Abid Raja

Abid Qayyum Raja (born 5 November 1975) is a Norwegian lawyer and Liberal Party politician who has served as Minister of Culture since 2020.[2] He was elected to the Parliament of Norway as representative for Akershus in 2013 where he serves as second deputy chair of the Standing Committee on Transport and Communications and also is a member of the Standing Committee on Scrutiny and Constitutional Affairs. In October 2017, Raja was elected as the vice-president of the Parliament of Norway, the second time in Norway's history that a Muslim has been elected to that office.[3]

Abid Raja
Raja at the 2018 Liberal Party conference.
Second Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party
Incumbent
Assumed office 26 September 2020
Leader	Guri Melby
Preceded by	Terje Breivik
Minister of Culture, Sports and Equality
Incumbent
Assumed office 24 January 2020
Prime Minister	Erna Solberg
Preceded by	Trine Skei Grande
Fifth Vice President of the Storting
In office 7 October 2017 – 24 January 2020[1]
President	Olemic Thommessen Tone W. Trøen
Preceded by	Line Henriette Holten
Succeeded by	Ingjerd Schou
Member of the Norwegian Parliament
Incumbent
Assumed office 17 October 2013
Constituency	Akershus
Personal details
Born	5 November 1975 Oslo, Norway
Nationality	Norwegian
Political party	Liberal
Spouse(s)	Nadia Ansar
Children	Maya Sara Adam
Alma mater	University of Oxford University of Oslo University of Southampton
Occupation	Politician
Profession	Lawyer

Early life

Born in Oslo into a family of Pakistani descent, he was raised in the St. Hanshaugen neighborhood in Oslo. His father Abdul Qayyum Raja (1937– ) was a factory worker who worked at the Christiania Spigerverk steel plant in Nydalen, while his mother Akthar Nasim (1949– ) was a homemaker.[4] Raja describes his parents as someone who "used violence as a part of the parenting, violence was relatively common in my community".[5] In 1992, at age 15 he was taken away from home due to the ongoing violence in the household.[6] He was subsequently placed in a hospice for recovering drug-addicts, which he later would describe as a "hellish dump". After being relocated to a nearby orphanage, he dropped out of high school.[7]

After six months at the orphanage, he was allowed to move back home, after which his parents sent him to Pakistan. Upon his return to Norway, he re-enrolled in high-school and according to him "had his mind set on becoming a lawyer" after seeing Kevin Costner in the film JFK.[8]

Education

After graduating from Foss Upper Secondary School, he enrolled at University of Southampton, and graduated with a degree in Human Rights and Behavioural Sciences in Law. Raja was in 2003 the first non-ethnic Norwegian to receive the Norway Scholar that have been rewarded since 1920 at University of Oxford, Wadham College and there he studied for the MSc degree in Psychology.[9] He holds also an undergraduate degree in Criminology and Master of Law degree Cand.jur. degree from University of Oslo cum laude.

Career

He has worked as a criminal defense lawyer for four years and been civil case litigator for two. During his years as criminal defense lawyer he was appointed by the court to be lead defense lawyer on several murderer-cases, in and abroad of the country, and he also had the lead defense on several largest drug cases in Norwegian history. While working as lawyer Raja also took advantage of the position a famous lawyer gets by advocating civil rights for all, defending poor peoples rights and helping ethnic minorities fight injustice.

In 2008 Raja was appointed by the Norwegian Government, King in Council, to be office bearer as Board Leader of Norwegian Immigration Appeals Board, equivalent to a judge in a refugee court. After this he also served as Police Prosecutor at National Police Immigration Service, and later was posted as Norwegian diplomat at Royal Norwegian Embassy in New Delhi, India.

A member of the Norwegian Liberal Party, he was at the end of 2012 nominated as the top candidate for Akershus Venstre in the 2013 Norwegian parliamentary election.[10] He is thus the first person in Norwegian politics with minority background to be nominated at top of a ballot-list for National parliament election. He was elected to the National Assembly in September 2013 for four years term. He was in June 2016 re-nominated by Akershus Venstre as their top-candidate for the general election that were held in September 2017.

Minister

Following the Progress Party's withdrawal from government in January 2020, Raja was appointed Minister of Culture and Sports, succeeding his party leader Trine Skei Grande, who had been appointed Minister of Education. One of his first major cases as minister, was to deal with restrictions regarding the spread of COVID-19 in the country regarding sports. Measures that where applied, were that football and other sports with audiences, should not have fully packed tribunes and that players should keep distance while playing.

By May, the government lifted restrictions and allowed children's football to be in close contact while playing, effective 15 June.[11]

The month after, he expressed shock after learning that the NIF had lacked to make reports and work more effectively against racism. He demanded that they'd make a report on racism. The NIF expressed appreciation for Raja's initiative and that they will work constructively together to fight racism in sports.[12]

In July, the government allowed for foreign film production to take place in Norway, with Raja himself approving that Tom Cruise and the crew of Mission: Impossible 7 being allowed to shoot in Møre og Romsdal in August.[13]

In mid-August, he announced his final decision to run for the Liberal Party leadership to succeed outgoing Trine Skei Grande, becoming the second Liberal politician to announce their intention to seek the leadership after Sveinung Rotevatn. Raja was however open to becoming deputy leader if that's what the party required.[14]

On 23 August, he was designated deputy leader of the party, with Rotevatn as first deputy and Melby as party leader, unanimously by the party's election committee.[15] At the party conference in September, he was elected second deputy leader, with Melby as leader and Rotevatn as first deputy, unopposed.[16]

On 30 September, the government announced that contact training for broad sports would be allowed from 12 October, and at the same time would allow for a larger field of audiences to attend matches. Raja also stated that every municipality should evaluate themselves whether or not it’s safe to allow contact training.[17]

In February 2021, he faced controversy when it was revealed that 68,6 NOK of the incentive pot was given to production of Mission: Impossible 8. Producer Synnøve Hørsdal said that “Norway shouldn’t waste 70 million NOK so that Raja can get a new selfie with [Tom] Cruise”. She also expressed that the budget should have been spent on Norwegian productions rather then foreign ones during the Covid-19 pandemic. Raja defended the spending, stating that it was the Mission: Impossible production’s own decision to apply for filming in the country, and the fact that they were allowed, was decided by the NFI and not him.[18]

Advocacy and positions in public debate

Raja has been a well known person in the media since his days as student. From variety of position, spokesman for the Norwegian-Pakistani students, spokesman for the largest mosque in Norway - World Islamic Mission, positioned as famous lawyer and columnist at Aftenposten and Morgenbladet, he has been an eager debater in the Norwegian society.

In the years 2009-2011 he organized a series of dialogue meetings at the House of Literature, with controversial topics, such as why there is hate among Muslims, Jews and homosexuals. In these debates the leaders of Norway from all position participated; ranging from at that time Norwegian Secretary of State Jonas Gahr Støre, the chief of PST, chief editors of largest Medias, even the Norwegian Royal Crown Prince.[19] For this effort Raja was also rewarded the highest Freedom of Speech award.

Raja has been a lifelong opponent of spanking and corporal punishment of children. This stems from his experiences as a child growing up in Norway, where he was subjected to severe cane-whipping by the local Koranic teacher at the mosque as well as corporal punishment by his Pakistani parents and as a result contacted child protective services on his own, who took him into protective care for six months.[20][21] In response to revelations about child abuse in a Mosque, he called for Koranic teachers which are found to have beaten children to immediately leave Norway, stating that "they are not welcome".[22]

After a memorial service for the victims of the World Trade Center attack in 2001 (at the American Church, Frogner, Oslo), he said it is "important that moderate Muslims ... share the sorrow and distance ourselves from extremist violence and acts of terror".[23]

He has voiced opposition to forced marriages as well as marriages based on the caste system within the south-Asian community in Norway.[24][25] Also an outspoken opponent of arranged marriages, of which he said in 2013; "it is essential to break up the marriage pattern in the Norwegian-Pakistani community, so that arranged marriages becomes uncommon".[26]

Raja founded the Norwegian think tank www.Minotenk.no[27] and has as member of Parliament been both founding member of and member of the steering committee of International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion or Belief www.IPPFORB.COM

Personal life

Raja is married to psychologist Nadia Ansar. They first met while he was studying law, and she was studying psychology at the University of Oslo. They currently reside in the Ekeberg district of Oslo, along with their three children, twins Maya and Sara, and son Adam.[4][28]

Awards

In 2010, Raja was awarded the Fritt Ord Award for freedom of speech.[29] On 15 November 2017 he was named the 2018 recipient of the International Religious Liberty Association's International Award for Outstanding Leadership in Religious Freedom Advocacy.[30]

Bibliography

Raja has written two books. Spokesman is mainly about integrations issues in Norway, while Dialog is about common struggle Europe faces regarding radicalization and extremism.

• Talsmann (English: Spokesman), Aschehoug forlag. (2008) ISBN 9788203234286
• Dialog - om vold undertrykkelse og ekstremisme (English: Dialogue on violence, oppression and extremism), Cappelen Damm. (2010) ISBN 9788202348427

References

1. "Biography: Raja, Abid Q." Stortinget.no. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
2. "This Is Solberg's Cabinet 4.0". NRK. 24 January 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2020.;
3. "Pakistani origin politician elected vice president of Norway's parliament". The Express Tribune. October 8, 2017. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
4. Mauno, Hanne (28 September 2013). "Representant Raja". Dagsavisen (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
5. Iungset, Odd. "Abid Raja havnet på glattcelle". tv2.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 22 November 2013.
6. Bråthen, Trine. "Født med lukket endetarm". Nrk.no. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
7. Opdedal, Hallgeir. "Snakkistanteren". Dagbladet (in Norwegian). Dagbladet.no. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
8. Soltvedt, Willy. "Ble advokat mot alle odds". Aftenbladet (in Norwegian). Retrieved 22 November 2013.
9. RUDJORD (16 January 2015). "For konge og fedreland". www.dn.no (in Norwegian).
10. Venstres stortingskandidater er klare Venstre.no, December 2, 2012 (in Norwegian)
11. "NIF cheers: The government allows close contact for children's football from 15 June" (in Norwegian). VG. 20 May 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
12. "Raja demands racism report from the sports community" (in Norwegian). VG. 15 June 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
13. "Tom Cruise gets an exception from the government - scheduled to arrive in Norway" (in Norwegian). VG. 31 July 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
14. "Raja wants to become Liberal Party leader" (in Norwegian). VG. 16 August 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
15. "Guri Melby: Ready to fight for the leadership" (in Norwegian). VG. 23 August 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
16. "Guri Melby elected new Liberal Party leader: - I am completely touched" (in Norwegian). TV 2. 26 September 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
17. "The government opens for contact training for broad sports" (in Norwegian). VG. 30 September 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
18. "Norway shouldn't use 70 million [NOK] so that Raja can get another selfie with Cruise" (in Norwegian). NRK. 4 February 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
19. "Engasjert kronprins på dialogmøte om hat". www.vg.no (in Norwegian). 22 March 2009.
20. Article about Raja's book Talsmann (the spokesman) Archived June 4, 2011, at the Wayback Machine in the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten,
21. Aune, Oddvin. "Raja: - Jeg ble også slått i moskeen". Nrk.no. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
22. Dahl Nilssen, Ida. "- Ikkje velkommen om du slår". Nrk.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 22 November 2013.
23. "- Minnes hvordan verden sto sammen med USA". NTB. 2011-09-12. p. 8. viktig at moderate muslimer over hele verden viser at vi deler sorge og tar avstand fra ekstremistisk vold og terrorhandlinger
24. Brustad, Line. "Hard kastekrig mellom pakistanske samfunnstopper". Vg.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 22 November 2013.
25. Thorenfeldt, Gunnar. "Slik dater norskpakistanere". Dagbladet.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 22 November 2013.
26. Slettholm, Andreas. "Abid Raja: - Vi må bryte opp mønsteret der man henter ektefeller fra Pakistan". aftenposten.no. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
27. "Minoritetspolitisk tenketank". Minotenk.no (in Norwegian Bokmål).
28. Nitter, Kathrine (27 August 2008). "Lynet slo ned i hagen til Raja". Noblad.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 22 November 2013.
29. Henriksen, Petter, ed. (2007). "Fritt Ords pris". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Archived from the original on 15 November 2011. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
30. "Norwegian Parliamentarian to be Recognized for Global Efforts to Promote Freedom of Religion or Belief". The International Religious Liberty Association. Retrieved 5 December 2017.