Minister of Culture, Trine Skei Grande (V), expresses her support for the Islamic society at the World Islamic Mission’s mosque in Oslo after the mosque attack in Bærum.
Grande spoke to the congregation before the Friday prayer at the mosque, which is the first Friday prayer since the attack against the al-Noor mosque in Bærum on Saturday. The Minister of Culture was committed to conveying that Muslims in Norway should feel safe.
“The attack on the mosque was an attack on all of us, and we stand together in the fight for respect and equality and against hatred and extremism. Muslims in Norway should feel safe, in prayer and otherwise. I am glad to see a people gathering in the ring about the mosques, as we saw on Sunday,” Grande said.
The Minister of Culture has been clear that she is among those in the government who want the government to start work on an action plan against Muslim hatred. At the mosque in Oslo, she said more powerful measures against Muslim hostility and greater dialogue with Muslim communities are needed.
“The hatred we saw last weekend, and which we have seen before, we want nothing to do with it. It must not and should not get a foothold and root in our society,” Grande said.
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An enemy of humanity
Imam of the al-Noor Mosque in Bærum, Syed Mohammad Ashraf, calls the murder and terror charged Philip Manshaus «an enemy of humanity».
Ashraf tells Dagbladet after the Friday prayer that they have felt very well taken care of in the aftermath of the act of terror last Saturday.
“We feel that the Norwegian people have shown sympathy and solidarity. We are also Norwegians, of course, but this gave us courage and we feel that we are not alone. It is a very good feeling,” Ashraf states.
He emphasises that they view the act of terrorism as an attack on the entire Norwegian society.
The congregation have requested the assistance of lawyer John Christian Elden.
“The board of the mosque has asked me to assist. This is an important issue. It is important that they receive good assistance and are looked after; in the same way as with other terrorist acts in Norway. Many in the mosque suffer from fear as a result of the attack,” Elden tells Dagbladet.
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© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
