A master thesis from Aalborg University
Islamophobia in Norway : -a Study of Facebook Interaction
Author(s)
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2014
Submitted on
2014-06-01
Abstract
In this thesis, it will be talked about how people are gathering online, merely on Facebook groups, with a common aim and worldview that describes Muslims as being dangerous, and enemies of the western world. The thesis has concentrated on the Facebook group of Stopp Islamiseringen av Norge (SIAN), and it is done observations on this page to be able to describe how the Facebook supporters are using the page as a free space for hate towards Islam. In today’s society, this environment is mainly gathering on the internet and when for example demonstrations is set up people fail to participate, while on Facebook the SIAN group has had over 13.000 supporters. It is therefore this is an important arena for meeting people with similar opinions and sharing one’s own point of views with others. In an instant, your thoughts become shared and validated by hundreds of others. Further, the thesis will present the Duplex Theory of Hate and Social Constructivism, as well as talking about extremism and how one can classify someone as extreme. The Duplex Theory of Hate links hate and love, and describes how these to opposite feelings can have certain elements in common, however they manifests itself differently in love than in hate. This thesis will present how the elements in hate are present on the Facebook page. Social Constructivism talks about that there is no universal truths and has been applied to not pass judgment to SIAN, but to give an understanding of that what is presented as their worldview is their truth. The thesis links the rhetoric of the SIAN members with conspiracy theory such as the Eurabia theory. It will be talked about how this theory talks about an ongoing Muslim invasion where the aim is to occupy Europe and how the SIAN supporters uses this type of rhetoric. The theory also talks about how one can never trust a Muslim as they are allowed to lie – called taqiyya. It will also be described how this environment and their rhetoric can be describes as extreme and Islamophobic, while SIAN claim that they have the right to speech their minds.
Keywords
Islamophobia ; Norway ; Facebook ; Hate ; Extremism
Documents
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