The case in summary: Presenter Noman Mubashir explores the hatred in society in a new series. In that context, he meets, among other things, deputy chairperson of Sian Ellen Due Brynjulfsen. The deputy leader spends a lot of time criticizing Islam on social media and at Sian markings. She explains that her motivation is to prevent Islam from gaining a public foothold in Norway. Researcher Christopher Rettedal Fardan at the University of Oslo believes Sian is a far-right group that advocates discrimination against Muslims based on alleged cultural differences. Fardan points out that there is no evidence that we are now witnessing an Islamic invasion, and that Muslims in the West want to introduce Sharia. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – Welcome, says Ellen Due Brynjulfsen and opens the door to her house. The deputy has never before appeared in the media on behalf of Sian. – The fact that people are put in booths is so close to my heart, she says about why she is running this time. But what is it like to meet a person who represents such an anti-Islamic organization as Sian, when you are a Muslim yourself? Easy to hate In the new news series “Easy to hate”, journalist Noman Mubashir explores the hatred that exists in society. As a gay, Norwegian-Pakistani and Muslim, this meeting is extra special. Noman follows the Sian deputy into the living room. The Sian deputy says she has always been a fan of Noman. Photo: news – I was so happy when I found out that it was you I was going to meet. The old man and I are such fans of you, she says. – Now I was a little surprised. I have the impression that Sian is not very fond of news, replies Noman. She replies that she has followed him since he was a new TV reporter. – You are so honest about what you make, and I really appreciate that. I particularly liked your program about Pakistan, she says. But why does Sian go to such lengths to provoke Muslims, why do they burn the Koran, and what are they so angry about? Noman wants an answer to that. Hours with the “Koran” The deputy leader is one of the most active members of Sian. What is Sian? Sian (Stop the Islamization of Norway) is an anti-Islam group. According to them themselves, the association’s purpose is to “oppose, stop and reverse the assimilation of Norway”. Leader today is Lars Thorsen. In 2019, Thorsen was convicted of hate speech. Much of her time is spent criticizing Islam on Facebook and her blog. Otherwise, she spends several hours every day reading far-right interpretations of the Koran and Islam. The Sian deputy leader spends a lot of time reading about Islam from Islam-critical voices. Photo: news The book she is reading, Mohammed’s Koran – why Muslims kill for Islam, was written by British anti-Muslim activists. Among other things, it has been removed from Amazon, one of the largest online shopping companies in the US, because they believe it spreads hatred and dangerous ideas. We ourselves have asked her why she reads this particular version. She explains that it has comments on the verses dealing with non-believers. – I understand why it has been removed. Muslims don’t want us “infidels” to know Islam, she says. Mohammed’s Koran is written by Peter McLoughlin and Tommy Robinson, two British anti-Muslim activists. Photo: news Other days she stands at the Sian stand with leader Lars Thorsen and other members. They set fire to the Koran, and there is often a row between them and counter-demonstrators. As when former deputy Fanny Bråten screamed at TV2 journalist Kadafi Zaman, and asked what Pakistanis were doing in Norway. – Why are you so concerned with Islam, asks Noman. – It is the second largest religion in the world. My motivation is to prevent Islam from gaining a foothold in public, she replies. – When I think of Sian, I think that you don’t want Muslims to live in Norway, he says. – Those who want to introduce Sharia law, they do not need to be in Norway. Those who don’t want it, I don’t mind. I have nothing against you, Ellen replies. Jihadists and violence monkeys But why does Sian go to such lengths to get his message across? Christopher Rettedal Fardan at the University of Oslo has researched this. – They are trying to focus on their case. They are a far-right group that advocates discriminating against Muslims based on alleged cultural differences, he says. According to the researcher, Sian promotes that Islam should be banned in Norway and that Muslims should be deported from the country. It goes against human rights, he asserts. Christopher Rettedal Fardan. Photo: University of Oslo – It is disturbing that words like deportation do not send shivers down people’s spines, he says. According to the researcher, many people in Sian will claim that they are not racist because they themselves argue that “Islam is not a race”. But racism is about more than skin colour, he explains. – I observed several Sian demonstrations last year, where central Sian figures called Muslims “unintegrable barbarians”, “jihadists”, “rapists”, “sexual predators” and “murderer zombies”. The Sian deputy leader at a celebration together with leader Lars Thorsen in the background. Photo: Linnea Skare Oskarsen / news He explains that this is racist because Muslims are given characteristics, such as being violent and barbaric because they are Muslim. But how would the Sian deputy herself react to being called things like this? – Unintegrable barbarians, sex offenders, killer zombies … Would you be offended by being called these things? – No, I wanted to laugh. Mohammed had sex slaves and savagely raped non-Muslims. I see those who throw stones at us as violent monkeys. Those who follow sharia I would call barbarians, replies the deputy. An Islamic invasion? At Ellen’s house, the conversation becomes more personal. – As a Muslim, when I stand and listen to what you say, I am hurt, says Noman. Ellen says that she does not always agree with how Lars Thorsen and the other members express themselves. But she does not distance herself from it. They have a common goal. Ellen Brynjulfsen is afraid that the politicians are making it possible for Norway to change. Photo: news – The ones I’m afraid of are the ones who want to change Norway. I am afraid that Norway will become an Islamic country, she says. We ask researcher Christopher Rettedal Fardan if it can happen. – There is no evidence that we are now witnessing an Islamic invasion, and that Muslims in the West want to introduce Sharia, he says. The researcher believes that we must take the threat from the far-right environment seriously. In the research he has done, he has spoken to several of the most central anti-Muslim people in the environment. One of them told the researcher that certain members in Sian celebrated the terrorist attack on two mosques in New Zealand, in which 51 people were killed. – He said that he knew that many of them thought “fine, now there are fewer Muslims in the world”. Does not take self-criticism Noman asks the Sian deputy manager if she is ever afraid. She doesn’t think she has that gene in her. – Do you ever criticize yourself? She thinks for a while, before answering: – Yes. There are certain things that I have thought that may not have been such a good idea. She will not elaborate on what those things are. Ellen Brynjulfsen says she has taken self-criticism. Photo: news Noman asks if she has ever apologized. She doesn’t have that. – It is sad that people are offended by what I say and what Sian does. But I think you have to work with that feeling of offense, she says. Hello!Did you make any thoughts after reading this case? I would love to hear from you.
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Noman Mubashir meets anti-Islam Ellen Brynjulfsen in Sian in “Lett å hate” – news Oslo og Viken – Local news, TV and radio
