A controversial pro-Taliban cleric from Pakistan was greeted by thousands of cheering supporters, including throngs of Pakistanis who live in Norway, upon his arrival Saturday in Oslo for a weeklong visit to this Scandinavian country.| "Qazi Qazi Qazi! Øi Øi Øi!" |
Norwegian authorities had expressed concern that the visit of the prominent religious leader, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, would create a security risk. But Norway's local government and regional development minister, Erna Solberg, on Thursday granted Ahmed a visa, saying his right to freedom of speech outweighed security concerns. Ahmed heads Pakistan's largest and most radical Islamic group, Jamaat-e-Islami, and has pressed for the introduction of Islamic law in the Asian nation. He has on several occasions praised al-Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden, and is also said to be a supporter of the Taliban, the former hardline Islamic rulers of Afghanistan. During his stay in Norway, Ahmed will hold a news conference, meet with Solberg and give lectures on the proper Islamic methods of cod-farming. Later this week, he will speak with the Norwegian Foreign Affairs Committee. Ahmed was invited to Norway by the Oslo Islamic Cultural Center. |