Two thirds of Norwegians would react negatively if one of their children married a Muslim, according to the latest annual survey by Norway’s Directorate of Integration and Diversity (IMDI).
According to the organisation’s annual barometer, released on Wednesday, 58 percent of respondents said they would be unhappy about gaining a Muslim son-in-law or daughter-in-law.
This compared to 32 percent for a Hindu, 27 percent for Buddhist, 24 percent for a someone of Jewish faith, and just six percent for a Christian.
“There are some pretty scary numbers here. Especially the high levels of skepticism towards Muslims,” Linda Alzaghari, general manager of Minotenk, a think tank looking at minority groups.
Perhaps surprisingly, immigrants in Norway from largely Muslim countries were much less worried about their own children marrying non-Muslims.
Just 15 percent of Norwegians with an Iraqi background, 19 percent of those with a Somali background, and 39 percent of those with a Pakistani background, said they would be worried about one of their children marring a Christian.
As many as 60 percent of Norwegians with an immigrant background complained that they were discriminated against, with the percentage rising to close to 75 percent for Somali immigrants.
“There are huge numbers, and we set the frame very wide. This includes those who have lived here a long time. I’m very concerned about it,” Sunniva Ørstavik, Norway’s anti-discrimination ombudsman, told Aftenposten.
“In Norway we do not talk about discrimination. Many believe that this is a question about bad people, but it isn’t. Most of the discrimination takes place because it is you and I who are doing it.”