Intervju med Klassekampen
Hvordan er det egentlig å være muslim i Norge?
(trykk på bildet for å få full størrelse)
The English version:
Nobody reacted when Per Yousef Assidiq had Mohawk, but when he took on the kufi, it was chaos.
A punker of Allahs forgiveness.
Trouble: He have gotten a lot of trouble since he converted. From his parents, Islamhating norwegians and Irfan Bhatti
Conflicts and trouble have followed the loudmouth Per Yousef Assidiq (former Per Bartho Hansen) since he was born on 11th of september 1998 (correction: 1988). Two years old, he got diagnosed with ADHD, and have through all his childhood been hyperactive. He’ve learnt several music instruments, played in a punkband, walked with mohawk and read a lot of literature of life-values. From his parents he learnt about Jesus, he used to like reading the Bible, but in the end of this teens he found the Qur’an. As a serious socialist and feminist he started to question imams and “guiders” on Islam.no with Qur’an verses he was critical towards. Discussions went into conversations. Those were increased when he found more Muslim friends in Socialistic Youth (political party). As time went by, he got certain on his call. The date he choose were Friday, 13th of February, 2009.
Prays five times a day
- My first question was: Do I have to pray Salat-ul-Fajr every day? It’s 03:30, says Per Yousef Assidiq
He have just told us that he take the practice of his religion seriously, and that it helps him focus on the important things in life. Even though waking up early is sometimes tough, he manage through.
More and more Norwegians choose to convert to Islam. Religion historian Kari Vogt estimated around 1.000 converts in 2006. Since then have over a hundred found their ways to the biggest mosques in Norway, which suggests that the estimate should be adjusted.
In a new miniseries Klassekampen asks tree different converts to Islam about what made them join a religion with such a bad reputation, and which tendencies is related to Norwegian Islam today.
- I used to wear a Mohawk on the buss, nobody reacted to it. But at once I started wearing Kufi, suddenly everyone stared at me. When I became a punker it was to make uproar. I searched towards Islam to clam down and find the values that was important for me in life. Despite of the thought, it was first after the convention the worst chaos began, says Per Yousef Assidiq to Klassekampen.
Good friend with Mohyeldeen
- I was ready to convert three months before I did it. I waited because I was scared of the reactions from my parents.
Maybe they would throw me out, maybe they would never speak to me again?
When he went on the train to Tønsberg and his childhood home on Nøtterøy after he had been in the Rabita-mosque in Oslo and converted, he had already arranged a place to sleep in Oslo, in case his parents threw him out.
- I told them during the dinner. First they just sat there staring at me. Then my father stood up and started shouting at me. I was relived. He at least talked to me. When he was done, I thought: He didn’t say anything about throwing me out, I can live with this.
- What was it about your choice to become a Muslim, that your parents reacted to?
- The religion, simple as that. They have watched TV, like the rest of us. Suicide bombers and all that. After the worst shock had passed, they were afraid of the environment and which friends I would get. Thinking about everything that has happened, I can understand why they were worry initially, says Per Yousef Assidiq and he is aiming at all the chaos around the demonstration against Dagbladet (Norwegian Newspaper) and their printing of the drawing of Prophet Muhammed as a pig this winter. Then he got in the media highlight together with the young Sharia-student Mohyeldeen Mohammad, also he from Vestfold.
Have been reciving death threats
- Mohyeldeen was one of the first I got to know after I converted. We came in contact on Facebook, but both him and his dad are often in the mosque of Tønsberg, so we have been a lot together there as well, says Per Yousef. Together with Irfan Bhatti, the two young men got involved with the planning of the demonstration 12th of February. Both held a speech on Universitetsplassen, but Mohyeldeen did something unexpected: He warned about a 11th of September in Norway. Some days later he also defended stoning of homosexuals in a interview with Klassekampen. Over night, the two buddies became famous all over the nation: Mohyeldeen becomes the beast and is hunted down as fresh meat by the journalists, whilst Per Yousef becomes the convert that take full distance from violence, and that always answers when the journalists call.
- How did this experience challenge your friendship?
- Already the same night as the demonstration, I told him that I was going against him. He fully understood that. He is very understanding and we respect each other, even though we disagree in much. I look at him as a good friend, and my mother knows that. Shes okay with it, even though she doesn’t like all he says. She trust me, that I can differ between being a Muslim, and being affected by extremism.
Not all see the difference.
To many Islam-hating Norwegians, Per Yousef is a traitor toward his country. He have gotten 300 death threats by letter, e-mail and phone.
PST on a visit (Norwegian FBI)
- It was a little like James Bond.
This is how Per Yousef describe his first meeting with PST. They showed up at his work some few months after he had converted, it was a “calm-down”-meeting. They had followed him on Facebook and seen that he was friend with Mohyeldeen and suchlike, as they already had in the spotlight.
- It’s typical that they visit converts. We have easy to become extreme, because we lack knowledge and because of that, we’re easy to mislead, says Per Yousef that knows a lot of young people who have been visited by PST after they have converted.
- Is it right of PST to do this?
- Its good that they scans the environment and is “before, rather than after”. The worst that can happen to us Muslims is that a bomb goes off in Norway. Then we can just move all together. The only thing I’m critical towards, is their diffuse press-conferences, where they give the impression of the threat level being higher than it is.
- Are they mistaken when they say that there are Radical Islam in Norway?
- There is nobody in Norway who is Terror-Radical, but a lot is practicing their religion strictly. There are two extremes in Islam. Those who goes into an extreme direction in their way of practicing their religion personally, and those who aggregate. The last type at least I haven’t met, and if I do meet one, I will contact PST directly.
Young protest against music
Per Yousef knows only Mohyeldeen Mohammad and Irfan Bhatti, which have expressed support to terror. He looks at Mohyeldeen as a sofa-jihadist that never will make actions of his words. And even though Bhatti have been convicted for terror earlier, Per Yousef doesn’t think that he will go through with plans like that.
- Irfan Bhatti is among those who practice their religion strictly. He is of that impression that music is illegal. After I went public in Aftenposten (Norwegian Newspaper) with plans of making a Muslim punkband, he told me to stay away from him.
Nothing of what Per Yousef have done, have made as when he stood forth as a Muslim punker. More than 500 angry Facebook messages, flooded in on his Facebook profile from young Muslims.
- It’s their choice if they don’t want to listen to music, but I want them to respect that I choose to do it, says Per Yousef, that got support from Mohyeldeen Mohammad when the punkdiscussions went on like worst.
- He was of that opinion that people should remember all the good I’ve done for Islam, and not get stuck on the punk stuff.
Norwegian punk-intifada
Punk is large among Muslim Youth in the USA, and is called Taqwacore. Around Christmas times, Per Yousef hope to book one or more of the Taqwacore-bands to Norway. He and some others also have plans to make their own punkband. They’ll just jump straight out in it, when they are ready.
- I believe it can be a very exciting band, that can break barriers, says Per Yousef.
The band have already gotten the name Intifada, and have 184 fans on Facebook, without them having a single concert.
So far it is the values and intentions of the band which appeal to the masses: They want to make uproar against the authorities that misuse Islam and to shake away violence, woman suppression, and other things that destroys the religion they love. In difference from Taqwacore, they are defining themselves as Muslim Punkers, and not Islamic Punk, just to emphasize that they don’t make uproar against their religion, but the culture and the political part of it.
- Why is it so controversial among the Muslim Youth of Norway?
- It isn’t the message in itself thats controversial. They are provoked by Muslims playing in a band.
-How long have it been controversial for Muslims to make music?
- Not that long. You can say that IslamNet have raised the level, and make it more normal to practice more strict. A lot of young people is attracted by the strictness. I believe its better to join IslamNet, than to join some criminal gang, I feel it’s positive, even though they make my life full of critique. They don’t like me being so active in the society and politics.
Per Yousef tells that there are ideology discussions all the time, not so different from the left-side in the politics.
- It’s maybe typical for a active growing youth to challenge the already established organisations, like Islamsk Råd?
- What happends now, is that the youth is defining themselves. When we were planning the demonstrations against Dagbladet, we also discussed if we were rallying against Islamsk Råd as well.
Will never conquer Norway
- IslamNet talks a lot about clearing up in misconceptions of Islam. What would you say is the biggest misconception?
- That we are taking over Norway. If we would try, it would just end in chaos and discussions, we are so different.
- The worst people can do against us Muslims is actually to stop criticizing us, because then we’ll start criticizing each other. Media is doing us a huge favor by keeping the pressure up, says Per Yousef and laugh in his beard.
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