Europe’s decline begins when we abandon the principles that make a free society possible. When fear dictates what teachers dare to teach, what artists dare to create and what ordinary people dare to say, freedom has already suffered a defeat.
That is why we must speak openly about those Islamic movements that demand religious obedience, restrict women’s self-determination and seek to make criticism of Islam unacceptable. The notion that religious precepts should take precedence over democratically enacted laws is incompatible with a free society governed by the rule of law. This conflict only becomes more difficult to manage if we avoid it. The threat is very real.
In France, in 2020, the teacher Samuel Paty was murdered by an Islamist terrorist after teaching his pupils about freedom of expression. His fate illustrates the serious consequences that religious fanaticism can have for the very purpose of schooling: to teach people to think freely.
Here in Norway, the Police Security Service (PET) continues to assess the terrorist threat from militant Islamists as serious in its 2026 threat assessment. This should oblige every responsible politician to take the ideology behind these threats seriously. But our responsibility extends beyond counter-terrorism. We must also stand firm when religious authorities or families attempt to dictate whom an adult may love, whether a woman may live independently, or whether a person may renounce their faith.
Consideration for religious feelings must never become an excuse for failing those who are threatened or controlled. Islam must be open to scrutiny, criticism and challenge on the same terms as Christianity and any other religion. Allegations of racism must be substantiated. They must never be used to stifle an objective discussion of religious texts, power relations or actions.
Politicians must take responsibility for enforcing common rules and protecting those who challenge religious coercion. Schools must be supported in their teaching. The authorities must respond to threats and social control. Religious organisations must be open to public scrutiny of their messages, funding and practices. This freedom must apply to everyone: the devout Muslim, the woman who rejects her family’s demands, and those who leave Islam. Their right to live freely is part of the very foundation of our society.
Europe should confront Islamism with democratic resolve and intellectual honesty. We owe it to future generations to create a society in which no one has to ask religious authorities for permission to think, speak or choose their own way of life. This requires us to defend freedom, even when doing so provokes anger.
