Mullah Krekar, the Muslim cleric who faces prison on charges of making threats, helped lead a demonstation in Oslo just before the weekend, to protest a recent burning of the Koran in Afghanistan.
Krekar, dressed in the religious robes he’s been using lately, joined around 100 other Muslims on a march through downtown Oslo that ended at the Parliament. The demonstration had been organized by Krekar’s brother, Khalid Faraj Ahmad.
After holding an appeal in the plaza in front of the Parliament (Stortinget), Ahmad delivered a letter written in both Arabic and Norwegian to politicians. He told news bureau NTB that the burning of the Koran is a serious offense that Muslims can’t accept. “We have respect for all religions and want others to respect ours,” he told NTB.
Police characterized the demonstration as peaceful, unlike those held through most of last week in Afghanistan. Krekar, meanwhile, is awaiting a court ruling on charges of threatening top Norwegian politician Erna Solberg, a former government minister, and for inciting violence against two Kurdish men living in Norway. He already has been declared a threat to national security in Norway, for his guerrilla activities and support for terrorists.
Views and News staff
