Never before had a member of the Norwegian royal family visited a Norwegian mosque. but yesterday Queen Sonja visited the mosque of the Islamic Cultural Centre Norway (ICCN) in Gronland in Oslo. The Queen, wearing a head scarf, toured the mosque and looked at old, handwritten Qur'ans and Islamic art.
Midway through her visit the Queen officially opened "Islam Exhibition 2009". The extensive exhibition makes an introdcution to Islamic life and teachings by a variety of means, including posters, Arab calligraphy, ancient Qurans, and designer hijabs.
"We wish to give people an introdcution to Islam. We we live in a multicultural society, it’s important to know about everybody who lives in it," says Ikklaq Ahmad of the ICCN.
Aaminah Woqas (8) and Shahzaib Amad Khan (10) welcomed the Queen to the mosque and gave her flowers. They thought it was fun to shake the Queen's hand, but for Shahzaib not everything went as expected. "
"I thought she would come in a big limousine and have a big escort with her. She didn't do that. But it was very good to meet her," he says.
One of the ICCN's goals is to increase understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims. For close to three years they have planned the present exhibition on Islam.
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