Some Thoughts on the Dubai Rape Case

Also published at Gates of Vienna

The despicable treatment that the Norwegian rape victim Marte Dalelv was subjected to by the authorities in the UAE — who sentenced her to 16 months in prison for alerting them of her own rape — has by now made its round through the various international news channels. The entire world has gotten a glimpse into the depraved mentality of an Islamic regime that relies heavily on the inhumane Shariah when it metes out punishments to non-Muslims and women, whom it views as second class citizens. However, despite the repulsiveness of the case and all the media coverage that it has generated there is nothing unique about it. Women and non-Muslims have always been treated as inferior citizens in the Islamic world, and this highly unorthodox pardon should by no means be interpreted as a change in policy concerning these matters on the part of the authorities in the UAE.

When people in Norway and the rest of the West rejoice at the release of Ms Dalelv, they should bear in mind that there are thousands of women who are in exactly the same situation, women who are locked away in prisons for being raped or who are living under slave-like conditions where they are mistreated, sexually abused and looked upon as subhumans by their perverted and cruel masters, who draw their moral guidance from the Quran.

The fact that Ms Dalelv has now been pardoned for her ‘crime’ of being raped by the ‘generous’ and ‘benign’ regime in UAE is cause for celebration, however there is no reason to celebrate the Norwegian authorities’ craven handling of this case, which can only be described as abysmal. When the incident was first brought to their attention they chose to keep quiet about it, or to use diplomatic lingo, they decided to rely upon ‘silent diplomacy’ to try and lessen Ms Dalelv’s suffering as a convicted rape victim in a misogynistic and morally corrupt Islamic nation which treats rape victims like dirt. This spectacular tactic adopted by the Norwegian authorities result in absolutely nothing, apart from drawing unwanted media attention to the Norwegian authorities themselves. Instead of informing the media about this incident in order to make as much noise as possible and to create an atmosphere where it would be very hard for the authorities in the UAE to ignore this issue, the Norwegian State Secretary, Espen Barth Eide, chose to sit back and twiddle his thumbs while one of his compatriots was treated in the most appalling manner possible in a nation that completely disregards basic human rights.

It should also be noted that Mr. Eide, skilful diplomat that he is, is fully aware that international condemnation and exposure is a highly effective method of getting through to undemocratic regimes and can exert considerable pressure on them to change their behaviour. Taking this into consideration, it’s fair to ask why he chose not to pursue such an avenue. Why is it that Ms Dalelv, who was raped in March, had to endure four gruelling months of sheer hell, not knowing what would happen to her, when this matter could have been resolved in less than a week — which was the case once the media began to sink their claws into the case? Did Mr Eide completely dismiss such a possibility, or are there other more sinister reasons behind his reluctance to apply such tactics?

There are, of course, a multitude of plausible explanations for this cowardly display by the Norwegian authorities — who are otherwise not afraid to criticize other western nations, such as Greece, when they fail to treat asylum seekers with the same obsequiousness that Norway does. One possible reason is that Norway doesn’t want the rock the boat in a region where Norwegian oil companies are heavily involved. Nor do the Norwegian authorities want to cast Muslims in Norway in a bad light and give ammunition to the critics of Islam and Multiculturalism. It would have been very interesting to be a fly on the wall in the corridors of the Norwegian foreign ministry when the first reports of this case started to appear in the media. The ministry must have been thrust into damage control in order to try and save face, and no one can blame them for a lack of effort in that area.

The Norwegian state secretary, Mr. Espen Barth Eide has frantically attempted to portray the Norwegian government as a pragmatic and result-oriented machine that is able to get things done. Mr. Eide has naturally condemned the treatment that Ms Dalelv was forced to endure in Dubai, but unfortunately for him actions speak louder than words, and the fact is that he chose to remain silent right up until the media got a whiff of the story. He and the Norwegian foreign ministry must hold the regime in the UAE in high regard, considering that they didn’t feel the need to embarrass or bring unwanted attention to the authorities in that particular country with such pesky and insignificant matters as the rape and incarceration of a Norwegian woman.

The fact that this case appeared in the media just before the second anniversary of the 22/7 terror attacks in Norway must have been excruciatingly inconvenient for the authorities, who have used the Breivik incident for all it is worth in order to try and silence anyone who might be harbouring critical thoughts about Islam and Multiculturalism. It’s understandably difficult and extremely complicated to try to condemn and smear so-called “Islamophobes” when the evil actions of the religion that the authorities are trying so desperately to defend are delivering such a devastating blow to the heavily glossed picture of Islam that they, the authorities, are trying to present to the Norwegian people. The fact that it occurred in a supposedly ultra-modern and superficially westernized nation, and not in a backward and Stone Age-like country such as Afghanistan, probably made it even harder for them to swallow.

Another problematic aspect of this case is the way that it has been portrayed in the media in Norway. The sugar-coated state-subsidized version has been very misleading and very biased. The media is, of course, in a position where it can spin a story in any manner it feels like. If it chooses to do so, it can quite easily demonize decent people who stand up for basic human rights and detest human rights violations carried out in the name of Islam, and portray them as vile fascists and racists. It can also, however, extol people who are undeserving of any praise and who should be heavily criticized for their inaction and incompetence, which in this case would be the Norwegian authorities. Unfortunately in this particular case the media has decided to pursue the latter angle, which is not all that surprising considering that the media in Norway on numerous other occasions have deliberately muddied the water in order to serve the interests that are most in tune with their own ideology and that of the Norwegian authorities, especially when it comes to matters concerning Islam and Multiculturalism.

If the media had been doing their job instead of singing the praises of the Norwegian authorities for their ‘brilliant’ effort in bringing Ms Dalelv back home, they would have informed the Norwegian people that the authorities have failed to take any decisive steps to secure justice for Ms Dalelv. The only reason why this case had a happy outcome is due to the international media exposure that has affected Dubai in a very negative way, to put it mildly.

But then again, to be fair to the Norwegian authorities, one has to add that the cowardice that they have exhibited in this case is not all that strange, considering that this is the same government that so gutlessly caved in to Islamic forces during the Motoon crisis, and that even took the unprecedented step of sending Norwegian representatives to Qatar, a country on par with Dubai when it comes to moral corruption, to ask for forgiveness from Yusuf Al Qaradawi, the spiritual advisor of the Muslim Brotherhood, for having allowed a tiny Norwegian newspaper to print a couple of cartoons of the prophet Muhammad.

Back then the Government in Norway grovelled like a perfectly conditioned dhimmi before the very same undemocratic forces that earlier this year sentenced Ms Dalelv to 16 months in prison. Vebjørn Selbekk, the editor who republished the Motoons in Magazinet, was tossed under the bus because the Norwegian authorities were too cowardly to stand up to intimidation by the Muslim world. This time, however, they realised that they had to at least try to pull Ms Dalelv out from under the same bus in order not to lose face completely once the international media spotlight started to shine a little bit too brightly in their direction.

It has been a nauseating experience to behold the craven and spineless behaviour of the Norwegian authorities, who only took it upon themselves to act after massive pressure from the international media made it next to impossible for them not to act and make demands towards the UAE authorities in this matter.

Regrettably this incident is not going to have any bearing on the political direction that multicultural Norway has already staked out. Official Norway will continue to pursue its unrealistic multicultural policies and continue to appease Islam, even though by doing so it is actively promoting Islam and a creating fertile ground for a Dubai-like mentality in the country. Ms Dalelv is now finally able to leave the Islamic hellhole of the UAE, and will soon return home to her native country, but the sad truth is that in her lifetime, provided that drastic steps aren’t taken, she will probably be able to witness firsthand how Norway is slowly transformed into a Dubai-style nation where Islamic laws and customs will gradually gain a more prominent position.

The only way for the authorities in Norway to save face and show that they has some spine is to treat these incidents in the most serious manner and show that they are strong defenders of traditional Western liberal values. This can be done by taking an active stand against Islam, the driving force behind the laws that sentenced Ms Dalelv to 16 months in prison in the UAE, and not by pussyfooting around this issue and constantly turning a blind eye to the actions of the adherents of this vile ideology. The only way to regain a conspicuously missing backbone is to stop grovelling and appeasing a thought and belief system that condones the rape of women, that encourages second-class treatment of non-Muslims, and that rejects freedom of religion and freedom of speech.

It is probably never going to happen, but one is allowed to dream at least once in a while.