Islamic demonstration faced boycott

UPDATED: Muslims themselves were urged to boycott a planned demonstration in front of the Norwegian Parliament on Friday by an Islamic group considered to be extremist. With only around 15 participants assembled and no action a half-hour after the demonstration was due to begin, it appeared the boycott call had an effect, or simply that [...]

Islamic activist complains of persecution

One of Norway’s most controversial Islamic activists, Mohyeldeen Mohammad, is demanding insight into any files Norwegian authorities may have compiled on him. He claims the information is causing trouble for him when he goes traveling. Mohammad, age 25, is best known for hailing the late al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and defending the murder of [...]

Saudis deport Norwegian radical

When 25-year-old Mohyeldeen Mohammad of Larvik tried to return to his Koran studies in Saudi Arabia late last week, he suddenly found himself distinctly unwelcome. Mohammad, described as a radical Islamist, was arrested at the airport in Medina and then faced deportation. Newspaper Dagbladet reported over the weekend that Mohammad had traveled from Larvik back [...]

Calls to tackle racism after attacks

Issues of racism and discrimination continue to be hotly debated in Norway in the aftermath to the Oslo bombings and Utøya shootings that the confessed perpetrator, Anders Behring Breivik, claims were an attack on the country’s multiculturalism. The leader of the Conservative Party, Erna Solberg, has commented on the need to tackle racism, particularly Islamophobia. [...]

Norwegian Muslims react to attacks

Many Norwegian Muslims were harassed in the hours following the Oslo attacks before the arrested suspect was confirmed to be ethnically Norwegian. Nonetheless, many observers, backed by polling data and a surge of interest in integration initiatives, suggest that Norway has reacted with greater faith in multiculturalism, as the burials of the first two victims [...]

Krekar indicted for making threats

Mullah Krekar, who came to Norway as a refugee and later was deemed a threat to national security, is now under indictment for making threats against the head of Norway’s Conservative Party, Erna Solberg. State prosecutors confirmed the long-expected indictment to TV2 on Tuesday. The indictment comes more than year after Krekar, in a wide-ranging [...]

Jews oppose circumcision age limit

The Mosaic Religious Community, which represents Jewish organizations and Jews in Norway, has criticized the Ombudsman for Children for suggesting a lower age limit of 15 years old for the ritual circumcision of boys. Jewish representatives let their opposition be known in the media after an informal meeting with the ombudsman. The ombudsman himself confirmed [...]

School shooting threat in Bergen

UPDATED 18.00 CET: A junior high school in Bergen, west Norway, was evacuated this Tuesday morning after a national newspaper received a message from a pupil claiming to have a weapon in their school bag with the intention of shooting others, “especially Muslims.” No-one is believed to have been hurt in the incident at Gimle [...]

Oslo Dean: al-Qaradawi ‘important’

The Dean of Oslo Cathedral has described controversial Islamic scholar Yusuf al-Qaradawi as “an important person” who Norwegians “should be open to” coming to the country. A Turkish newspaper reported on Thursday that al-Qaradawi, who has been accused of Holocaust denial, discrimination against women and homosexuals, and support for terrorism, would be coming to Norway [...]

Al-Qaradawi ‘moving to Norway’

A Turkish newspaper has reported that Muslim cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi, described as “more dangerous than Osama bin Laden” by a Norwegian author, will move to Norway for a short period of time in order to help those living in northern areas of the country with the working out of daily prayer times. Al-Qaradawi, an Egyptian, [...]

New ritual circumcision law proposed

Changes have been proposed to the law on ritual circumcision in Norway, with health officials hoping to ensure that the procedure can be done under proper medical conditions by covering it for free as part of the public health system. Until around 10 years ago, free circumcisions were available to parents in public hospitals, almost [...]

Peace conference draws thousands

As many as 4,000 people are expected to attend a peace conference in Oslo this weekend sponsored by Islam Net, Norway’s largest muslim organization that researchers claim resembles the Christian missionary movements. The group opposes violence and promotes fundamental muslim values, not to be confused with radical Islam. “There have been some terror cases both [...]

Krekar shooting stumps police

Police in Oslo haven’t solved the mystery of who fired shots last winter into the home of Mullah Krekar, the controversial refugee from Iraq who’s been linked to terrorists and faces deportation. Police may drop their investigation if no new leads emerge. Dagbladet.no reported Friday that police feel they’re unlikely to solve the case. “It [...]

Jensen wants Krekar in jail

Siv Jensen, head of one of the political parties that Mullah Krekar has identified as among his enemies, repeated calls for Krekar’s arrest, after he had repeated threats against Norway and another leading, conservative politician.  “How much more are we going to allow from this man?” questioned Jensen on her Progress Party’s website on Friday. [...]

Mullah Krekar meets the press

Norway’s least welcome refugee, who’s been formally declared a threat to national security, sat down with reporters in Oslo on Thursday but only those from foreign media. Mullah Krekar said at the outset that he doesn’t want any contact with Norwegian media because he “has found no sympathy” in the local press for his cause. [...]

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