Last weekend was an important moment for the Muslim community in Iceland, because the first ‘all-Icelandic’ couple got married at the Muslim Association mosque. The head of the association, Salmann Tamimi, performed the ceremony to join Hjalti Bjorn Valthorsson and Gunnhildur Aevarsdottir in matrimony.
“Of course there have been Icelanders who have converted and married members of our communion, but this is the first all-Icelandic pair we have married,” Tamimi told Frettabladid. He said that the number of Muslims in Iceland has increased rapidly over the last couple of years. “Two or three years ago you could count them more or less on the fingers of one hand, but now there are between 30 and 40 (Muslims in the Association),” he said. “Things seem to be improving for Muslims, both here in Iceland and elsewhere these days.”
He cites the example of Islamic banking, where Westerners are increasingly learning from the model whereby everything does not revolve around interest – because interest payments are against Islam. He also goes on to point out that Muslims famously do not eat pork, a fact especially relevant at a time when a swine flu pandemic appears to have broken out.
Tamimi looks forward to a bright future for Muslims in Iceland, as the majority of the great increase in interest in the faith appears to be coming from young people – a trend he hopes continues.
“Muslims famously do not eat pork, a fact especially relevant at a time when a swine flu pandemic appears to have broken out”
Eating pork in Iceland (or anywhere else in the EEA) is totally irrelevant to the spread of swine flu!
I think that this is the first step to a very dangerous precedent of islamization of Iceland. just as it happened in the continental Europe. People beware!!!
Revealing the woman’s face to the bus driver – is also against the islam.
To my mind he goes on to point out of mind. I mean this is one of the most stupid and irrelevant “arguments” in favor of islam I’ve ever heard.
No offense but I’m offended by the “idea” that it’s OK to require female humans to wear sacks in 21st century.
PS. Will it be allowed to publish cartoons about Muhamad in Iceland now? :-)
How amateur is this? Weren’t the Qatari’s the ones investing vast sums in kaupthing before it exploded. Interest payments are hardly the cause of the banking collapse, maybe greed and lack of transparency but hardly interest.
Eating Pork does not spread the disease, if he said breeding pigs for slaughter then yes, but MUSLIM COUNTRIES BREED PIGS and are perfectly happy to sell these products(i.e. Egypt has ordered the destruction of these animals).
Secondly what is the real relevance of “Things seem to be improving for Muslims, both here in Iceland and elsewhere these days.” How can he quantify this, in what sense are they improving, because more are converting are they materially better off?
The “journalist” talking to him should have just laughed at him for trying to associate the two things.
yeah islam will guide icelanders out of the kreppa. there are no interest payments in islam. haha what a joke.
>Weren’t the Qatari’s the ones investing vast sums in kaupthing before it exploded. Interest payments are hardly the cause of the banking collapse, maybe greed and lack of transparency but hardly interest.
The Qatari in question was loaned (unsecured) that money by Kaupthing itself. So he was just a name on the documents to allow Kaupthing to inflate its share price, a shockingly common practice in Iceland over the past few years.
Actually, I can’t remember if it actually went ahead in the end or if the bank caved before it happened.
Not that that affects the general point about interest rates. The last Islamic finance product I looked at involved one party agreeing to buy back a commodity at a set price, but effectively there was no market risk and the amount just happened to be the original price plus “interest”. Sophistry.
This report is silly and absurd including some of the comments, nothing else can be said,
Athough being muslim myself, I find his understanding of Islam childish and terribly narrow. He should also have been asked if birdflue that caused deaths in Egypt had someting to do with eating birds or not eating. I’ll speak to him when I meet him sometimes.
People should choose a religion based on faith, not based on diet, banking or social pressures.
Yet again more rubbish from Ice News…
It is embarrassing for me that Morgunblaðið links to this site. I can’t imagine what people around the world who are both competent in English and care about what happens in Iceland must think when they find this level of “journalism” through Iceland’s largest newspaper. Not only is this site reporting abject stupidity for the most part, but the language skills of the writers are so poor it is offensive.
I think it is all fine, as long as its kept under a burka!
The people of Iceland have no idea what is in store for them.
I disagree with the opinion of this Imam .Pigs are creatures in this planet. Thankfully, that the flu came first to other birds .So, he could not put the blame on the poor pigs .His argument is baseless. This phonomenon sould be treated scientifically and not spritually. It could happen to any creature and we all know the history of plagues and epidamics.
Afram Island.
Don’t read it, Jon Competent-in-English Who-Cares :-)
PS. If you can’t imagine – don’t talk for people around the world. They can do it themselves I guess.
Now the real question is will the new government of Iceland become part of the EU or the Arab League. Ha Ha
I don’t know which of the comment or the news itself was the most asinine?
I THINK THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING..THE MARRIAGE OF TWO HAPPY ICELANDERS WAS JUST MESSED WITH THE POLITICAL AND UNNECESSARY INSUFFICIENT AND PROVOCATIVE WORDS ABOUT THE RELIGION OF ISLAM.
I AM MUSLIM. BUT I RESPECT OTHERS WHO EAT PORK. THIS IS THE FREE WORLD AND WE ALL HAVE FREE CHOICE.
GOD DID NOT CREATED THE ROBOTS. GOD CREATED THE HUMAN BEING WITH FREE WILL AND NOBODY SHOULD CRITISIZE OTHERS FOR WHAT THEY EAT HOW THEY WEAR OR WHAT THEY PREACH. MUTUAL RESPECT AND PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE IS WHAT WE HUMANITY NEED AND WHAT WE LACK SINCE THE CREATION. GOD HELP US ALL.
Eating Pork does not spread the disease, if he said breeding pigs for slaughter then yes, but MUSLIM COUNTRIES BREED PIGS and are perfectly happy to sell these products
lol. if one do not eat in the first place, do we need to breed it? :)
muslim countries also breed pigs? U think muslim breed it or it is actually the non muslim that live in muslim country? islam don’t come to stop people from eating pig, it just tell us how we should live our life and if the non muslim want to keep eating it, they are free to do so, even in muslim country. let alone in the secular country.
about the veil, its a sign of modesty. same goes with the nun with veil. i wonder why it never been argued when christian nun wear veil but when it comes to muslim, everyone was like “this is no longer suitable in 21st century?” WTF is this injustice. :D