European Muslim leaders like Dyab Abou Jahjah of the Arab European League, as I show in Onward Muslim Soldiers, fiercely oppose any attempt to integrate Muslims into European society. But now, for the first time, a Norwegian court has declared that illegal. From Aftenposten, with thanks to Ali Dashti:
An Oslo court has convicted an African-Norwegian not only for abusing his Algerian wife but also for preventing her from integrating into Norwegian society. It’s the first time a Norwegian court has ruled such practices as illegal, and the offender was sentenced to three years in jail.
Prosecutors are calling the sentence “very important” for efforts to ensure the rights of immigrants, especially women, and promote integration.
The 48-year-old offender has been in Norway for 30 years. Nine years ago, he married an Algerian woman 20 years younger than he was and brought her to Norway as well.
The court claimed in its ruling that he then launched years of physical abuse against his wife and prevented her from leaving their home without his permission. If she did leave home, she was ordered to cover her face and hair.
He also abused the couple’s children, and when his wife started attending Norwegian classes at the advice of juvenile authorities, he picked her up directly after the class to prevent her from mingling with other students.
She eventually broke out of the marriage and brought charges against him with the help of public prosecutors.
They used a 102-[year-]old law that states that a man can be punished with prison if he fails to exercise his duties towards his spouse or their child. Given the state’s efforts to promote integration and prosecute domestic violence, Hanne Kristin Rohde of the Oslo Police District said “we saw that we had to try” invoking the little-used law.
The man tried to appeal his conviction, but his effort was rejected. The length of his sentence, considered harsh in Norway, is under appeal, however.