer and fewer people with our background, with a minority background, who dare to deal with the uncultured things that exist in minority communities. And that’s a real shame. “Should be hanged” 19-year-old Aamir has experienced this first hand. – I have experienced death threats, I have experienced being hung out in public groups with several thousand members, I have experienced being ridiculed. First as a 16-year-old, when she wrote a column that was critical of the Islamophobic group SIAN. Then she was met with a wall of incitement, and received threats. Among other things from neo-Nazis. Aamir chose to report the messages to the police. THREATS: Arina Aamir keeps getting messages on social media, several of them with threats. Photo: Rolf Petter Olaisen / n13964 Then just over a year later, when she spoke in Dagsnytt 18 for a ban on the use of the niqab and burka. Once again, her inbox was full. This time it was other Muslims who raged. The harassment became so serious that she was afraid to take the subway, she says. On the way to the station, she covered her face so as not to be recognised. – Because I was so afraid that someone would physically attack me, after the amount of incitement I received. Below you can see some of the messages she received then: This user writes that they think her car should be hanged. The message was probably sent from a fake/anonymous account. “You little whore”, wrote this user on a post about Arina’s participation in Dagsnytt 18. The topic was the burka and niqab. “Now you have just dug your own grave”, writes this user , and tags Arina’s Instagram profile. One user thought Arina’s statements were a “declaration of war against Islam and all Muslims”. The 19-year-old thinks it is both threatening and powerful. Dropped by the police This time too, Aamir reported. As in the first round, the case was dismissed. – When there are such large amounts of incitement and threats, I believe that the police should take it seriously. Despite age, too much of this was when I was a minor, says Aamir. The case was dropped before she had even been contacted for a chat or an interview, says the 19-year-old. – I believe this is unfair treatment, simply because you do not have a high enough position in Norwegian society. The local politician has not received a bodyguard or any follow-up from PST. This is how Storting politician Abid Raja got after the situation at Furuset library. Raja himself will not comment on the police’s various assessments. But he has this message for Aamir: – I am impressed by the effort she puts in. And then I am shaken by the feedback she gets. She needs to know that she is not alone. The police tell news that they take threats against young people seriously. At the bottom of this case, you can read the entire response to the police. – Hangs people out After the two suspensions, Aamir says that she has given up reporting threats and harassment. Although it has kept coming. She has been called a coward. A shame. Was told that she “has sold her soul”. That she talks down people with a non-Western background. That she plays the “victim”. A lot has come in one specific Facebook group, according to Aamir: “SNP Samfunnsengasjerte Norwegian Pakistanis”. With over 13,000 members. – That group does not contribute anything good to the social debate, other than silencing people’s voices to death, she believes. Aamir believes leading people in the group go in to hang out and incite people. – Whether it’s a politician, a social debater or someone else who dares to speak out against the lack of culture that exists in the Norwegian-Pakistani environment, she says. In her view, it becomes a way of “controlling” the environment. – They are more moral police than anything else. – Must withstand resistance Mohsan Raja is one of the administrators in the group Aamir believes contributes to this control. He completely denies that they are any “morality police”. – No, no, far from it. We never had more than 13,000 members there then, he says. He describes the group as a platform for discussing issues Norwegian-Pakistani are concerned about. With high ceilings. – If you do something well, you will be recognized. But if you do something that is on the edge, then of course you also get criticism, he says. VICTIM: Moshan Raja believes that the young politician is running to the media and playing the victim. Photo: Lotten Christiansen Mohsan Raja believes that both Abid Raja and Arina Aamir have taken a hard line with controversial positions. And that they then have to put up with people disagreeing. He has also experienced that himself, he says. And those posts have been allowed to stand. – It is part of freedom of expression here in Norway, he says. With a clear jab at Aamir: – When you are a politician, or want to become a great politician, you have to put up with some opposition, put up with some criticism. Try to answer for yourself, rather than hide and take screenshots and run to the media and play the victim. Arina Aamir believes that Norwegian-Pakistani are far too quick to gag debate and criticism. She is opposed by Mohsan Raja. Photo: Rolf Petter Olaisen / news Below you can read the full response to Moshan Raja: Response from administrator Mohsan Raja Mohsan Raja is one of the administrators in the Facebook group “Samfunsengasjerte Norwegian-Pakistanere”. He responds to the criticism from Arina Aamir as follows: – We have nothing personal against anyone. Maybe we think differently, but we have mutual respect. And we don’t let anyone hang a young girl out on the group and criticize and step on her. With over 13,000 members, they are not allowed to go through all comments, he says. But Raja says they remove personal attacks and nasty comments when they are made aware of them. – Then we will deal with it once and for all. We have then told the members that they must report that message. Or they have to tag us as an administrator. He says they have a high ceiling in the group, and many opinions represented. – Norwegian Pakistanis today consist of many up-and-coming people. We want to give them a platform where we can discuss and raise issues that are related to us and to the wider Norwegian society. – To be completely isolated A clear demand to “fit in” is something that repeats itself in the Norwegian-Pakistani environment, Aamir believes. If you say no, you will be ostracized, she claims. – If you do not submit to the norms they have, the rules they have, the uncultures they continue from the 70s, then you are against them, then you will be excluded. Aamir says she has, for example, experienced that friends have broken off contact, because their family believes she has been a bad influence. Abid Raja shares that experience. He says friends have told them they are under pressure to “drop” him as a friend. Abid Raja and Arina Aamir have met several times. They have both experienced what they call “sanctions” from the Norwegian-Pakistani community. Photo: Emrah Senel / news – You must be completely isolated. There are quite strong mechanisms to maintain conformity, says Raja and adds: – They can be perceived as quite merciless, and bordering on quite brutal. He says this is not new. And that several well-known Norwegian Pakistanis have had similar experiences. Like the now deceased Shabana Rehman. Filmmaker Iram Haq and former news presenter Noman Mubashir. – The silent majority Aamir believes there is a big difference between disagreement, and incitement and personal attacks. – I believe that the best medicine and the best response to all this incitement is not to give up and to continue to speak out and speak out. Because then they don’t get their way, she says. Venstre’s Abid Raja also believes it has experienced far more than just ordinary disagreement. – What the conservatives and the extremes do is that by expressing themselves so strongly, they help to stifle the debate. They are helping to stifle the space for expression, so that fewer will dare to speak out. It’s scary, and we have to fight that, he says. Abid Raja has traveled around and talked to young people about his new book. There he deals with what he believes are frightening attitudes in the Muslim community. Photo: Balsharan Kaur Raja says he daily meets people on the street, in the shop, in taxis, in shopping centers who say they support him. – It is the silent majority who do not dare to speak out, because they know that if they speak out, like Arina or me, and think something of the same, then they will risk exactly the same countermeasures, the same mechanisms . The head of the joint unit for prosecution in the police, Beate Brinch Sand, says that they take such cases seriously. – On a general basis, threats against minors will be considered with particular seriousness. SERIOUS: Beate Brinch Sand says that the police had a conversation with Arina, and explained why the case was dropped. Photo: Anders Fehn / Anders Fehn – Do you understand that because she has had cases dropped in the past, she now does not want to report more recent harassment and threats? – It is understandable that previous suspensions can affect the willingness to report new threats. Nevertheless, it is important to report such incidents, as the police can offer protective measures such as a restraining order or a violence alarm, says the unit manager. Here you can read the full response from the police: This is what Beate Brinch Sand, head of the joint unit for prosecution in the police, replies: That local elected officials are exposed to unwanted attention, threats or incitement can limit freedom of expression and people’s desire to participate in political office, or participate in the public discourse. This also applies to young politically engaged people who want to participate in politics. The police have seen over time that there is a lower threshold for expressing themselves critically, especially in the digital space. In the long run, this can contribute to weakening the democratic system. The Attorney General has therefore specified that the police must prioritize this type of case. The police are therefore responsible for the protection of local elected officials. This applies to elected local politicians at all levels in the municipality and counties who participate in political work, in a party registered in the Party Register. This includes arranging for preventive measures that enable the individual to ensure their own safety, but also to examine and investigate any criminal circumstances or to introduce measures. Although cases can be dropped, the Oslo Police District encourages you to report all circumstances. The extent of threats or incitement against the individual will be able to provide the police with an assessment basis for introducing threat-reducing measures for the individual local elected official. In the aforementioned case, the Oslo police district has been in contact with the victim in connection with reported circumstances that date back some time. At this time, the aggrieved party was not a local elected official. The police had a conversation with the victim, and explained why the case was dropped. They were encouraged to report any new conditions, or to get in touch if the threats were to persist or intensify, and there were specific individuals who stood out. Published 07.11.2024, at 07.48
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– More morality police than anything else – Greater Oslo
