VZCZCXRO1671
PP RUEHAST
DE RUEHNY #1189/01 2701023
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 271023Z SEP 06
FM AMEMBASSY OSLO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4649
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY 0435
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV PRIORITY 1311
RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI PRIORITY 0016

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 OSLO 001189 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/EX, EUR/NB, INR, S/CT, DS/IP/EUR, DS/ITA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC KISL PREL PGOV SOCI IS PK NO
SUBJECT: NORWAY HAS TERRORISTS? THE RISING TIDE OF 
ANTI-SEMITISM AND EXTREMISM IN NORWAY 
 
REF: A. OSLO 1172 
     ¶B. OSLO 1141 
     ¶C. OSLO 1047 
 
OSLO 00001189  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Anti-Semitism and Muslim extremism appear 
to be on the rise in Norway. On 22 September authorities 
charged four men for terrorism in the wake of an attack on 
the main synagogue in Oslo and related threats to the Israeli 
and American embassies. Two of the suspects are of Pakistani 
descent, echoing a growth of extremism in the Pakistani 
population residing in Norway. This extremism is apparent not 
only in a rash of anti-Semitic acts, but also in public 
debate where the image of Israel and the US are warped by 
misinformation. END SUMMARY. 
 
ANTI-SEMITISM, OR ANTI-ISRAELISM? 
 
¶2. (U) On Sunday 17 September, multiple shots were fired at 
the Mosaic Religious Community synagogue in Oslo. See ref A 
for details. Four men in their twenties were arrested on 
Tuesday 19 September, including two men of Pakistani origin, 
one of Turkish decent and one who is ethnic Norwegian. One 
was recorded as stating that the way to solve problems in the 
Middle East was to slit the Israeli Ambassador's throat. 
 
¶3. (SBU) The Islamic Council in Norway has been publicly 
supportive of the Jewish community in the wake of the 
shooting, sending sympathetic messages through the mail (and 
the press) stating that 'we are all minorities and should 
stand together.' One imam, Nehmat Ali Bokhabi, also visited 
the synagogue in a televised news report. Nevertheless, this 
same imam was quoted the previous week blaming the US for 
bringing terrorism upon itself. During the Lebanon crisis in 
the summer, denunciations of Israeli policies from many imams 
were extreme. Elements of the Muslim community are clearly 
hostile towards Israel and Jews. Oslo's synagogue was also 
the suspected target of an attack foiled by recent arrests in 
Italy and several newspaper articles stated that Norwegian 
Muslims were to take part in this attack. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Newspapers this summer were dominated by public 
debate on anti-Semitism in the wake of the conflict in 
Lebanon (reftel B), and there was one known battery of a 
Jewish person that led community leaders to suggest that 
their members not wear religious symbols in public. There 
were several protests by Muslim groups in front of the US and 
Israeli Embassies. The Mosaic synagogue was vandalized 
earlier this year on several occasions. 
 
¶5. (SBU) The escalating extremism and anti-Semitism may be 
more acceptable due to the increasing anti-Israeli tone that 
has appeared in mainstream politics and press, which is a 
sharp departure from the very pro-Israeli stance that was the 
norm just ten years ago. Jostein Gaarder, one of Norway's 
most famous authors and writer of the best-selling book 
Sophie,s World wrote an anti-Semitic article in the summer 
of 2006 that garnered international condemnation. The 
resulting debate made it clear that a significant number of 
Norwegian commentators support his views. This was followed 
by a recent poll, which showed that Norwegians were the most 
anti-Israeli of any European nation during the military 
action in Lebanon. Another poll showed that more Norwegians 
blamed Israel than Hezbollah for starting the recent war in 
Lebanon, a view the Foreign Minister called 'wrong.' 
Norwegian student groups and city councils have called for a 
boycott of Israel (as did the Finance Minister before later 
recanting.) On 25 September the Israeli Ambassador in Norway 
criticized the Norwegian Royal family for not supporting the 
Jewish population during its time of need in the wake of the 
synagogue shooting.  After criticism from both the Foreign 
Minister and the press, the Israeli Ambassador apologized. 
 
EXTREMISM AND MISINFORMATION 
 
¶6. (U) The synagogue attack comes on the heels of 
declarations by two leading imams in Norway that 9/11 was 
directed by the USG against itself and that Al Qaeda does not 
exist (reftel A). The imams involved were from the Pakistani 
community, which numbers about 30,000 and dominates the 
public discussion on Islam and integration despite the fact 
that there are several other large Muslim populations in 
Norway including Iraqis (20,000) Iranians (14,000) and Turks 
(14,000) who remain largely silent. Other Imams criticized 
their colleagues for the timing and tone of their comments, 
but indicated sympathy for the conspiracy theories 
themselves. The Pakistani community in Norway has its roots 
 
OSLO 00001189  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
in the Kharian district of Pakistan, and many continue to 
send their children to that area for their elementary 
education, compounding the difficulties of integration. Gang 
members from the Pakistani community are very visible and 
wealthy, and have been involved in acts of violence over the 
years that continue to hurt the public image of Pakistanis in 
Norway. The most recent event was a startling daytime 
shoot-out in the popular port area of Aker Brygge this 
summer, where several gang members were wounded. Any hope 
that gang violence would stay in the shadows of the immigrant 
neighborhoods was shattered. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Immigrants make up a quarter of the population in 
Oslo, with an unregistered unemployment rate of 44 percent. 
In several areas of town the immigrant community lives is 
what can only be called ghettos, despite the public welfare 
system's generous funding. Of the three non-ethnically 
Norwegian suspects in the synagogue shooting, two were 
unemployed. The Pakistani population is in many respects the 
most established in Norway with 40 years of history in this 
country, but very few pursue education beyond the age of 15, 
and many continue to maintain close ties and even homes in 
Pakistan. Arranged or forced marriages with partners from 
Pakistan are still common, leading for calls to establish a 
higher minimum legal marrying age. Only two Muslims have ever 
been elected to the Norwegian Parliament, both women. This 
combination leads to a sense of disenfranchisement in the 
Pakistani-Norwegian community that is exacerbated by the 
public extremism of several leading imams and a lack of 
successful role models in Norwegian society. Additionally, 
the access to information is limited at times by educational 
background and linguistic ability, resulting in a 
proliferation of misinformation. In a recent article by a 
well-known Norwegian commentator of Pakistani origin, he 
defended the imam's statements that Al Qaeda does not exist 
on the grounds of free speech, but seemed most delighted that 
the imam was able to express himself so well in Norwegian. 
 
GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSE 
 
¶8. (U) The Norwegian government has not been entirely 
passive. In response to the shooting, the Prime Minister and 
Justice Minister visited the synagogue. Earlier, the Minister 
of Labor and Social Inclusion, Bjarne Haakon Hanssen (who is 
responsible for integration issues) was both quick to condemn 
conspiracy theories from local imams (inter alia saying that 
would hurt employment chances for Muslims), and was the first 
Minister to visit the Pakistani area from which come many 
Pakistani-Norwegians. He is publicly critical of forced 
marriages and decisions to send students to Pakistan for 
their education and expressed surprise at the amount of money 
that had been funneled into building homes in Pakistan from 
Norwegian-Pakistanis who were ostensibly committed to their 
adopted land. In recent years, the GON has dedicated 
significant resources to provide language training for 
incoming immigrants, and has tried to work with immigrant and 
second-generation youth to minimize inner-city violence. 
Nevertheless, official voices condemning extremist views are 
few. 
 
¶9. (SBU) COMMENT: The shooting and threat of terrorism, which 
can be blamed in part on Norway's failure to successfully 
integrate its Muslim population, increases our concerns about 
anti-Semitism and extremism in Norway. Norway remains a very 
homogenous society, especially outside of Oslo, and the gang 
violence and religious intolerance is difficult for the 
Norwegian community to accept as a legacy of immigration. 
Extremist views in the Muslim community are more visible than 
before, after exploding onto the scene earlier this year in 
the cartoon protest. This combination of extremism and 
anti-Semitism is a surprise to many Norwegian authorities and 
with very few exceptions they seem uncertain how to combat it 
in public. Norway is justifiably proud of its reputation as a 
country for free speech, but this seems to hamper their 
ability to respond vigorously against radical views. END 
COMMENT. 
WHITNEY