To wear or not to wear ... Burkini

I bet you've seen the pictures. The pictures of three policeofficers standing around a woman wearing a scarf on her head and are fully dressed from top to toe, who only a few moments before was enjoying the sun while relaxing by the beach. The pictures have immortalised moments of the law against burkini in France being enforced. To me the pictures radiate the humiliation of a woman who does not want to lie on the beach in a tini-tiny bikini having to take of layers off of her clothes just because some politicians think denying others wearing a burkini will help in the fight against radicalisation or what ever is the reason for this law. 

I find it hard to believe that a law against burkini as well as a burka and so forth is going to eliminate the problems that seems to surface in the world today. Actually, the pictures of this specific woman taking of her clothes makes me even more convinced that the laws are marginalising specific minorities within the society - a marginalisation that can have fatal consequences as it may foster a generation of individuals who will act out on the society because they don't feel understood or met as the individual they are. 

Evil always comes from somewhere and I find it hard to believe, when society attempts to enforce its ideas within the individuals private life that it would not cause a negative reaction of some sort. Because, what will be left if society took away your ability and right to think for yourself: act as you find right, and wear whatever you want? I mean of course there is a limit to how an individual should act - I am here referring to when one individual harms another. But there is also a limit to how much a government will be able to control one's private life and what is going on behind closed doors. And maybe, the implementation and the enforcement of such a law will cause even more radicalised ways of thinking that could foster the very idea of terror and violence as the only means of expression. 

The troth is, that the pictures to me does not necessarily show a Muslim woman, but a woman hanging out on the beach, relaxing. The truth is that it could have been me. I am very conscious with my body - especially when I can't cover my flaws with clothes. The idea of wearing clothes on the beach from top to toe is not that foreign to me. 

So, in the end I see myself in that woman. As a person that affiliate to a certain belief-system. As a woman and as an individual who's right to have a private life could be disrupted by a government who finds me radical and different and who acts against me with fear of what I could become and not with curiosity of what I am. And if that government strip me of everything I am and believe in, pushing me to the edge - who knows, how such an individual, with nothing to loose will act against an enforcement of fear. 

Instead of acting out of fear of what who seems foreign and different could become - lets meet it with curiosity and with accommodation so that society does not foster individuals with nothing left to loose, but individuals that can help develop a society that can help others.

The Effects of Government and Media Reaction

These days the Danish government is yet again making tightenings regarding radicalised young people. The reason why it is yet again a part of the media as well as the Governments awareness is due to a resent police response the Danish Security and Intelligence Service made where some young people were arrested and charged within the so-called Danish terror-paragraph.

It is rather common that radicalisation in a context such as this makes the media overflow with articles that hints fear and begins a sense of hostility among the Danish people. I must admit that the anger regarding the rather one-sided cover of the so-called "muslim radical" that makes it seem that all muslims are radical may overflow my judgement and make my arguments in this respect rather generalised. However, The governments ideas to tighten the law regarding these so-called Syrian-warriors. The medias eternal cover of radicalisation in more or less direct connection with Islam and muslims. It makes me so furious that it is the action of a few people that may have an affect of how the Danish people regard the rest of those Danes who confess to Islam and are actually well integrated and participate in the Danish society and pay their taxes.

On one hand, I understand that it is of the governments interest to show the Danish people that it takes action against possible terror-threats. In a time like these where Europe seem more of a terror-target than ever, it would on one hand seem too laid back if the government did not react. On the other hand, I find that the reaction has really gone overboard. The fact that the Danish Security and Intelligence Service actually manage to do the job they exists to do, makes me wonder why we need another government "over"-reaction. The part of our society that exists to deal with the terror-threats works. They have done a rather good job in the prevention of terror in Denmark - a thing that is rather difficult to prevent. The only reaction another government intervention will create is that the media attention will yet again make muslims the villains and it will create even more hostility among the Danish people that will make sure that the Danish people will to a lesser degree help the war-inflicted people who really do need our help by for instance demanding a complete closure of our borders towards people who have experienced trauma, war and terror in ways we will never be able to understand.

If the government instead let things work, the way they are ment to, I would respect the government if they react in a rather respectful way towards the system that have been created in Denmark. It would possibly create more peace and instead of letting the fear cloud the Danish peoples judgement, it might make room for more compassion.

Even though, many Danish people have worked against the Danish governments views of the refugees who have more than ever escaped to Europe, the fact that a refugee-hostile party as the Danish People Party who have gained more support than ever shows me that there is a great deal of fear and hostility that needs to be dealt with in Denmark.

We keep saying to each other that fear and a limitation of our everyday life is what terror wants to create. Even though we keep telling ourselves and each other that it is important to live life as we would usually do and not be affected by the terror. Maybe, terror is slowly creeping into our conscience and have slowly affected the way we think about the world and the way we react towards people who truly needs our help. Or the way we react towards the diversity that obviously exists in our society.

Showing compassion and helping other are indeed a more difficult road towards destroying terror and what it creates among the people affected by it. But I believe that the long and difficult road is the better road to take than fighting with the same means and tools as the "enemy" does. Have we, the rich part of the world forgotten that our previous actions hostile and mean actions may have had a role in creating the anger, hostility and the "us" and "them"-mentality that terror springs from? Maybe it is time to react differently than we usually have done since a war on terror obviously haven't worked?

Religionsforskrækkelse i Danmark?

NOTE: Only in Danish. Jeg vil gerne understrege at dette blogindlæg er meget generaliseret og ment som en provokation, som med en god omgang selvransagelse måske kan sætte spørgsmål ved nogle dobbeltmoralske tendenser der gør sig gældende i det danske samfund. Glæder mig til at høre din holdning.

I Danmark bryster vi os af at have ytringsfrihed. Vi er stolte over den og har bevist, at vi er klar til at gå meget langt for at beskytte den. Men er det virkelig nødvendigt? Går vi for langt i et ønske om at bevare ytringsfriheden? Er den blevet en undskyldning for en ny form for voksen mobning?
Mit problem med ytringsfriheden er ikke ytringsfrihed som sådan, men når en tegning med et yderligtgående budskab bliver kaldt for ytringsfrihed, i virkeligheden skaber vrede blandt en stor del af verdensbefolkningen med et, hvad man kan kalde, meget anderledes religiøst verdensbillede end danskere kender, så begynder jeg at stille spørgsmål ved dens nødvendighed. Når en minoritetsgruppe i Danmark til gengæld giver udtryk for deres religiøse holdninger og dermed gør brug af den ytringsfrihed vi taler om i Danmark, bliver de kaldt for radikaliserede. Hvor er ytringsfriheden så henne?

I Danmark er det meget svært for muslimer at give udtryk for deres holdninger og deres religion uden at få en bemærkning om at være radikal, imod danske værdier og udemokratiske. Men er det kun tilhængere af Islam der bliver mødt med disse holdninger? I Danmark er der mere eller mindre problemer ligeså snart man bunder sit liv og sit verdensbillede i en religion. Nogle religioner mere direkte udtalt end andre. For i Danmark bliver alt ligesom kaldt udansk og udemokratisk ligeså snart man har holdninger om homoseksuelle vielser i folkekirkerne eller abort, bare for at nævne nogle få stykker. Hvis man har en holdning der bunder i værdier der kommer fra en religion og giver udtryk for det i det offentlige, trækker størstedelen af danskerne ofte kortet "Religion er en privatsag" frem og vifter med det foran næsen på en som om, at de gerne må give udtryk for deres holdninger men bunder du dine værdier i de kristne værdisæt skal du holde det for dig selv. Som kristen kan man ikke bare give udtryk for ens holdninger i frygt for at blive overfuset af kollegaer og medstuderende.
            Muslimer er lige i øjeblikket i orkanens øje fordi vi taler meget om radikalisering. Der er stor fokus på hvordan den kan stoppes. En nødvendig tanke, men dette fokus forårsager et større fokus på hvad muslimer egentlig mener. Fokus bliver somme tider, hvordan vi kan ændre det de mener til at hænge mere sammen med danske værdier og demokratiet i stedet for at acceptere forskellige holdninger og den ytringsfrihed vi faktisk siger vi har.

Jeg siger ikke, at hvis der er mennesker - uanset hvilken ideologisk baggrund de har eller uanset hvilken religion de tilhører - som er villig til at ty til voldelige metoder på at angribe Danmark eller et hvilket som helst andet land i verden, at vi ikke skal gøre vores for at stoppe det. Jeg siger ikke at de forsøg på dialog og diskussion mellem mennesker med et radikalt andet verdensbillede ikke er nødvendige. Faktisk mener jeg, at denne dialog også kan hjælpe den almene dansker med måske at blive lidt oplyst om hvordan tingene egentlig hænger sammen. Hvordan et muslimsk eller et kristent verdensbillede hænger sammen.
Jeg kan bare ikke lade være med at undres over, at den 'dialog' og 'accept' den almene dansker med andre ligesindede bliver enige om rundt om spisebordet eller over hækken er radikalt anderledes og skal stoppes, ikke er udtryk for beskyttelse af ytringsfriheden, men måske hellere en ny form for voksen-mobning? Måske, hvis du sad rundt om bordet hos en muslimsk familie eller en kristen familie ville du finde andre holdninger, andre verdensbilleder, andre oplevelser som ikke nødvendigvis fører til død og ødelæggelse. Hvis vi respekterer hinanden, kan vi måske med tiden skabe en ligesindet dialog i Danmark, som hverken har eksisteret med danske muslimer eller danske kristne.

I medierne taler vi om "de der muslimer", vi taler om "de radikale" og terror som om det er tre sider af samme sag. Men måske burde vi tale om et dybere liggende problem som ligger og ulmer under overfladen. Måske skulle vi tale om den manglende respekt for anderledes, og i de fleste danskeres øjne, radikale verdensbilleder der mener noget der står i modsætning til det, der  uudtalt defineres som danske værdier. Måske skulle vi tale om hvordan mange mere eller mindre ubevidst undertrykker hvad de i virkeligheden mener, fordi majoriteten ville overfuse disse holdninger, hvis der blev givet udtryk for de virkelige meninger og holdninger. Måske skulle vi i Danmark forlade utopien om, at alle har 'ytringsfrihed' og ideen om at vi er et mangfoldigt samfund og istedet se i øjnene, at 'danske værdier' og 'demokrati' er blevet følge-ord for en 'ny religion' i Danmark - den nationalistiske forestilling om danskeren, hvor religion bliver anset for at være en privat sag og skal overfuses og nedlægges i ethvert forsøg for det religiøse menneske at blive accepteret for det menneske det nu engang er og ikke blot for den maske denne tager på i hverdagen. At blive forstået. At gøre brug af den ytringsfrihed I danskere siger vi alle har.

Måske skulle I danskere til at acceptere at med kampen for ytringsfrihed, vil der komme radikalt anderledes verdensbilleder frem som ikke nødvendigvis altid stemmer overens med det verdensbillede I forbinder ytringsfriheden med.

For i sidste ende står spørgsmålet tilbage: Er det virkelig så slemt at være radikalt anderledes end det de fleste danskere synes at stå for? Hvis en minoritet af den danske befolkning ikke nødvendigvis går ind for krig, vold, ødelæggelse og antidemokratiske handlinger, men stadig har et verdensbillede som er radikalt i forhold til det almene verdensbillede, hvorfor skal dette så bekæmpes? Hvorfor må de ikke være dem de er i fred og ro? De gør os jo ikke noget?

Lever vi ikke i et frit land?