Bjørnar Moxnes and Rødt have become religious, and it is of course not Christianity that tempts, but Islam. An unknown lady with an afro hairstyle opens a ramadan video that Rødt posted on his Facebook pages before Easter:
– Dear all Muslims in Norway, right now we are marking the opening of Ramadan in Norway, and across the country, says the lady. Red writes “Ramadan”, with a capital R, but we have made it small, since it is in line with Norwegian orthography and religious celebrations otherwise do not have a capital letter in Norwegian (we have maintained this in this English version of the article).
The expression “the opening of ramadan in Norway, and throughout the country” is a bit of a joke, but well, we get the point: Red wants Islamic fasting to apply throughout the whole of Norway. Despite the fact that we have our own Christian fasting, we adhere to Christians holidays. We are not a nation following Islamic culture or religion.
Furthermore, the lady, who is not introduced and whose name we do not know, says: – This is a month when many people take time for self-reflection and practice moderation.
Yes, of course, self-reflection is also right as it is, but that ramadan implies moderation sounds somewhat strange, considering all the reports of the binge eating that takes place throughout the evening and night. In the Christian fast, however, moderation is a virtue. Christians eat during Lent, but traditionally a little less and simpler, preferring fish to meat.
Moxnes in Arabic
In the video, Rødt leader Bjørnar Moxnes steps in to emphasise the religious message from Nye Rødt, i.e. by pretending that communism and Islam are the same thing:
In Rødt, communism, the fight against increased differences and helping those who have the least are important.
Moxnes continues:
These are also central values in the celebration of ramadan. On behalf of Rødt, we would like to wish you all (the whole of Norway?) a good start to Lent with family, neighbours and local community. Have a good and meaningful ramadan. “Ramadan Mubarak!”, concludes Moxnes in Arabic.
Does Rødt have a corresponding greeting to the Christians in connection with the nation’s Easter celebrations? Well, at least they announce that they are taking an Easter holiday:
The Rødt office will be on Easter holiday until Tuesday 11 April. We wish all our followers a happy Easter! wrote Rødt on Facebook on 3 April. Neither before nor after was there anything more about the most important Christian holiday: Easter.
A lot of criticism
Rødt’s Islamic elements do not just go down well. On the contrary, there are very few enthusiastic comments:
Politics and religion should and must be separated at all levels. This is just wrong, Moxnes, when you probably don’t go out and wish Christians a Merry Christmas. As a red voter, I don’t like such differential treatment. Politicians do not need to interfere in various religious events, writes Helge on the thread below the video.
It would have been a little more palatable if they had wished their own country’s religion the same for Christian holidays, writes Karin.
In a long and frustrated comment, Asbjørn writes:
Can well support Rødt and all other parties in individual cases, but as not a “party believer” of anyone. I believe that the “congratulations on the day” appearance that Mr Moxnes embarks on only shows how FAR he and Rødt are, and SV with, distanced from reality?! How a religious political system, which is practised in countries that “we would rather not compare ourselves to” can receive congratulations from Moxnes and Rødt, is what one must call ABSURD and is proof that “the world does not even go its own way, and at least not until Easter”?!
When did forced marriage, child abuse, pedophilia, indoctrination and the like become care, solidarity and social goodness? When did hijab, niqab and social control become care, solidarity and social kindness?
In short, it says in the Koran Surah 9:5, when the most peaceful months (ramadan) come to an end, kill the idolaters (non-Muslims) wherever you find them, seize them, besiege them, ambush them everywhere! But if they repent (convert), perform the prayer and pay the ritual contribution, then let them go their way. Allah is forgiving, merciful, writes Edmond, in a comment that is also long and frustrated.
Torleif thinks Moxnes is now in Støre’s arena to collect votes and predicts that Støre will lose out. He is absolutely right that Moxnes and Rødt are moving into Støre’s half of the court for vote fishing. Out in public, we are seeing little talk about Easter, with the usual attention being given to Muslims.
Also excited about ramadan
The day ramadan starts. I would like to send a greeting to all of you who are embarking on a month-long journey of reflection, prayer and fasting.
Ramadan emphasises fundamental values such as care, solidarity and social kindness.
Ramadan Kareem! Greetings Jonas, wrote Støre on 23 March.
On Maundy Thursday, the Prime Minister actually mentioned Easter, but no Easter greetings to Christians. Støre talks about Easter as a little free space from everyday life, to find peace:
“For me it’s like that too. Nothing beats meeting the grandchildren in the snow pile in the mountains.
I send wishes for good days to everyone, in the city and the countryside, and a special thank you to those of you who are on duty, are at work and keep the wheels turning in our country. Have a nice Maundy Thursday! Greetings Jonas”
Neither communists nor socialists seem to care about Marx and his “Religion is opium for the people” anymore.
Islamic fasting bad for health
They don’t seem to have caught on to the oppression in Islam in general around the world, or the negative aspects of ramadan. A study by Dutch researchers in 2015 showed that the Islamic fast has negative effects both for the individual’s health and for society as a whole.
Researcher Reyn van Ewijk pointed out that ramadan fasting could cause a number of long-term health problems, The Guardian wrote several years ago that for women who chose to fast when pregnant, there could be significant negative health effects to their child, regardless of whether they fasted early or late in pregnancy. Fasting before birth is associated with generally poorer health, it increases the risk of symptoms that indicate serious health problems, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and anaemia among the elderly who had been exposed in the womb:
Research by the Dutch academic Reyn van Ewijk points to an array of long-term health problems resulting from ramadan fasting. For those women who choose to fast during pregnancy, it may cause considerable negative health effects on the offspring, regardless of the stage of pregnancy in which ramadan took place. Exposure to fasting before birth is associated with poorer general health. It also increases a person’s chances of developing symptoms that are indicative of serious health problems, such as coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes and, among older people who were exposed during certain stages of gestation, may lead to anaemia.
Productivity falls
An article in Arab News in July 2013 suggested that productivity in Islamic countries drops by as much as 35 to 50 percent during the month of ramadan due to shorter working hours and the changes in lifestyle of not eating from sunrise to sunset:
“People staying awake until dawn results in lower productivity throughout the day. Such a lifestyle is negatively affecting the Saudi market. So businesses and economists are calling for longer working hours and bonuses for workers in order to meet demand.
Many reports have indicated that productivity declines by as much as 35 to 50 percent as a result of shorter working hours and the change in lifestyle during the month.
None of this, nor Islam’s 1,400-year-long and rather motley history, seems to have made an impression on the Red party, which now embraces Arab religion.