Debate post This is a debate entry, written by an external contributor. The post expresses the writer’s views.
With the immigration we have had and the globalization we are facing, we will have to discuss and deal with how we ensure a community that can accommodate diversity and differences in a positive and good way.
Norway must not end up becoming a geographical area high to the north where different groups live in parallel societies with widely different norms about what is right and wrong.
We must understand each other, not only linguistically, but also when it comes to each other’s actions and way of life.
But something must bring us together and lie at the bottom. The flag? But how Norwegian is the identity symbol the flag? Not so much. And many children have flags other than the Norwegian one in the May 17 parade.
And the cross in the Norwegian flag is imported from Rome. And as far as Our Lord is concerned, He is probably not Norwegian either!
What about the holy book, the Bible? The book of books has been very important for Norwegian morality, ethics and legislation.
But no Norwegians theologians have put a single letter or comma in this book, which we have taken over from the area around the eastern shore of the Mediterranean, namely the Jewish land of biblical history.
Moreover, there are more and more people who have the Koran as the holy book that will guide them through life.
And the list could have been made separate for longer. But still, there must be something that binds us together. To be Norwegian is to be part of a community, a community that rests on some very basic values.
Norway is a democracy. A legal society. A welfare society. This means that society is based on a fundamental respect for the individual person and their freedom.
By freedom I mean we include personal freedom, freedom of expression, the freedom to think and believe – that is, freedom to be different.
If we are to succeed in this, we need a constructive integration debate with open communication where all voices are heard and where there is a desire from all parties to reach a mutual understanding.
Now is the time to meet as equal citizens But if you want to be part of the Norwegian community, there are some very clear democratic rules of the game that are above any debate.
And it is important – we all have a responsibility to become part of the community, the Sami from Nesseby in Finnmark and the Pakistani youth from Stovner in Oslo.
The basic values we have and protect are not exclusionary. They are inclusive. It is our concept of freedom that creates room for diversity. We are Norwegian even though we are different! And not everyone can speak and write Norwegian.
But if you choose to live differently, you exclude yourself from the community and thereby from being properly integrated into Norwegian society. And if integration is to succeed, it is not just a matter for politicians and public authorities.
The school, teams and associations and the workplace are excellent places for new citizens to be introduced to Norwegian values and norms.
My message: Integration is a task, which has only one solution. It must succeed. Our new compatriots must achieve the same participation in society as 10 generations of ethnic Norwegians.
Because it is something that must be able to bring the vast majority of us together, even if we are very different from each other. There are the old ones or virtues such as love, honesty, courage, bravery and charity.
Our ancestors who grew out of the poor community and built up a society where they looked after each other and cared.
Of course, everything was not rosy, but the old ones built on solid values that now have to be learned anew and maintained.
That Norway I identify with, is an open and cosmopolitan, which is not afraid of the big world outside the kingdom. I am not afraid of the new and unknown.
Our multicultural “Norwegian” identity is very suitable in our globalized age.
As citizens of the world from Norway, we have an additional benefit that enables us to open up and think new, unconventional and different about being Norwegian.
