A majority vote in the Oslo municipal council rejected a proposal to establish a Muslim school in the capital city, overturning the Municipal Executive board.
The council was considering a recommendation by the education ministry concerning an application by the School of Peace to start a Muslim school in Oslo. The application sought to establish a Muslim school so as to offer an alternative to parents who feel their only choice besides mainstream schools is to send their school to a “madrassa” in Muslim countries, risking educating their children “in a radical or extreme interpretation of the Koran and losing the feeling of belonging to Norwegian society abroad.”
A specific reason concerning the rejection was not cited, but the municipal council noted that changes in the curriculum for elementary schools are on the agenda, to include a “human rights, religion, and life-stance” class including some emphasis on Islam.
