The Ahmadiyya Mission to the Nordic Countries

Tabligh, Tarbiyyat and the Religious Education of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat in Scandinavia

“…to which they invite the general public and people of different faiths (interview 2019). Similar activities are also described by Jacobsen et al (2015) and Stokkedal (2019). Stokkedal (2019), in his in-depth study of the Ahmadiyya mission in Norway, writes that in his experience Ahmadis use tabligh to describe missionary activities amongst themselves, but use the term "mission" for outsiders (Stokkedal 2019, 7).…”

“…There are estimated to be around 1,641 Ahmadis in Norway (Department for Children and Families 2021), approximately 940-960 in Sweden (Sorgenfrei 2018, 95), and 700 in Denmark (Jacobsen et al 2015, 362), an increase that is largely due to migration from Pakistan, as well as a small number of conversions. The differences between the communities in the region, as pointed out by Jacobsen et al (2015), are related to how the Scandinavian states organize the funding of religious communities and organizations in their respective countries (Jacobsen et al,361,(368)(369)(370)(371); the rituals, theology, and general practice, are the same in the three countries.…”

“…There are no Ahmadiyya mission centers in Scandinavia, but the AMJ communities are still dedicated to missionary work and Ahmadiyya mission in the region includes a range of different activities. Jacobsen et al (2015) and Stokkedal (2019) highlight inter-religious dialogues, mosque visits from schools and universities, stands, as well as writing, translating, and publishing books, magazines, and pamphlets about Islam and the AMJ for the public -Aktiv Islam ("Active Islam") and Zeinab are both Ahmadiyya magazines that are publicly available; two examples of arenas for inter-religious dialogue are the AMJ's annual peace conference and the marking of International Hijab Day. Stokkedal (2019, 95) notes that mission activities are an important part of the religious lives of the Ahmadis (both missionaries and lay Ahmadis) he met during his fieldwork in Oslo, with his informants describing the AMJ as a mission movement, and understanding that missionary work is a religious duty for members of the community.…”

“…When presenting the AMJ's history and organization I primarily build on Simon Ross Valentine's (2008) and Adil Hussein Khan's (2015) seminal works on the movement's organization, beliefs, and history. Larsson and Björkman (2010) offer an overview of South Asian Muslims in the Nordic countries and present the existing data on the establishment and institutionalization of South Asian Muslim groups in the region, including the AMJ, while Sorgenfrei (2018) and Jacobsen et al (2015) deal specifically with the establishment and organization of the AJM in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. Several MA theses from the University of Oslo in recent years (Strand 2016;Moraga 2018;Waersted 2018;Stokkedal 2019) also provide insights into the AMJ's establishment history, self-image, women's organization, and mission in Scandinavia.…”

Establishing Islam in Sweden: The First Tatar Community and Muslim Congregation and Their Sources

“…They established themselves in Sweden, very much through the efforts of Gunnar Eriksson, in the 1950s. See Arly Jacobsen,Sorgenfrei 2015 and Sorgenfrei 2018: 88-104.…”