Moskédebatt i Tromsø : en studie av holdninger og argumenter

Abstract

Mosque debate in Tromsø. A study of attitudes and arguments.

This thesis is a case study of a debate that started as a result of the publishing of plans about building a new mosque in Tromsø. In November 2006 the newspapers Nordlys and Bladet Tromsø wrote about plans to build a 1000 m² mosque for the approximate 1000 Muslims in Tromsø. The papers told that this planned mosque would cost between 50 and 100 millions Norwegian kroner, and that 20 of these millions were going to be paid by a businessman from Saudi-Arabia. The reactions to these articles were many, both positive and negative. Some people wanted the mosque welcome, others wanted the opposite. Some said that a mosque would be positive for Tromsø. It could bring more tourists (since it could be an Arctic and one of the world’s northernmost mosques) and it would be positive for Tromsø`s reputation as multicultural and tolerant. Others meant that it would be wrong to use so much money on something that such a small part of the population would use. Yet other people were afraid of noise from the mosque. Some people were troubled by the size and the placing of the mosque. That some of the money would come from a businessman from Saudi-Arabia did also become an argument against the mosque. But most of the actors in the debate were commenting on things they meant about Islam (both arguments that were negative and positive). Because of this one could see this debate as a part of a bigger debate about Muslims and Islam in Norway and Europe. In media and public debates Muslims and Islam is a hot topic. To analyze the debate I use Jürgen Habermas’ theory about public opinion.