"It will dash dreams of Muslim girls to join the police," Brahim Belkilani, the head of the Islamic League in Norway, told IslamOnline.net on Friday, February 13.
"This step will impose isolation on the Muslim minority instead of opening the door for positive integration."
Justice Minister Knut Storberget said Wednesday that he would reexamine a previous decision to allow Muslim women police officers to wear hijab.
"In light of the debate that has surfaced ... especially the reactions from (the main police union) Politiets Fellesforbund, I think it is necessary to start over again," he said.
Storberget's comment came a week after the government approved a police decision to allow female officers to wear hijab to help improve recruitment of Muslim officers.
The decision sparked an outcry, especially from the main opposition populist right Progress Party and the police union, which demanded that police uniforms remain "neutral."
Storberget said the question would now be reevaluated.
"We're not saying no (but) we're not saying yes either," he said.
Keltoum Hasnaoui, a 23-year-old Norwegian Muslim of Algerian origin, had petitioned the Justice Ministry on her right to serve in the police force with her hijab.
- Dialogue
Muslim leaders warn that banning hijab-clad Muslim officers violates the country's constitution and international law.
"It restricts religious minorities' right to work," said Belkilani, whose group was established in 1987.
Islam sees hijab as an obligatory code of dress, not a religious symbol displaying one's affiliations.
Several European countries, including Sweden and Britain, already allow police officers to wear hijab.
Norwegian Muslim leaders have launched a media campaign to explain to the public the importance of hijab for Muslim women.
"Muslim leaders have published many articles and talked to the media to explain that hijab is not a religious emblem but an obligatory code of dress that every Muslim women must wear," Belkilani said.
"It is the right of Muslim women to wear hijab wherever they go.
"We have explained to the media that it should steer away from exaggerating the issue and making a fuss about nothing," added Shoaib Sultan, Secretary-General of the Islamic Council.
A series of meeting are also planned between Muslim leaders and Norwegian officials on the hijab issue.
"The dialogue will be away from the public eye to avoid outside influence and ensure that the issue will be dealt with in a good way," said Belkilani, the Islamic League chairman.
Basim Ghozlan of the Islamic League in Norway said Norwegian Muslims favor dialogue on the issue.
"The Muslim minority is not against quiet dialogue," he said.
"Norwegian Muslims only reject stereotypes."
Norwegian Muslims are estimated at 150,000 out of the country's 4.5 million population.
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