Article translated from 'Aftenposten', a Norwegian secular newspaper.

Norwegian parallel societies are not ghettos in big cities. They are hidden - and grow in small places.

DANIEL SKJEVIK-AASBERG, BALLANGEN, NEIGHBORING MUNICIPALITY OF TYSFJORD
UPDATED: 30.JUL.2016 2:34 P.M. PUBLISHED: 30.JUL.2016 9:15 P.M.


Parallel Community should and must be combated, writes the debater.

It does not matter if leaders call themselves imams or preachers, or gathering place is a mosque or a chapel.

In the public debate parallel society is used almost exclusively in relation to immigration, Islam and non-Western cultures. But parallel communities can take many forms.

If one wants to eliminate just some parallel society and not all parallel groups, then we are blind.

Environments reminiscent of parallel society, has already existed for long. Earlier this summer was such an environment applicable again with Tysfjord case. Women who were victims of abuse came forward and shared their horrific experiences.

Central to the case was Laestadians, a small enclosed Christian congregation few are acquainted with.

I was even a part of this environment and know it well. I decided to pull myself out.

Partly because I was tired of being put in stall and partly because of all the pointless bans. On top of this came the persistent feeling of melancholy.

Laestadians has a pietistic belief in God with the literal interpretation of the Bible and strict piety is demanded. The way of life has clear similarities with what we regard as a parallel society.

The hijab is admittedly replaced with handkerchief and cover assembly with a manic aversion to neckties.

There are prohibitions against alcohol, party, music, dance, makeup, jewelry and Christmas tree. It's ban on gay relationships, relationships outside of marriage and contraception. Its view of the female role is outdated and discriminatory.

Hard to deviate from the norm
Children are taught that even questions that can shake religious dogmas, is wrong. Man's quest for knowledge derided as a pathetic attempt to explain away God.


Ingar Storfjell
To remedy the teaching of Darwin's theory of evolution and the Big Bang, they therefore have their own courses of creationism. What is right and wrong is determined by preachers in the back under the pretext of "advise" on behalf of God. In this way the congregation excerts social control over the members.

In closed societies as it Laestadian it difficult to deviate from the norm.

Fundamental aspects of being human meets demonization and condemnation, such as if you would be so "unlucky" to be gay.

Forgiveness is central to Laestadianism. The doctrine is that all sin can be forgiven. In Tysfjord case told the victims that the perpetrators received forgiveness and went off, but the victims were met with silence.

The internal procedures showed that the preachers themselves should examine whether there are grounds to file charges. But no one can put themselves above the law. Nor if one claims to act on behalf of a higher authority.

Assault, abuse and discrimination are no less illegal just because it is called religion.

Not only in ghettos
Parallel Community should and must be combated. It's not about the secular society's war against religion, but rather about fighting values ​​and views on humanity that these environments advocates and the threat they pose to the rule of law.

It is also a fight against ignorance and unawareness. It is a struggle for women's rights, multiculturalism and sexual minorities. It is a fight against racism and xenophobia and it is a fight for tolerance and diversity.

Not least, it is a struggle against communities and children disappearing into a religious darkness that it is difficult to escape from.

Our parallel society is alive and well. They are not ghettos in big cities, but hidden in small places where they secretly get good growing conditions.

It does not matter if namely leaders call themselves imams or preachers, or gathering place is a mosque or a chapel.

Source.

Comment: The community here did something wrong in not allowing the law to deal with a crime it should have dealt with, and in doing so opened up this door. Not only did they do something that was not right according to society, but the also did something that was wrong according to their own religion.

Despite what the debater is saying here it really is a war of humanism against religion. Calling it a war of education against ignorance is obfuscating the matter.

The author also is not aware of that all societies at one point started of as a parallel society - even the secular. It may be that at one point the secular society again is the parallel society, with a view that's not shared by the majority.

Definition; Parallel society (German: Parallelgesellschaft) refers to the self-organization of an ethnic or religious minority, often immigrant groups, with the intent of a reduced or minimal spatial, social and cultural contact with the majority society into which they immigrate.