Music star Deeyah speaks pride and multiculturalism in Norway

WNN: Can you talk about the struggles of being part of an immigrant family in Norway, especially since the July violence in Norway was part of an attempt to attack the progressives in the country who want very much to accept and include all of Norway’s incoming immigrants.

Deeyah: My grandfather was among the first immigrants to come to Norway in the late 60s.

My experience growing up in Norway was generally a very positive one, of course there were challenges but overall I am deeply thankful to have had the opportunity to grow up in a liberal society like Norway where a strong fundamental emphasis is placed on freedom of expression, women’s rights and equality– all values that I hold very dear to my heart and are principles that have formed my outlook on life and also my work.

I was a part of the first Norwegian born generation, children of immigrant parents.  Growing up being from an immigrant family and a part of the non white ethnic minority community,  I was always aware that I was different and at times not accepted or treated as an equal by some white people. 

In the 80s and 90s we definitely felt a presence of various white right wing groups– as a teenager I actually used to participate in marches and demonstrations against skinheads, anti-immigrant and white supremacist groups.  Knowing in a very personal way the level of hatred such individuals and groups carried for people of  non white ethnic communities.  One of the points that always used to grate on me growing up is how we were referred to in the broader mainstream society, we were referred to as foreigners and I remember always being confused why when I was born in Norway, held a Norwegian passport, spoke Norwegian like any white girl did why were people like us still referred to as foreigners…

Immigration changed the face of Norway over time and with it there have of course been some challenges and difficulties, however what has been essential is Norway’s leaders have consistently made efforts to build initiatives where inclusion and diversity was the prime focus of celebration. How successful one of the initiatives have been is hard to say but what is necessary is a genuine will to do something about the challenges we face.

I believe Norway’s leaders have always had the will and I think are now going to explore even more ways of addressing the issues on an even deeper level.

Obviously things have changed significantly since I was a child, the Muslim community in Norway now is around 100,000 and the country has developed into a far more colorful and multicultural society.

I have experienced discrimination from some white people and also from some Muslims in Norway. 

When I was about 11 or 12 years old a grown white racist Norwegian man spat in my face telling that I was a black paki bitch and that I should “f” off back to the country I came from.   At the age of 16 I was spat in the face by a grown sexist Muslim man telling me I was “a whore” for having become too “westernized.” 

I know my experience of being exposed to discrimination from this fear mongering minority within both communities that hold deep rooted prejudices is not a unique one, but these are the sort of attitudes that do exist in some small quarters of both sides that we need to be aware of and deal with – it’s also important to be clear that one form of prejudice does not reduce or excuse the other in any way, both need to be addressed honestly, fearlessly and openly.

I am looking to the future with great optimism and hope based on the love, openness and unity the Norwegian people and leadership has shown in its most difficult time.  I feel so much pride, admiration and love for my little country of big-hearted people!

WNN: Sisterhood, the initiative you established in 2007, had the aim of empowering young Muslim women by giving them a platform to express their creativity. Which are the current bounders limiting Muslim women today? How can they be empowered?

Deeyah: I think one of the feelings at the core of the work I do and believe in strongly is to support women and young people to fulfill their potential, for women and young people to dream and aspire to lead a life and walk the path of their own choosing, to be who they are and to be the best they can be, underlying the thought behind Sisterhood as well.

Gender equality and women’s rights are the fundamental challenges Muslim women face today. They are the very same challenges women of other communities face as well in the same context by (other) strict patriarchal societies.  

Millions of lives are sacrificed every year and the oppression of women manifests in glaring problems like domestic violence, child marriage, trafficking, FGM, forced marriage, honour based violence and honour killings, infanticide, dowry killings, rape as a weapon of war and humiliation. All this happening in the name of culture and in the name of religion and in the name of tradition, tribalism, local customs and “social morality”. 

There is a real need to encourage education for our girls, to empower them and encourage women’s participation in these societies. 

Muslim society will prosper, flourish and progress once its women, gain the rights to have an equal voice and place in our families, in our community, country and our world.  Women are the single most important key to progress in our societies.  The biggest barrier to our women having the opportunity to lead a safe, equal and fulfilled life free from violence is the societal rigidity that is rooted in parameters of long standing attitudes and concepts of masculinity, honour and the cultural hierarchy of male supremacy.

What is encouraging is that there are so many wonderful and passionate people men and women out there in different corners of the world working on improving these dire circumstances faced by women every single day.  My wish is to create a global network of such courageous activists, NGOs and passionate individuals to connect with each other and see if there are ways we can help, encourage and support each other in our common and very essential goal of strengthening women’s rights and women’s voices.

WNN: In 2011, you founded Memini, a digital memorial for the victims of honour killings worldwide, what motivated you to do that?

Deeyah: I have worked with this topic for many years and what has always made my heart hurt in addition to the horrors and violence the victims of such crimes face is the intention of the killers to wipe out all signs of any existence of these young women.  Not only are these murders so brutal and not only are the victims subjected to the ultimate betrayal of their family and community but the sheer tragedy of the people closest to them who should have loved them and cared about them and mourned them instead showed their very limited and conditional love and stole their life, their dreams and potential. 

I wanted to create an online space where we could mourn them, think of them and acknowledge their life and that they were in fact here, to respect them, honour them and remember them.  I told a dear friend of mine that I wanted to build such a place online and he immediately so kindly and graciously agreed to build it and help me start this space of remembrance.  Since its launch we have received the time and support of volunteers from all around the world who are helping us in writing, researching, documenting and honouring these martyrs of love and courage by remembering them.  I am deeply thankful for everyone’s support, dedication and care.

We of course cannot bring back these young lives but what we can do is defy the intentions of the murderers by honouring, respecting and remembering the ones who have been so brutally taken away.

WNN: Despite being born in Norway, you have always kept a strong identification to your Muslim roots both in your professional and personal background, how important are your origins in someone’s / your life? What made you maintain them despite having grown up in Europe?

Deeyah: I have always felt a strong sense of pride and connection to the heritage and ancestry of my parents.  It was something that was taught and encouraged in our home and also reinforced by the very strong presence and emphasis placed on a deep connection to the culture, music, arts, spiritually and languages in our home.  It was always very important to my parents that I had a real sense of what their ancestry and culture was all about, they also encouraged that I learn about other religions and cultures as well in order to gain a broader perspective but also understanding and respect for others. 

I have never viewed my identity from an either or perspective but rather as a fortunate combination of beautiful and essential and common values of love, respect and understanding.  My personal influences are deeply rooted in what I was taught by my parents and what I learned growing up in Norway.

A core spiritual center was always important to me and is not something I feel conflicts with the social values of Europe.  Despite the challenges and difficult times I have always felt fortunate to find myself in a cultural junction where I thoroughly understand and relate to both cultures and perspectives—my multicultural upbringing and identity has gifted me a with a unique and diverse lens through which I view the world and the way I understand it and the way I appreciate it deeply with great deal of humility. 

On the instructions of my father who was a music lover I started singing and receiving my music training when I was 7 years old.  The reasoning behind his decision was he felt that in Western societies two professions where I would not be judged or discriminated against based on race, sex, religious or cultural belonging but rather be measured by talent and hard work, this in his opinion was sports and music. 

Sports he knew nothing about so he decided I should study music.  I was immersed in extensive music training, rigorous practise schedules and had the honor of studying under some of the greatest masters of North Indian/Pakistani Classical Music, Ustad Bade Fateh Ali Khan (of Pakistan) and Ustad Sultan Khan (of India).  As a child and teenager I rarely had any time to spend with friends, instead of participating in most activities people my own age I followed a very disciplined and strict regiment of music practice, study and very soon performing and recording.

WNN: In 2007 you stopped performing as a singer for producing projects for other artists, why did you chose to focus your career on giving voice to others?

Deeyah: I feel I am of much better use and service supporting others instead now.  I have been singing and performing since I was 7 years old, despite some of the challenges I have faced I am have been fortunate enough to have enjoyed a very fulfilling music career I have had the privilege of collaborating with some of the most fantastic artistic and musical geniuses and legendary figures within the international music industry. 

Although I no longer sing or perform I continue composing and producing music projects.  Music is a part of my heart and soul and will be something I will always be involved with on some level but I no longer wish to be on stage or be at the forefront and am much more satisfied in the role of a composer and producer today instead. 

I feel it is my duty to what I can to be of some service to my fellow sisters and brothers.  I am fortunate to live in societies where I do have a voice and the right to seek equality and the ability to be useful to my sisters who may not be afforded some of the same freedoms as I am afforded, I feel it is my duty to do what I can with the rights I have been given.  What is the point of these freedoms and rights if I can not use them in the support of others who also need and deserve them?  I feel it is my obligation to do what I can to contribute toward positive change.

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Three days after the massacre in Norway on July 25, 2011 Over 150,000 people gathered on the streets of Oslo to take part in a ‘rose march’ vigil against cultural intolerance and violence. During the vigil any faces echoed the emotional outpouring of concern in Norway following the violent attack by Anders Behring Breivik against who he perceived as Norway’s ‘tolerant’ progressives. Before the rose vigil, Norway’s Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg stated, “In remembrance of the victims… I declare one minute’s national silence.”

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For more information on this topic:

• “Armed Violence in Norway: Incidences and Responses,” Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, October 2011;
• “Multiculturalism and the Nordic Welfare States – Reading List,” Aalborg University, March 2011;
• “Action plan to promote equality and prevent ethnic discrimination,” Norwegian Ministry of Children and Equality, November 2009;
• “Listen to the Banned,” An album collection of songs from artists around the world who have faced censorship or had their music banned, Deeyah, 2010.
  

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A native of Barcelona, Spain WNN (Women News Network) journalist Eva Fernández Ortiz has an M.A. in journalism from Cardiff University, U.K. with a specialty in women and gender, current affairs and international development. Her training includes intensives through BBC  news. In 2010 Fernández finished an in-depth study on the women of Cameroon on female self-mutilation in “‘Why breast ironing’? – Women’s Rights and Gender Inequalities”.

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©2011 Women News Network – WNN
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