A media stereotype of Norway is that of a breathtakingly beautiful country, which has somehow found a way of combining revenues from North Sea oil, Scandinavian levels of welfare and social harmony. Two years ago it was found to be the most peaceful country in the world according to the World Peace Index.
Although my only visit to Norway occurred almost 20 years ago, I can recognise the country I visited in this portrait. It is not just a question of the wonderful beauty of the fjords in the morning, with magnificent shores all around. On land, too, one is struck by the diligent cleanliness of the descendents of the Vikings.
Those sleek, long ancestral ships, seen at the naval museum, were an unforgettable experience. Somehow, they went well with the homelier aspects of Oslo's public cultural life, whether it was the beautiful sculptures in the park by Norway's world famous son, Gustav Vigeland, or the folklore village with typical buildings from different parts of Norway, or the public areas full of multicoloured flowers.
The fact that large parts of Oslo are pedestrianised helps create the feeling of an interactive society, of strangers sharing a life that is built to human scale.
But the recent news from that country, facing a general election campaign in a few months, contradicts this picture. Accusations and counter-accusations are flying concerning the cultural harmony in Norway.
The debate concerns Muslim immigrants. A right-wing populist party, the Progress Party, is making an electoral platform out of the fact that, should it come to power, it would make sure that Norway remains truly Norwegian.
It is claiming that social harmony is under threat by excessive claims made by the country's Muslim population for special concessions (like Islamically-approved meat in prison and separate sports facilities for girls and boys at schools). Earlier this year, the government dropped a suggestion that permission would be granted for Muslim women police officers to wear the Islamic scarf.
Khalid Mahmood, a Muslim member of the Norwegian Labour Party (currently heading the government coalition), however, claims the opposite, saying that Islamophobia is growing in Norway and that Muslims are being persecuted in the proper sense of the term. The Council of Europe watchdog, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance, has similarly warned about rising Islamophobia in one of its reports.
Not all Muslims agree. Another Labour member of Parliament, Shakil Rehman, has said that criticism does not amount to persecution and that it could even be healthy for society. If nothing else, this disagreement should indicate that the Muslim minority in Norway cannot be easily stereotyped. It shows the same pluralism within it that makes for a strong civil society generally.
However, the polls do indicate that the argument over Islam and cultural harmony could prove to be electorally significant.
The Progress Party may win as much as 30 per cent of the vote and end up leading a governing coalition.
It is not my intention to second guess the political situation in Norway. However, there is no doubt that the situation there, despite the fact that Norway is not part of the European Union, will contribute to how Europe is perceived by Muslim countries elsewhere. This is a point that bears some reflection.
During my term as an MEP, there have been five critical episodes in Europe's relations with Islam. Sharp words and worse have been traded over incidents in the Netherlands, Denmark, the United Kingdom, France and now in Norway. One may be tempted to add the Vatican to the list.
Reading over that list of countries one can see that they are either central or northern European countries. This is a significant point. It indicates that Europe's relationship with its southern neighbours may be affected by incidents that happen far from that region. Indeed, distant from the European member states, like Malta, that are closest to the Muslim Mediterranean states.
Today the issue of irregular immigration in the southern European Mediterranean states, including Malta, does not have religious undertones.
What this means is that the relationship that a country like Malta has with the Arab countries nearest to it may be shaped and influenced by what is happening elsewhere in Europe, and over which Malta has little control.
Of course, being a European member state means, among other things, that Malta also has to carry some responsibility for its fellow member states. It also means, in that case, that it behoves Malta to have representatives in Europe that can bring to the European Parliament's deliberations a perspective on the southern neighbourhood that is not excessively affected by the domestic politics of certain member states, particularly those not in direct proximity to the Mediterranean.
Such a perspective would enrich European discussions. It would be good for Europe and for Mediterranean peace and prosperity - particularly if it is also a perspective that is committed to addressing the inequality in the region without a patronising cultural attitude.
Dr Attard Montalto is a Labour member of the European Parliament.