Monday, January 13, 2025
The Nordic Times

Polaris of Enlightenment

Monday, January 13, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Breaking News
Ad:

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/isis-returnees-now-working-with-swedish-children-and-youth/

Sweden

ISIS returnees now working with Swedish children and youth

The Islamization of Europe

Published 21 October 2023
– By Editorial Staff
Genre image - fighters from the Islamic State terrorist group.
Share via

More than 20 individuals who have returned from the Islamic State are now working with Swedish children and teenagers as childcare workers, youth leaders, teachers, or social workers. Several of them are believed to have killed people on behalf of the terrorist group.

The investigation by the Bonnier newspaper Expressen reveals that out of 83 identified ISIS terrorists, at least 21 are directly working with children and young people, often funded by taxpayers.

– There are always jobs available in preschool, says the widow of a high-ranking ISIS terrorist, who now works as a childcare worker.

The investigation indicates that several of the “returnees” have participated in battles for the Islamic State but have not been convicted for their involvement in ISIS terror and massacres of civilians.

School Minister Lotta Edholm (L) expresses her deep concern, claiming that Swedish society has been “too naive”.

– It is completely unacceptable for people who are ISIS terrorists to work in the Swedish education system, youth centers, and the like. It should not be allowed, she tells the newspaper.

Potential recruitment of youth

It’s worth noting that the Swedish Security Service has repeatedly warned that returning ISIS terrorists could recruit and radicalize children and young people in Sweden. Yet, around 20 of these individuals have been employed by public employers.

– I just want to focus on my life. Things have gone well for me, says a former ISIS terrorist who was employed as a social worker shortly after returning to Sweden.

Terrorism researcher Magnus Ranstorp calls the revelation “shocking” but points out that due to Sweden’s inadequate legislation, almost none of the ISIS terrorists have been convicted of any crime.

– They are unsuitable for these positions. They should not work in environments with children and young people, where they can continue to influence them, he emphasizes.

Lotta Edholm now wants to see improved background checks on those employed in areas like the education system and argues that it is not a “human right to work with children and teenagers.”

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

TNT is truly independent!

We don’t have a billionaire owner, and our unique reader-funded model keeps us free from political or corporate influence. This means we can fearlessly report the facts and shine a light on the misdeeds of those in power.

Consider a donation to keep our independent journalism running…

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/norway/norwegian-chicken-farm-starts-certified-halal-production/

Norway

Norwegian chicken farm starts certified halal production

The Islamization of Europe

Published 23 September 2024
– By Editorial Staff
Norsk Kylling starts Halal certified chicken production.
Share via

Norwegian chicken producer Norsk Kylling has received halal certification from the Islamic Council of Norway. The production of halal chicken will be separated from the company’s regular operations and is expected to start soon.


The initiative is aimed at Norway’s still growing Muslim population, while at the same time raising criticism and questions about the adaptation of Norwegian food production to religious requirements.

Norsk Kylling has been working for almost two years to obtain halal certification. Production will take place on a separate production line to ensure that all requirements are met according to the standards of the Islamic Council of Norway, according to an official press release.

Hilde Talseth, CEO of Norsk Kylling, sees the move as an opportunity to expand the company’s product range and reach a wider customer base.

– As a major player in the Norwegian chicken market, our goal is to make chicken with better animal welfare available to more people. Now that we are certified to expand with our own halal production, we can also offer ECC certified chicken to a larger part of the population, says Talseth.

“An important market group”

As the halal chicken will be produced separately, Norsk Kylling’s management says that the company’s supplies to its other customers will not be affected. The initial product range for halal production will consist of whole chickens, which will then be sold to subcontractors who will process and package them for final consumption.

The market for halal chicken is estimated by Norsk Kylling to be between 3,000 and 4,000 tons per year. Talseth says the company is now working on developing its own brand of halal chicken, which may include processed products.

She sees the Muslim population as an important market group and cites the company’s distribution network as a strength.

– If we can establish halal as a separate and distinct brand within REMA 1000, we will strengthen the halal offering across the country, she says.

Islamic Council welcomes the decision

According to the Islamic Council of Norway, there is a great demand for halal-certified chicken, but the supply in the Norwegian food landscape has so far been limited.

The market for halal products in Norway is estimated at between 250,000 and 300,000 potential consumers, according to the Islamic Council of Norway, and the Chairman of the Islamic Council of Norway, Masoom Zubair, sees Norsk Kylling’s halal production as an important step towards meeting this demand.

– Norsk Kylling is taking its supply responsibility in an exemplary way by offering products that appeal to a wider range of consumers.

However, Halal certification has not been without its problems and has also been the subject of criticism. The process has been both long and extensive, with requirements placed on both the slaughtering and processing of the chicken to meet supposed halal standards.

At the same time, both Norsk Kylling and the Islamic Council of Norway emphasize that “strict animal welfare and quality remain unchanged”.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/swedens-gender-equality-minister-veils-on-young-children-should-be-reported-to-social-services/

Sweden

Sweden’s Gender Equality Minister: “Veils on young children should be reported to social services”

The Islamization of Europe

Published 9 September 2024
– By Editorial Staff
Paulina Brandberg at a previous press conference.
Share via

Sweden’s Gender Equality Minister Paulina Brandberg believes that dressing young children in veils and other religious garments is completely unacceptable – and that it is something that should be reported to social services.

In an interview with the tax-funded SR Ekot on Saturday, Brandberg, who is also deputy minister of labor, reiterated her earlier message that the fight against so-called religious oppression is something she prioritizes, and that she also wants to make it illegal to force children to wear religious clothing – such as veils.

She emphasizes that the current legislation needs to be carefully examined and that religious coercion is not always completely obvious and clear, but can take more subtle forms – and that it can also be very difficult to prove in court that a parent has forced religious clothing on their children.

– My personal view is that every time a young child wears a veil, especially if it’s a very young child and especially if it’s the parents who are combining it with putting pressure on the staff not to let the child play with the boys at recess, every time that happens I think it should be grounds for a report of concern to social services so that social services can really intervene, she explains.

– Even with the current legislation, I wish we had intervened more, the minister continues.

The Liberals are divided on the issue, with parts of the party wanting to introduce a ban on veils in preschools and schools – while others oppose such a ban.

The “veil ban” proposal has also been criticized because the crimes of unlawful coercion and coercion by reputation already exist in Swedish law – laws that critics say are toothless and inadequate.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/swedish-security-service-raise-terror-threat-level/

Sweden

Swedish Security Service raise terror threat level

The Islamization of Europe

Published 17 August 2023
– By Editorial Staff
Share via

The Swedish Security Service has announced that Sweden’s terrorist threat level has been raised from elevated to high threat. The background is an increased number of threats of attacks against Swedish targets and it is also estimated that the threat level will remain “for a long time”.

In a press release, they write that it is not an individual event that lies behind the increase, but that this “should be seen in a strategic and long-term perspective” where “the development of events with threats directed at Sweden over a longer period of time is serious and affects Sweden’s security”.

– The threat to Sweden has gradually changed and the threat of attacks from actors in violent Islamism has increased over the year. Sweden has gone from being considered a legitimate target for terrorist attacks to being considered a priority target. This threat is now expected to remain for a longer period of time and therefore I have decided to change the terrorist threat level, says Charlotte von Essen, Chief of the Swedish Security Service.

Therefore, the threat level is also raised from elevated threat (3) to high threat (4) on a five-point scale. The stated aim is that “the increase in the terrorist threat level will serve as a signal to all relevant actors in society of the importance of continuing to work with measures to reduce the risk of an attack occurring”.

– Authorities and other societal actors must continue to take measures to prevent and reduce the threat of terrorist attacks in Sweden, and it is important that there are conditions for perseverance in this work. In this way, we create a safer Sweden, von Essen continues.

The high-profile Koran burnings and Islamist reactions to them are considered to have led to the increased risk of terrorist attacks. As The Nordic Times has previously reported, terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda have called on “orthodox” Muslims to commit bloody attacks in Sweden and Denmark.

“People of Islam in Sweden, Denmark and all of Europe – the duty of revenge has been placed on you”, the terror group declared, among other things.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/al-qaeda-encourages-attacks-on-sweden/

Sweden

Al-Qaeda encourages attacks on Sweden

The Islamization of Europe

Published 16 August 2023
– By Editorial Staff
Danish Rasmus Paludan burns the Koran. Right: Al-Qaeda soldiers.
Share via

On Sunday, the notorious Islamist terrorist group Al-Qaeda released a statement via its media channel calling for attacks on targets in Sweden and Denmark. All faithful Muslims have a “duty” to avenge the Koran burnings, the group declared.

Tore Refslund Hamming, a researcher focusing on militant Islamism, tells the Bonnier newspaper Expressen that the terrorist group’s message is clear – they are trying to portray the recent high-profile Koran burnings as a coordinated attack by citizens and governments in Sweden and Denmark against the world’s Muslims.

Furthermore, the terrorist group claims that the Nordic countries have not learned anything from Charlie Hebdo – the French satirical magazine that was the target of an Islamist terrorist attack in 2015 that left 12 people dead and 11 injured.

“Sweden and Denmark are two small, despicable countries that constitute no more than two small dots on the world map, and their population is not even a tenth of the population of our nation”, the terror group writes.

According to Refslund Hamming, al-Qaeda calls for attacks against Swedish and Danish targets and their interests – and especially against their diplomats.

“People of Islam in Sweden, Denmark and all of Europe – the duty of revenge has been laid upon you”, the message concludes.

Swedish terrorism researcher Magnus Ranstorp calls the message “extremely violent” and “worrying” – but says it is far from certain that they will succeed in finding people who are actually willing to commit terrorist acts in Sweden and Denmark.

– ‘It’s hard to tell. But the more you talk about Sweden and the frequency of Koran burnings, the more negative the image of Sweden becomes, the more likely it is that something could happen. But it is impossible to say what.

Even though, according to Ranstorp, Sweden is in “one of the most serious terrorist situations we have had for a long time”, Swedes should not be afraid but continue to live their lives as usual.

– People should act normally. It is good to know about this, the threat has been made aware, but we should not be alarmist, he says.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Facts: Al-Qaeda

The name 'Al-Qaeda' was coined by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) when it equipped Islamist groups, also known as mujahideen, to fight Soviet forces in Afghanistan in the 1980s. The programme was known as 'Operation Cyclone' and is one of the most expensive in CIA history.

Saudi Arabian Osama bin Laden, whom the US official line is that he was behind the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York on 11 September 2001, was one of the leading figures in these groups.