The Government will map out which religious and faith communities receive money from countries that do not have religious freedom.
‘’We are concerned by the fact that there are Norwegian belief communities that are funded by societies or states that violate human rights’’ said children and family minister, Kjell Ingolf Ropstad of Kristelig Folkeparti (KrF) to NRK news.
On Friday, the Ministry’s proposal for a new parliamentary report on the Faith and Vision Act is sent to parliament for consideration.
There, the government proposes that all faith and belief groups that receive support from abroad should disclose this in their accounts. The goal is to identify how many people receive support from countries that violate human rights and do not have religious freedom.
“Then one can, for example, consider cuts in state aid to the religious communities that receive support from states that violate human rights” said Ropstad.
Spokesman for the Rabita Mosque, Basim Ghozlan, who receives money from overseas, believes that it is positive that the government will now map out where communities get their money from. He believes the support plan is unproblematic.
‘’Foreign support is only problematic if donors demand that they do things in a certain way, and these requirements are contrary to Norwegian law or human rights. But this has never happened and will never happen’’ said Ghozlan to NRK news.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
