Oslo: Muslims differ on Muslim schools

Oslo: Muslims differ on Muslim schools


The news that a go-ahead was given to a Muslim school in Oslo has been met with a lot of skepticism - also in parts of the Muslim community in the capital.
This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog - islamineurope.blogspot.com
It will lead to both religious and ethnic segregation, and they won't have the option to be integrated in Norwegian society, Tina Shagufta Kornmo told Dagsavisen.

Kornmo belong to the liberal Muslim network LIM (Equality, Integration and Diversity).  There are 95 Christian schools in Norway today.  LIM emphasizes they don't want a ban against religious schools and that Muslim schools should naturally get equal treatment as Christian schools.

"But who go to Christian schools are integrated in Norwegian society, while a Muslim elementary school will probably make the job of integration even harder," says Kornmo.

Bushra Ishaq, the recent winner of the Fritt Ord award, doesn't think a Muslim school will be a stumbling block for integration.

"No.  I think they will have better self-confidence and reinforced identity, in stead of going to a school where they'll be bullied because they are Muslims and be accuse of sneak-Islamization Norway," says Ishaq, who thinks speaking of integration is going off-track.

"It's irrelevant to take up the integration debate here.  This is about freedom of religion and the right to private schools," says Ishaq.

Source: VG (Norwegian)