Last weekend, ‘Mountainous Region Islamic Cultural Centre’ (‘Fjellregionen Islamsk Kultursenter’) was able to open its new mosque. – Many people have worked hard for this, said Mahdi Hassan from the cultural centre’s board to the local newspaper Tynsetingen. A few years ago, there was some controversy because Hassan believed that homosexuality should be banned, that is, the year after he had been named a national role model. The mosque leader represented SV at the time, but is now a politician for Tynset Senterparti.

The local newspaper Tynsetingen and the local newspaper Alvdal midt i væla have almost identical reports on the opening of the mosque in the mountain village at the northernmost end of Østerdalen. The same headline, the same picture in the article, and the same picture in the presentation on Facebook. On social media, both chose a picture of Mahdi Hassan and Ibrahima Sesay, the latter a Muslim from Sierra Leone who is chairman of the board of the mosque in Tynset, but he happens not to be named in connection with the two posts on social media.

For some reason, both local newspapers also closed the comments section on the article. Tynsetingen allowed some comments before closing it; the Alvdal newspaper allowed none at all.

Mayor and dean opened the mosque

The person who cut the ribbon for the new mosque in the mountain village was Folldal Mayor Kristin Langtjernet. She is a Labour Party politician and opened the mosque on behalf of the mayors of Fjellregionen.

Also present at the opening and celebration of the mosque opening were Dean Simen Simensen, former acting Bishop of Hamar, Bjørn Tore Grutle, who is head of Tynset kirkelige fellesråd, Stig Solbakken and Finn Hilmarsen from the police, Abdi Rahmann from Elverum mosque, Abdi Omar from Hamar mosque, Ibrahima Sesay, chairman of the board of Fjellregionen Islamsk Kultursenter, which has now acquired a new mosque, while Mahdi Hassa appears to have recorded the occasion for posterity. The names are reproduced here as they are given in the local newspapers.

Driving force from Somaliland

Mahdi Hassan appears to be referred to simply as “Mehdi”, while his full name is Mahdi Hassan Mouhoumed, and he is often described as a man of influence. He came to Tynset in 1995, the Norwegian government writes in an undated article about the importance of integration. That is to say, more immigrants from foreign cultures entering Norwegian government and public affairs, if we interpret Mehdi correctly.

He lives here with his wife and six children. On a daily basis, he teaches at Tolga school in the neighbouring municipality. The Somali is a prominent figure in the local community. He has been named both ‘trollkjerring’, role model of the year and driving force of the year. He sits on the municipal council, chairs the care, welfare and social affairs committee and Tynset international council, and sits on the advisory council of Distriktssenteret.

Mosque builder Mahdi Hassan Mouhoumed in Tynset, as he was presented by NRK in 2009 (left) and by Tynset Senterparti in 2023.

Believed homosexuality should be banned

The 2009 role model of the year, Mahdi Hassan from Tynset, believes homosexuality should be banned, NRK wrote in 2010:

– Homosexuality is forbidden in the Koran, and I believe in my religion. Mahdi said this in an interview with Arbeidets Rett last summer. He now confirms to the newspaper that he has not changed his mind. ‘This is very far from exemplary, says Karen Pinholt, head of the Norwegian Association for Lesbians and Gays’, NRK wrote at the time.

NRK also covered the occasion when Mahdi was chosen as a national role model in 2009 by Anniken Huitfeldt, then a Labour Party government minister.

The award was given to a driving force who: enjoys respect among children and young people, is a good role model, promotes equality and anti-discrimination and emphasises dialogue and contact between the generations, NRK wrote, presenting the winner as a Tynset resident, as follows:

“Mahdi Hassan originally comes from Somalia. He was educated in Egypt and is today a municipal council representative for SV in Tynset. Hassan works at Tolga school and has for many years been active in the children’s and youth community. Among other things, Hassan was the initiator of Tynset Judo Club and the judo group in Tolga.”

Mosque builder switched from SV to Sp

Mahdi Hassan represented SV at the time, and not Senterpartiet. The local SV leader, for his part, thought that a little opposition to homosexuality was acceptable:

– There is freedom of expression in Norway, and in Tynset SV we think it is unproblematic that Mahdi is opposed to homosexuality in principle. It is in accordance with his religion, Stein Petter Løkken of Tynset SV told Arbeidets Rett.

Mosque leader and Labour politician

The chairman of the board of the new mosque in Tynset has also been elected as a politician.

“Here is our community-minded candidate Ibrahima Sesay, glad to have you on the team and on our list, and thank you for joining me at the annual meeting of Innlandet Ap – they were educational days”, wrote Tone Hagen, Labour Party deputy mayor of Tynset, in April 2023.

Ibrahima Sesay from Sierra Leone is a Labour Party politician in Tynset and chairman of the board of Fjellregionen Islamsk Kultursenter’s new mosque. Photo: Facebook.

Refugee became politician

The mosque leader had by then already served two terms on Tynset municipal council and was ready for a third.

‘Hello. My name is Ibrahima Sesay and I come from Sierra Leone, a small country in West Africa. I came as a refugee and have lived in Tynset since 1996. I am a nurse with further education in mental health care and as a placement supervisor for students’, wrote the leader of the mosque in Tynset.

He went on to say that he was concerned with elderly care, and also has “a passionate commitment to refugees and immigrants. Good integration and inclusion of refugees and immigrants is very important, not least in getting as many as possible into employment. I will be active in recruiting people from multicultural backgrounds into the Labour Party.”

Tynset had 3,067 inhabitants as of 1 January 2025, according to Statistics Norway (SSB).