Conference at Oslo and Akershus University College for Applied Sciences (Hioa)

Conference at Oslo and Akershus University College for Applied Sciences (HiOA) 7 – 9 March 2016

THE GROWTH OF TRANSNATIONAL EXTREMISM – AND JOURNALISTIC CHALLENGES

Around 35 journalists and journalism researchers from 13 countries were gathered in Oslo 7 – 9 March to discuss the growth of transnational extremism and journalistic challenges.

Experiences from predominantly Muslim countries such as Syria, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Indonesia, Tunisia and Egypt – as well as European countries like Italy, France, United Kingdom, Sweden and Norway were debated through seven two-hour panel sessions, each with four or five panellists.

The conference was conceived in the spirit of the Global Inter Media Dialogue (GIMD), which was organized in Norway and Indonesia ten years ago following the controversial publication of the caricatures of Muhammad worldwide.

The aim of this conference, much like the GIMD ten years earlier, was to facilitate an international exchange of perspectives and experiences pertaining to key challenges facing the media today.

This conference is the latest in a series of eight conferences organized by the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at HiOA, funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Opening of the Conference - A Norwegian “dugnad”

Rector Curt Rice opened the conference in the afternoon of Monday 7 March, after Professor Kristin Skare Orgeret had welcomed the participants to what would prove to be an immersive experience full of insightful dialogue and debate.

Rice spoke about the academic “dugnad” (a traditional Norwegian term for doing things together) set in motion at the university college following the increased number of refugees to Norway last year. The dugnad was called at HiOA to expose students to the personal accounts of, and interaction with, people fleeing war and misery. Rice emphasized his institution as a place to exchange ideas and experience to expand the boundaries of knowledge.

The Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences (which houses the Department of Journalism and Media Studies) Ann-Helen Bay focused on the importance of such meeting places and conferences in the efforts to strengthen the quality of media.

Professor Elisabeth Eide pointed to the importance of getting academics out of their ivory towers, and also opening up to the rest of the world. In her introduction she noted that competing narratives and diversity of perspectives can provide a clearer understanding, and that connecting people and being exposed to different perspectives from across the world is part of a continuous learning process.

Concluding the opening session, the famous pianist Svein Amund Skara played “Kjempeviseslåtten” – a traditional Norwegian ballad of resistance from World War II, and Frederic Chopin’s Phantasy Impromptu. The performance was greatly appreciated by the audience.

Panel One – “The Growth of Extremism and Their Roots”

Elisabeth Eide moderated this panel, and mentioned wars, migration, religion, economy, marginalization and actions by states as possible roots of extremism.

Owais Toheed, Director for Pakistan TV World, presented a perspective from Islamabad with a piece of news: The hanging of Mumtaz Qadri (29.02.16), who killed the former governor of Punjab in 2010. The governor had criticized Pakistan’s stringent blasphemy laws. He reminded the audience that Muslim Pakistan was once more diverse and posed the question of how the country came to be the violent society it is today. He also emphasized the need to redefine the Pakistani civil society and to do our own “soul-searching”; the more one legitimizes the state power by defining it via religion, the more oxygen one gives to the ”Jihadists”.

Dr. Cecilie Hellestveit, Senior legal adviser at the International Law and Policy Institute (ILPI) in Oslo, looked back into the history of countries such as Iraq and Syria to try to understand how the situation of today developed: A situation which is marked by disillusionment and lack of democratic processes, and where violence often becomes the simple solution. ISIS has brought extremism and terrorism to a new level with capacity to adjust the message to the local conditions, she said.

Dr. Seyed Vahid Aqili, Associate Professor and Dean of Faculty of Communication Sciences and Media Studies, Islamic Azad University, was preliminary concerned with taking an historical and holistic approach and methodological research, but also emphasized the need for further case studies and a more profound definition of what extremism is. Only a few of the extremist attacks in the world are committed by Muslims, he noted - yet the image of Muslims in the West is that they are the main perpetrators:

According to Europol statistic on terrorism in Europe over the years, Muslim-driven terrorism represents only a small proportion of the overall terrorism within the European Union before the IS attacks. For example, the Europol 2011 report shows three Muslim terrorist attacks on EU territory out of an overall 208 attacks; non-Muslim separatist were responsible for 160 attacks, while left-wing and anarchist groups were responsible for 45 attacks.1

The Norwegian freelance writer and journalist Åsne Seierstad has focused on the individual pathways to extremism and its psychological roots in her book ”One of Us - The story of Anders Breivik and the massacre in Norway”. She is now seeking to understand why teenagers in Norway are being radicalized and becoming members of IS, and is working on a book on that

1 www.europol.europa.eu/sited/defult/files/... theme.

Øyvind Strømmen is a Norwegian journalist and writer who has specialized in the darker sides of the Internet and the extreme right. He compared the deep roots of this kind of extremism with Bishop´s Weed, which grows in dark and shadowy areas of gardens. The question is how the roots are nurtured, and who are watering them, he concluded. He also questioned the assumption made in the title of the conference, namely whether a growth of extremism has actually taken place.

“They read us – more than we read them” – Elisabeth Eide quoted the Italian war correspondent Francesca Borri as an introduction to the discussion and an illustration of western shortcomings when it comes to transnational interpretation. Seierstad said that all wars seem to lead to radicalization – and that it´s important to allow different narratives to form, to build spheres of tolerance and understanding. A rather heated discussion came up about the roots of Iraqi extremism: Has it grown out of local context, or been influences by external factors, like for example developments in Saudi Arabia? Several participants were of the opinion that some Islamists are misusing Islam. Considering that there are more than 50 Muslim states, it is a question of many different interpretations of the religion. Dr. Aqili stressed that quantitative and qualitative research, knowledge and wisdom is needed to understand the full picture of today.

8 March was the international women’s day, and the program started with a presentation of a series of cartoons to celebrate women all over the world. Journalist security was next on the agenda of the day.

Panel Two – “How to protect journalists? How to avoid self-censorship?”

The moderator of this panel was Professor at HiOA Rune Ottosen, who has led the research project “Journalism under pressure – a mapping of editorial policies and practices for journalists covering conflict” across several countries. The killings of journalists have never been better documented, or more addressed in international fora – but the number of dead journalists has still risen, he noted.

Mohamed Balti, Tunisian radio journalist with experience in covering extremism, started by drawing attention to a terrorist attack which had occurred in the South of his country the previous day. He spoke about the experiences following the Yasmin revolution five years ago, when many untrained reporters were sent to cover dramatic events, but also about discussions in the newsrooms and the development of guidelines for covering terrorist attacks.

Francesca Borri is an Italian journalist and author who has covered the war in Syria and been embedded with Islamists. She pointed to the plight of freelancers in particular, and of how dangerous it can be not to have enough money for good drivers and fixers. Social security has been her answer – to build relations with local people – rather than relying on military security or on having the strongest body guard. Abdul Mujeeb Khalvatgar, Director of Nai - Supporting Open Media in Afghanistan, opened with a quote of the Persian poet Rumi – meaning that if you can´t talk you are nothing. He compared the local media landscape in his country with the situation 15 years ago under Taliban – it is more diverse, but has been growing more and more violent, leading to all kinds of self censorship, he said

Eva Stabell represented the Norwegian Union of Journalists, an organization doing safety training in countries in the developing world and in conflict areas, also focusing on local journalists, freelancers, students and gender issues. Stabell said that she hoped such training will not be needed in the future, as nobody should be killed for doing their job.

To be embedded or not. That was the first question brought up in the discussion. Francesca Borri reminded the audience that you are also embedded when you travel with NGOs, which often expect you to function as their media officers, writing only the positive stories. She highlighted the risks taken by local photographers and journalists at the frontline. Government protection was the second question to be discussed. One participant noted that in many countries it is not easy to ask the government to protect journalists. Others agreed – it is often difficult to trust government officials. On the other hand, there are projects to bridge this gap, for instance in Tunisia to help the police protect journalists. One participant’s advice was to rely on one’s own instincts and minimize the risk by training. Others pointed to the risk of endangering your colleagues and self- censorship. Some of the participants spoke about their experiences with training and the establishment of a hotline for journalist safety in Afghanistan, as an example.

Sylvie Coudray, Chief of Section, Freedom of Expression in UNESCO in Paris, rounded up the session by speaking about UNESCO’s work in this area, the UN plan of action against impunity, their normative work and capacity building, as well as academic research on the safety of journalists.

Panel Three - “Migration discourses: The growth of European Xenophobia” Associate Professor at HiOA, Anne Hege Simonsen, moderated this panel.

Yama Wolasmal, a news anchor in Norwegian TV 2, told his personal story and that of his family’s arrival to Norway. They left Kabul after his father, who worked as a newspaper editor, was threatened. In 1986 they were accepted as political refugees in Norway – a place he remembered as warm and welcoming – a stark contrast to the atmosphere in 2015 when around 30 000 refugees and migrants arrived in Norway.

Rym Benarous, a journalist in the newspaper Le Temps in Tunisia, focused on the long and complicated history between the Muslim world and France. The latter is becoming an unattractive destination for migrants because of the growth of xenophobia – even in the political sphere.

Maria Gabrielsen Jumbert, a senior researcher at the Peace Resarch Institute Oslo (PRIO), works on the humanitarian and security approaches to EU border management. She said the motivations to migrate can be complex and multi-faceted, and that this makes it difficult to distinguish between refugees and economic migrants. At the same time, media and policy narratives about the "refugee crisis" constantly attempt to group migrants in one category.

Dr.Nastaran Khadjeh Noori, an assistant professor at Islamic Azad University in Teheran focused on the rising level of immigration , particularly to developed countries. In her presentation, she also explored the terms diversity, integration, and different types of conflicts.

In the discussion afterwards several participants focused on the vocabulary and the terms used for migrants and refugees (a concept with a specific legal meaning). Wolasmal reminded the audience that migration brings many challenges- for instance how to deal with underage married refugees. Child marriage being socially accepted in some cultures, but illegal in Norway. If we don't talk openly about these uncomfortable issues, xenophobia will rise, he stressed. Khadjeh Noori said that through dialogue new meanings can be created, and that this can be a role for the media. Others were not convinced that xenophobia is increasing but that political forces do often exploit uncertainty to create xenophobia. Wolasmal stressed that the refugees have to be given a voice and that he is proud of the way in which journalists have covered migration in Norway without dehumanizing the migrants.

Panel Four – “Extremisms, governments and minority rights”

Quatrina Hosain, a talk show host and a journalist with experience from covering extremism in Pakistan, moderated this panel. She opened the talk with a selection of horrifying images taken on the site of terrorist atrocities in her country.

Ade Armando, lecturer at the University of Indonesia in Jakarta and journalist/editor and researcher, held a presentation titled “Indonesia as a battlefield of pluralist vs exclusive Islam”. He said that historically there have been few problems with minorities in his country, but that the atmosphere has changed over the past twenty years. The situation between the different religious minorities has become so sensitive that you now wonder if you can send a Christmas card or celebrate Valentine, he exemplified, noting also the difficulty of obtaining planning permits for churches.

Aidan White is the Director of the Ethical Journalism Network( EJN), an international coalition of professionals working to strengthen the craft of journalism, also in partnership with Norwegian media. He noted the worldwide trend towards massive social inequality, which in turn has led to increased radicalization of young people, rejection of traditional politics, and political rhetoric which targets minorities. In this confused, uncertain and potentially toxic information landscape there is a greater need than ever for ethical journalism and value-based public communications, he argued.

Basim Mardan from Mosul in Iraq, now living in the Norwegian city of Porsgrunn, spoke about the fate of the Jews of Iraq - who were responsible for the Jews fleeing the country? What about the government´s treatment and protection of of other minorities – like the Yazidis? Who will be next?

Kadafi Zaman, a reporter working for TV 2, focused on the Norwegian scene and the relatively small number of immigrants. Suddenly some years ago, extremists could be seen in the streets, and Norwegian born Islamists travelled to Syria and Iraq with a dream of building a caliphate. These few extreme elements have upset the mainstream Muslim community in the country, he explained.

Mohammad Habeeb is a Syrian writer, journalist and translator, now living in the Norwegian city of Stavanger. In his presentation he spoke about the relationship between minorities and the state. In Syria, for example, a president from a minority was able to achieve the majority's consensus. Nevertheless, some of the minorities were, and still are, against his political regime in the country. The war will consume the young generations of both the majority and the minorities, he said.

In the discussion, one participant argued that some Muslim prayers can be negative towards Christians and Jews, but not all agreed with him. Another participant said that she has no problem apologizing to the Jews for the way they have been treated in some Muslim countries. Others questioned whether Muslims in general should feel that they have to apologize for the treatment of Jews in other countries – as there is no such thing as collective guilt. One of the participants asked for a space for reinterpretation of the Quran. In some countries, the military and the intelligence have been able to curb radical groups and have to a great extent dealt with the problem of extremism - for example in Indonesia, except in the Banda Aceh province, which is ruled by Islamists.

Panel Five – “Islam and Extremism: Media images in the “West” and the “East”” The moderator of this panel was Aidan White, Director, the Ethical Journalism Network (EJN).

Dr. Seyed Vahid Aqili from Iran focused on the coverage of 9/11 in his presentation –the framing and agenda setting of some 10 special issues of Time Magazine published exclusively on the 9/11 incident annually since the attack. His research showed that the image of Islam in mainstream discourses is often negative. The images of the East and the Islamic world as generated by the dominant world news agencies and television stations are not consistent with reality, especially in the past two decades since September 11, 2001, he argued.

Mohammad Habeeb from Syria was concerned about what he called the satanic image of the other. This can be found in the history of Islam, but is now used all over the world, he said – which has pushed many Muslims to develop a new collective feeling of injustice. He stressed that this hostility is a fake one and questioned why it has developed to such an extent.

Dr. Farid Abu-Dheir, Assistant Professor at An-Najah University in Nablus in Palestine, said that the Israeli occupation of Palestine could be described as a form of terrorism, since it is practicing all forms of intimidation and oppression against the Palestinians – every night there are incursions into the country, arresting youngsters, and terrifying citizens, he said. The whole region is affected by the conflict in Palestine and by the Israeli atrocities against Palestinian citizens, and thus, the whole Middle East is inflamed by the Israeli actions. In addition, he presented examples of the coverage of extremism in local newspapers, indicating that there is insufficient coverage of extremism and terrorism. He concluded that media should play the vital role role of creating awareness among people on such significant issues. He called upon media to tackle the roots of extremism by creating awareness, and covering not only news stories and violent incidents based on official information.

Gunnar Nygren, Professor at the Journalism Department at Södertörn University in Sweden, focused on a report from the Swedish ombudsman for discrimination about how the media is covering Islam. The report shows that there is an ”us” and “them” discourse - as well as a Muslim stereotype - but that the situation has remained more or less the same for the last twenty years. Nygren concluded that we have to talk about this, as well as about right-wing extremism and the many arson attacks on asylum centres.

The discussion focused on practical ideas and what can be done: More Muslims as journalists is necessary to create more nuanced images, it was stressed. Media in many countries are dependent on western media, because they can not afford their own correspondents, one participant said. The quality of journalism depends to a great extent on funding and newspaper-sales. Another advised support for smaller independent media and training as remedies against lack of professionalism. The core strategy is to discuss professionalism, but is has to come from journalists and editors, one professor said. Another reminded the audience that ownership dictates content. A third stressed that one has to get accurate news from the whole world to be able to have what he called authentic journalism.

Panel Six – “Women, harassment and extremism: From Tahrir to Cologne” The moderator for this panel was HiOA Professor Kristin Skare Orgeret.

Dr. Nil Mutluer is an academic, feminist human rights activist and journalist who was just fired from Nisantasi University in Istanbul. In February she signed a petition along with 1128 other academics calling the state to cease its escalating use of violence in the Kurdish provinces. She initiated a discussion on how gender and sexualized violence have started to become tools of polarization and war in the so-called ‘new Turkey’. She provided some background information on gender and the secular traditions of the Turkish state, such as the ban on headscarves – and elaborated her argument with examples from Gezi uprising, the Kurdish civil war and media.

Amal Wahab, a reporter for the Norwegian newspaper Klassekampen with background from Egypt, explained how she views sexual assault as endemic to the Arab world. The sexual harassment by groups of men reported from Cologne had similarities to that which took place during protests in Tahrir square: A circle of hell, a herd mentality, and a lack of police action. Yet there were also important differences. In Egypt the harassment seemed to be organized: Paid thugs were hired to scare women from participation in public life. The problem is global and we have to work against it together, she said.

Lina Chawaf, a Syrian journalist and editor-in-chief of Radio Rozana currently in exile in Paris, spoke about sexual harassment when crossing the border between Syria and Turkey. Violence against women has a long history in Syria, she said and mentioned the Hama massacre, prison conditions, working life, and domestic abuse as specific examples. It happens all the time, she underlined.

Afshin Ismaeli, a freelance journalist/filmmaker with a Norwegian Master´s degree in journalism, has just made a documentary film about female Kurdish fighters in Syria. Most of his material was seized by the police in Diyarbakir in Turkey. There are approximately 15 000 female Kurdish fighters from different countries. Despite gender equality reforms, one of the important questions which face female combatants is what will happen to female ex-combatants in the future. Will gender equality vanish in the beginning of the peace process, he asked - and said it is too early to draw concrete conclusion about the future of Kurdish female fighters.

The other participants came with examples of harassment of women from their countries, like the selling of women in Afghanistan and some experiences from Turkey. It was claimed that it´s part of all the Abrahamic religions originating in the Middle East. One participant asked if patriarchy has become stronger, and if this might be related to the lack of marriage opportunities in some countries – another questioned if it could have to do with a reaction to Western youth culture.

Panel Seven – “Extremists as sources, a hot dispute: Inside or outside the freedom of expression zone?” Oona Solberg, Co-ordinator for the Norwegian Institute of Journalism and the Ethical Journalism Network, moderated this panel.

Paul Salahadin Refsdal is a Norwegian freelance journalist/filmmaker, who recently made the film “Dugma - The Button”, after living with Al-Nusra in Syria for seven weeks. He reminded the participants that truth is the first casualty of any war, and that it is always important to also tell the other side of the story. There are several considerations when reporting from the enemy side, he pointed out: Legal – should one inform the police? Moral – should one try to prevent atrocities? – and then personal security and safety, of course.

Quatrina Hosain from Pakistan said that she does not want to hear any justification or give the terrorists any platform whatsoever. These organizations are sprawling, multinational, criminal networks drugging sleep deprived suicide bombers – there is no purpose in trying to understand them, just as there is no purpose in trying to understand paedophiles, she said.

Erol Önderoglu, a journalist and freedom of expression activist from Istanbul, noted that the conception of extremism to some extent has changed in Turkey, as groups formerly labelled as terrorists with time have become recognized political movements and then extremist/terrorist again. At the moment there is a problem with the independence of Turkish media - in his opinion the best most reliable reporting often comes from smaller independent media outlets.

Elisabeth Eide has recently written about the protection of sources. She drew attention to several examples of authorities attacking independent journalists with controversial source materials, not least Ulrik Imtiaz Rolfsen: An independent Norwegian filmmaker whose material on Norwegian Jihadists recruits was confiscated by the security services. Rolfsen took the security services to the Supreme Court which sided with him, confirming the confiscation as a breach of the freedom of the press. Is it incitement of violence to provide a microphone to extremists, she asked.

In the discussion afterwards the proverb “know thy enemy to fight better” was quoted. It was also stressed that one can indirectly help the extremists to improve their ideology by transmitting their messages. Sylvie Coudray said that UNESCO is concerned about the free flow of information – even though it is limited by hate speech, for example – and that UNESCO wants to empower citizens to navigate the Internet. Refsdal was accused of being biased, and promoting propaganda for Al-Nusra. Others disagreed, seeing itas more important to inform the public - even if it is always a danger of becoming an amplifier, a loudspeaker, for the extremists. Elisabeth Eide said it is always problematic to be a “fly on the wall” – with the TV camera and microphone running without intervention – as this position requires self-reflection.