Norway: 'there is no sneak Islamization here'

Norway: 'there is no sneak Islamization here'

Sometimes one news story follows another so fast, that it's hard to keep up, much less check on events of the past.

In a recent speech Siv Jensen, head of the Norwegian Progress Party, railed against what she called 'sneak Islamization', bringing as one example sex-segregated swimming classes.

Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet visited Oslo school Møllergata, where they have separate swimming and gym classes, and published an articled headlined 'there is no sneak Islamization here'.  The sub-headline reads: 'Introduction of sex-segregated gym had nothing to do with Islam, says a prinicipal at an Oslo school'

From the article:

Principal Eva Kjøge tells why they have this custom.  "When this was a high school, there were girls who felt run over by the boys in gym class. Therefore we introduced girl classes."  She adds: "It had nothing to do with Islam that time."

(..)

The separate gym class arrangement was expanded when the percent of Muslim students increased.  Today about 40% of the school's 220 students are Muslims.

(..)

- do you feel that you contribute to sneak Islamization?

"The most important thing is that the student learn to swim," the principal answers diplomatically.

-----

Møllergata school made the news several months ago when discussion flared up around sex-segregated gym and swimming classes.  This is what Eva Kjøge told Norwegian news agency NTB last August:  "As a result of immigration to the city the problem arose that Muslim girls weren't allowed to have gym and swimming together with boys.  Then the school had to find arrangements."

Granted, Eva Kjøge was then a new principal and might not have been aware of the history of the school's gym class arrangements.  Reading what she says carefully, she doesn't really contradict herself, either.  The arrangement might have been started for girls of all types, but was then expanded because Muslim girls were not allowed by their parents to join those classes.

The problem here is that Dagbladet, so eager to prove there's no 'sneak Islamization', didn't bother digging too deeply.  When Kjøge said it had nothing to do with Islam 'that time', the paper didn't want to know when such arragments did have to do with Islam. 

Sources: Dagbladet, Addressavisen (Norwegian)

See also:
* Norway: FRP against 'sneak Islamization'
* Oslo: Debate about segregated swimming classes

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