Islam has established a robust missionary network in Norway with organisations that actively work via digital and physical channels. The organisations operate in several towns where they distribute the Koran and Islamic texts and run courses and integrate Norwegians into Islamic faith communities. Conversion to Islam has increased over time, particularly among young people.
In the 1990s, the number of converts to Islam in Norway was estimated at around 500. In 2005–2008, the figure was less than 1,000. In recent years, the number is believed to have grown to around 3,000. The majority convert through marriage, but “mate conversion” among young people is said to be a growing trend.
Most converts are peaceful …
In 2020, there were 182,607 Muslims in Norway, or 3.4 per cent of the population, most of them living in Oslo and Viken.
Most converts are anonymous individuals and rarely in the public eye, but a 2017 survey showed that two per cent of Norwegian Muslims supported violence and that 70 had travelled to Syria or Iraq to take part in war. According to the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment and PST, converts are overrepresented in jihadist circles and among radicalised Islamists.
The Prophet’s Ummah was an Islamist/jihadist group in Norway, founded in 2011 and disbanded in 2017. The leadership consisted of individuals such as Ubaydullah Hussain and Arfan Bhatti, who have a background in crime and extremism. The group supported ISIL, terrorist attacks and recruited fighters among converts.
Mohamed Hussain, who has clear ties to the Prophet’s Ummah, was sentenced to nine years in prison in 2017 for recruitment to terrorism.
There were a total of THREE people who accepted Islam at Egertorget in Oslo today☝🏼❤️ Alhamdulillah pic.twitter.com/EJDiYGgZN3
— Emelia (@vikingwarior20) October 14, 2023
Islam Net and Dawah Norway are among the largest organisations currently working actively to convert Norwegians to Islam. They are estimated to convert anywhere from a few dozen to more than a hundred people annually.
- Islam Net was founded in 2008 by Fahad Qureshi. Today they work actively among young people in Oslo, Tromsø, Bodø and soon Trondheim, organising conferences, street missions, courses etc. together with supporters such as the Muslim Student Society where the leaders have bushy beards and the women are not pictured.
- Dawah Norway operates nationally and has groups in several cities. They invite people to Islam by distributing the Koran and other Islamic literature, and organise theme evenings and workshops. Dawah Norway claims to have converted more than 1,000 people and distributed tens of thousands of Koran texts.
- Hikmah Norway is a Norwegian-Bengali initiative with activities in Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger, Trondheim etc. They focus on teaching Islam, fellowship and building bridges of understanding.
- Minhaj-ul-Quran Norway is part of a larger international network with a “refreshing image of Islam”. They were behind Quran distributions after SIAN’s Quran burning in 2019.
- Large mosques such as Central Jamaat-e Ahl-e Sunnat, Tawfiiq Islamic Centre and Islamic Cultural Centre Norway run Quranic schools and have youth missionary groups. The latter works to build Norwegian Muslim identity.