GP in Norway!
Asslamo Allaikum Sister,
This may not answer your question; but I will go off a tangent; anyways!
A few of us Muslim friends go backpacking every year to somewhere; so we decided to go to Norway and get to Hammerfest; which is the NORTHERNMOST town in the world!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammerfest
We plan and Allah (SWT) plans and Allah (SWT) is the best of the planner.
So we planned, got our camping gear, equipment and 4 of us landed in Norway; unknown to us there were supposed to be 4 Scholars from UK getting to Norway around this time.
We always try to visit the local Mosques wherever we go so Norway was no different; we got to the Mosque and we were welcomed with open Arms and 2 of our group were offered to lead the Salah (as they were Hafidh of Qur’aan) and then we were asked to give a talk after Esha & Fajar; we still didn’t know what was going on and explained that we were just visiting Norway (trying to get to Hammerfest) but because we spoke Urdu, Punjabi, English, Arabic; no one listened.
So I gave the first talk after Esha and then we ate & then we lead the Salah after Fajar (another talk followed), next thing we know the Mosque had informed another Mosque on the way to Hammerfest…So we HAD to stop there the next day; again told everyone that we are NOT Scholars; but nobody believed us!
Hammerfest was now impossible…Our schedule had been severely derailed and there was little point in insisting and arguing with the Muslims!
Mosque after Mosque followed; being Imams, giving talks…trying to refute to NO AVAIL!
Eventually the night before leaving Oslo ; we were told to visit the Mosque in Oslo and they again welcomed us with open arms till about 12:30 in the cold Oslo night when we were kicked out on the Street; I suppose for impersonating Scholars! We were sick & tired of telling everybody but no one believed us (2 Hafidh and speaking multiple languages etc.)
My friends were furious at the whole thing but we didn’t want to make a scene so we left; we had no Hotel bookings at the time and nowhere to go on a bank-holiday in Norway; tried a few hotels and didn’t get any rooms…. camping sites were closed; student hostels were occupied….
So the night was spent in a ditch next to a FJORD in COLD (this was March in Norway)! We found an abandoned grocery store and found card-board boxes which we smashed and put on ice-cold ground, then put our tent up and then put all our clothes & multiple socks; slept on the belly (with our fists supporting the body OFF the ground) but it was still DEAD COLD!
In Fajar we did Wudhu with cold FJORD water and prayed on a broken boat.
Back to your question; Norwegians are really friendly people (Kuffar & Muslims) who don’t take NO for an answer…just don’t impersonate Scholars in Norway!
Reverts (brothers) were really down to Earth, humble…just like a typical Norwegian…
We found Norway to be serene, clam, domesticated…
Never met a revert Muslimah; but I suppose they would be a lot like a Norweigian Non-Muslim woman; I suppose.
In the end the trip COST a lot of money because we made sure that we kept putting our hotel money, expenses in the Mosques; we got to see tons of Muslims; gave few Islamic talks; spoke to a lot of youngsters, met a whole bunch of Muslims; travelled 2000 + KM in Norway and spent a night in the Cold….
Overall good trip…We still got pictures; we will be going again next year & this time we will get to Hammerfest, Insha'Allah.
What about norwegian muslims????????