Norwegian rappers slammed for using ‘Jew’ as insult

A popular Norwegian rap duo is accused of mainstreaming anti-Semitism by using “Jew” and Ariel Sharon as insults in its latest single.

Karpe Diem, which has sold hundreds of thousands of CDs in Norway since its creation in 2000, released “Attitude Problems” last week, the online edition of the Verdens Gang daily reported Wednesday.

“I mean dog or bitch or whore, I mean pussy or Jew or dork,“ the lyrics read, and: “A joke is a joke, Ariel Sharon.”

The report follows the publication Wednesday on Facebook of an open letter to Karpe Diem by Eliana Hercz, a 21-year-old Jewish rap fan. The online version of the Aftenposten daily, Norway’s largest newspaper, reproduced the letter in its opinion section, drawing attention to the song by national media and prominent members of the Jewish community, including its president, Ervin Kohn, who praised Hercz on Facebook for highlighting the issue.

“It turned my stomach,“ Hercz, an activist against anti-Semitism, wrote about the song, which she said legitimizes anti-Semitism because it places the neutral word for Jew in Norwegian on equal footing with curse words.

JTA

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