The Norwegian obsession with Israel
Last year, a Syrian-born Norwegian politician accused the Norwegian Labor party of anti-Semitism. Last year Sara Azmeh Rasmussen, a Syrian-Norwegian writer and a secular humanist, accused Norwegian political parties of outright anti-Semitism. Rasmussen claimed that toleration for extremism that emanates from Islamic countries has influenced local attitudes toward the Jews.I'm kind of surprised Azmeh Rasmussen is still alive and still living in Norway. Two years ago, she publicly burned her hijab.
Rasmussen was a member of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP), a party that in addition to being nationalist and a supporter of a Greater Syria, is also racist: "I had decided to deal with my past and it has even influenced my choice of studies, and I am ashamed of the fact that it has taken me this long."
According to Rasmussen the intolerance towards Jews and Israel emanates from the political left. She accused the Socialist Left (SV), led by the infamous Kristin Halvorsen (SV), for facilitating anti-Semitism. In the past, Halvorsen's party has been at the forefront of anti-Israel activities. She has called for a boycott of Israeli goods and academics. This, according to Rasmussen has helped to create an image of Jews as aggressive and militant people "who just want to crush their opponents."
Rasmussen argued that such demonization has made all the complicated nuances of the conflict irrelevant. She explicitly accused Halvorsen for the trivialization of anti-Semitism by providing a platform for extremist groups.
According to Manfred Gerstenfeld, "...part of the Norwegian elite, which falsely calls itself progressive, is obsessed with Israel. This includes the leftwing government, many media, NGOs and part of the academic world. There are at most 1 300 Jews in Norway, of which 700 are organized in two communities, Oslo and Trondheim. They also are subject to the obsessive attention of the Norwegian elite."
Labels: Norwegian anti-Semitism, Norwegian obsession with Israel, Sara Azmeh Rasmussen
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 2:24 AM
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