Norwegian-Pakistani Imam Syed Farasat Ali Bukhari wants to educate people about Muslim customs and traditions.
Mr Bukhari, who believes punishing sinners with death, has applied to the government with others to found a Muslim primary school in Oslo.
Omitting this information from his application to the Directorate for Education and Training (Utdanningsdirektoratet), the Ministry of Education and Research’s executive body, he says in a YouTube video that, “A person who eats and drinks in public during Ramadan ridicules Islam”, reports NRK.
“Authorities shall decapitate the individual if he/she is within the jurisdiction of a Muslim society or state,” proclaims the Imam, believing jail or the same punishment applies to people who do not exercise their prayer obligation.
Labour (Ap) politician Marianne Aasen, chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Research, and Church Affairs, tells The Foreigner “his application will not be granted [now].”
“Every child in any school in Norway, religious or otherwise, learns about democracy and human rights, and it is very important for us that the government’s education policy for Norwegian schools is followed. The government also has to be able to trusts this will happen, which will be very difficult in this case.”
The Socialist Left (SV) Party’s leader, and Minister of Education, Kristin Halvorsen, calls his statements advocating such measures as “unacceptable”, confirming the school will not be established on this basis.
“The attitudes express in [NRK’s report] are a clear violation of Norwegian law,” she says.
Trine Skei Grande, leader of the Liberal Party (V), tells The Foreigner she was “shocked”.
“It is up to the directorate to make the final decision, but given the recent statements I will not be surprised if the application is turned down. In my view, the statements are not acceptable, and should be given considerable weight when the decision is made.”
Mr Bukhari was not available for comment.