The salafist Islamist group Islam Net are keeping the identity of the preachers who will speak at their annual conference in Oslo this weekend secret.
In previous years, the conference has been criticized for inviting controversial preachers, like preachers who believe that homosexuality, adultery and apostasy is punishable by death.
– Some of the preachers have had very controversial views on homosexual practices and women’s rights, so based on previous experience, there are good reasons trying not to attract too much media attention, Sindre Bangstad, researcher of salafist Islam, says to NRK news.
Bangstad believes that the conference is trying to avoid negative publicity.
– Given that it has invited controversial preachers earlier, they just dont want too much media attention on the existing lecture list prior to the conference.
The Promoter says to NRK that the secrecy is due to a new marketing strategy where you want to create excitement among the people interested in the ecent.
Member of Parliament for the Conservative Party and member of the Justice Committee, Hårek Elvenes, told the news agency NTB that he expexts the Police Security Service to be keeping a close eye on the conference.
– We know that Islamic Net are running a “school for converts” and have flown into controversial imams at previous conferences. Islam Net is an extremist organization that are deliberately working on radicalizing young minds. It may be the seed that develops into violent extremism. We need to prevent this for the sake of our own society, he said.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today