Amid a seething polemic on what to do with Daesh* terrorists and their family members, psychologist Heidi Wittrup Djup from the Bergen-based Clinic for Crisis Psychology added fuel to the fire by suggesting in a televised debate that not only should "Daesh children" be retrieved immediately, but also that their terrorist parents should be "warmly welcomed".
"We must protect our children. The most vulnerable we have. These are Norwegian children stranded in camps, and they are in danger. We bring them home to Norway and we need to bring the parents as well. They must be prosecuted by the Norwegian legal system. If Dad wants to join as well, he is warmly welcomed," Djup said during the live debate on national broadcaster NRK.
Djup's take sparked outrage on social media, as many Norwegians couldn't believe their ears and found her recommendations "scary naive". Some suggested even that Djup needed a psychologist herself.
"If the Daesh dads want to join in, they should be warmly welcome. Yes, you heard right", blogger Henrik Akselsen, who describes himself as a "resigned liberal", tweeted.
Hvis IS-fedrene vil være med så skal de være hjertelig velkomne. Ja, du hørte riktig. #nrkdebatt pic.twitter.com/z4xKBqgwj1
— Henrik Akselsen (@henrikakselsen) 5 марта 2019 г.
"Now we shall be neighbours with people who have kept sex slaves and burned people alive. Totally absurd", another one tweeted.
READ MORE: Outrage as Norwegian Broadcaster Publishes Plea by Daesh Bride's Father
"We have already sacrificed many innocent lives experimenting. Now, fools must not be allowed to push the experiment to a still-higher level", another user chimed in.
"Norwegian naivety/stupidity at its 'best'. Impressive that such things are possible", another angry Norwegian said, voicing his indignation.
"Norway has not experienced 9/11. They do not understand the barbaric evil Daesh members are capable of. She needs therapy for her naivite and her folly", another reacted.
However, the idea that Norway should reclaim its Daesh wives and Daesh children is gaining ground among Norwegian politicians, despite the fact that Norwegian PM Erna Solberg explicitly said that Oslo won't work proactively to return them.
In the same live debate on NRK, Liberal party deputy leader Abid Raja suggested that Norway has a responsibility towards the children of the Daesh terrorists.
"These kids have done nothing wrong. Suggesting that they are ticking bombs that can explode in your face or that of other Norwegians is pushing the debate a bit too far. We need more empathy. Ancestral sin is not a thing in Norway", Raja said.
READ MORE: 'I'd Rather F*****g Detonate': Jihad-Mocking VIDEO by Swedish TV Rocks Public
Raja was supported by Centre MP Marit Arnstad.
"The parents should be prosecuted, but the children must get back to Norway. These 40 children should not be punished for whatever their parents have done," Arnstad tweeted after the debate.
At the same time, blogger Kristin Nesse Thue suggested that "Daesh brides" were not the same as so-called "German girls", that is Norwegian women who engaged in romantic relationships with Nazi German soldiers during WWII and were punished after Norway's liberation — a comparison many people have utilised, urging for empathy.
"This is not a story of unhappy love. This is a story of anti-Western ideology which is still alive," she said during the NRK debate.
Resett columnist Maria Zähler suggested that the so-called "foreign fighters", which is a more PC label for Daesh jihadists Scandinavian media use, are enemy soldiers and should be treated accordingly.
Fremmedkrigerne er fiendens soldater – de må behandles deretter https://t.co/iHJQnKPOwl #nrknyheter #nrkdebatt pic.twitter.com/EIrkBtK9e6
— Ulv Bjerkan (@UlvBjerkan) 6 марта 2019 г.
Previously, terrorism researchers, including Magnus Ranstorp of the Swedish National Defence College, stressed that the terrorists remaining in the Middle East are the most hardened and dangerous variety. Ranstorp also stressed that "Daesh brides" are dangerous as well and shouldn't be portrayed as victims.
Norway's Police Security Service (PST) estimated that around 30 jihadists and about 40 children with Norwegian citizenship are currently outside of the country's borders. According to the Foreign Ministry, however, bringing home the jihadists, their wives, widows or offspring is not being considered.
* Daesh (also known as IS/ISIS/ISIL/Islamic State) is a terrorist group banned in Russia
