ENI — The Islamic Council of Norway and the (Lutheran) Church of Norway Council on Ecumenical and International Relations jointly declared in August that everyone is free to adopt the religious faith of their choice.
“As far as we know, this is the first time that a church and a national Muslim organization have jointly acknowledged the right to covert,” said Olav Fykse Tveit, secretary general of the church council.
The two groups said in a statement, “We denounce and are committed to counteracting all violence, discrimination and harassment inflicted in reaction to a person's conversion, or desire to convert, from one religion to another, be it in Norway or abroad.”
About 86 percent of Norway's 4.6 million people are members of the state (Lutheran) Church of Norway, while there are about 72,000 registered Muslims. Many interpretations of Islamic law forbid conversion from Islam, and it can have severe consequences in some countries, including the death penalty.
