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| Banned in court, but a future on the force? photo credit: Local |
-“Donna, 26, Sweden's first police recruit in hijab: Sweden’s first veiled police recruit, Donna Eljammal, 26, does not regard her traditional Muslim hijab as a hindrance but rather an asset for her future career within the Swedish police force.” No accompanying photo, of course.
All this is pretty surprising (not!)—and can be seen as a logical extension of the will to multi-culti as much as possible in Sweden. Why offend Muslim sensibilities by banning the veil for police? An official is quoted as saying that the police have formulated no policy regarding future candidates for the force who might opt to wear a full-body veil or burka.
Luckily, the authorities’ appeasement strategy does not include going along with other Islamic sensibilities. In another top story Cartoonist Lars Vilks’ would-be assassins were sentenced today for plotting his murder—all three were apparently all in possession of knives at the time of the arrest. Vilks has been the subject of numerous attacks and threats due to his outspoken stance on Islam, including a publishing a cartoon depicting Mohammed as a dog. Avenging the honor of the Muslim prophet has been the motive behind these attacks, which has included physical assault and attempted arson.
Interestingly, the judge for this case banned women in full burka gear from the courtroom.
-”’I am responsible for order in this court room and I feel I can't achieve that if I am unable to see the faces of the people present,’ said district court judge Stefan Wikmark.”
The authorities claim that the al-Shabaab material found on a computer belonging to one of the criminals does not prove the murder plot was linked to the terror group. As we reported last month, the Al-Shabaab Somali terror group has its main Scandinavian recruiting center in Stockholm’s Rinkeby neighborhood, also referred to as “Little Mogadishu”. Even if no direct link to Al-Shabaab is proven in this case, its influence cannot be discounted. At least one of the men charged today is a Somali citizen living in Sweden, but the others are described only as “Swedish citizens”. No details of the sentencing were published.
These reports in the Local show the extent of what at best could be called Swedish “cognitive dissonance”, and at worst “schizophrenia”. How can a court judge disallow the burka in the courtroom for spectators, but the police allow the face veil on a member of the force? Ignoring the influence of Al-Shabaab in the Somali immigrant community will not solve the problem of active terror recruitment.
Inclusion in Swedish society should be predicated on common values, but is up to Sweden to clearly define these values. Leaving the possibility open for policewomen in burkas, and carefully defining Islamist would-be murderers as simply “Swedish citizens”, are more worrying signs for the road ahead.
By Chanah Shapira
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