Guest post
In addition to the recent post about Mohammed Omar and the 'Ivan Aguéli Study Group,' it is worth noting that there exist several interesting connections between Omar and the people around him, and groups connected to the Swedish right. These connections have caused a lot of internal discussion among Traditionalists and Swedish nationalists about Islam and its potential as a threat or ally--a debate that originates in an international discussion on the Right spurred by the publication of Guillaume Faye's controversial La Nouvelle question juive (The New Jewish question), which proposes an alliance with Israel against Islam.
The Swedish right has in several steps approached and adopted Traditionalist and New Right ideas, with the blogging collective www.motpol.nu being the prime example, with several self-proclaimed 'Traditionalist' bloggers.In 2009 Mohamed Omar interviewed the Swedish Right Wing, Traditionalist and New Right blogger 'Oskorei' (see here).1½ years later, in December 2010, Oskorei in turn interviewed Omar on Motpol (here). Recently, in January 2011, an extremist and anti-traditionalist but radical nationalist blog/newspaper, Nationell.nu accused the people behind Motpol of being 'Traditionalist' and 'pro-Muslim', and a 'danger to Swedish nationalism' (here).
In late February 2011 Omar planned to attend a New Right/Identitarian gathering in Sweden (www.identitet.org), although he did not show up. He notified his friends on facebook of the meeting (due to it having traditionalist/'anti-zionist' speakers), which in turn spawned a lengthy (87 posts and counting) debate on a nationalist forum (here) where the relationship between Traditionalism, Islam and Swedish nationalism is discussed and put into question.
Finally it is worth noting that Lars Adelskogh, a former speaker in the Aguéli Study Group, is also a collaborator with Omar on an Islamic Publishing house, islamiskaforlaget.se. Adelskog has several ties to the Swedish Right Wing scene. Besides having translated Guénon's The Reign of Quantity, Adelskogh has also written the book En tom säck kan inte stå: myten om "förintelsen i gaskamrarna" i Auschwitz (An empty sack can not stand: The myth of the "gas chamber Holocaust" at Auschwitz), a revisionist book that questions the scope of the Holocaust. This book was published in 2002 by Nordiska Förlaget. He has also translated Kevin MacDonald's The Culture of Critique (as Kritikkulturen: en evolutionär analys av judiskt engagemang i 1900-talets intellektuella och politiska rörelser), which is considered a key text in the contemporary Right Wing scene, and likewise published on Nordiska Förlaget.
Swedish nationalists have in previous year been observed at pro-Palestinian Al Quds demonstrations, but it is probably still too early to evaluate the exact extent and potential future developments of Islamic and New Right relations in Sweden.
Jacob Christiansen Senholt, Aarhus University
A Blog for the study of Traditionalism and the Traditionalists
moderated by Mark Sedgwick
2 comments:
It is indeed an interesting symbiosis, this nationalist-islamistic coalition.
For the establishment it must come across somewhat of a wet dream; the evil duo. The vilest of villains teaming up.
From a tactical standpoint from the traditionalist viewpoint I consider it to be a wise move. One can also note the pro-palestinian rethoric by Dr. David Duke, to name another prominent example.
Though I prefer not to label my political views I do share most of the traditionalist tenants and I cautiously welcome the cooperation.
I believe it has the potential for creating a viable alternative for international relations concerning migration as well as economics.
The latter; economics, is something I think should not be underestimated in the discussion. The similarities between islamic economy and the rights perspecitve provide a good base for cooperation.
From both a tactical and strategic viewpoint, teaming up with Islamists is a bad choice for European nationalists/traditionalists/New Right.
Tactically it will be used by the political elite to prove that the New Right is a reincarnation of the Nazis, who also teamed up with islamists, while not gaining any support from islamists, since they will still see the New Right as infidels.
Strategically it would be a mistake since checking the expansion of political Islam is one of the most important policies of all New Right political parties, especially in Europe.
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