The game around the “spy magnet”

The imam of the popular Shiite Muslim mosque Imam Ali in Tveita has sown fear and awe both inside and outside the mosque with his alleged connection to Iranian intelligence, sources who are well aware of the mosque’s inner life tell Dagbladet. .

Dagbladet and Expressen recently revealed the close ties between the Iranian regime and the Imam Ali Mosque. The article revealed that the imam of the mosque, in conflict with the previous regime in the mosque, has threatened to strengthen ties with Iran’s intelligence service.

At the same time, NRK reported that the PST has requested that the imam be expelled from Norway, precisely because of his links with Iranian intelligence.

Now Dagbladet can reveal the game that has been unfolding in the Tveita mosque for the past three years, with the imam accused of espionage at the center.

– Boasted affiliation to a spy

In April, the Storting passed a new religious law. He claims that mosques that receive support from countries without religious freedom, such as Saudi Arabia, Iran and Qatar, may lose state support. Norway fears that money from these regimes could lead to a conservative or extremist mindset.

Dagbladet revealed this week that the Imam Ali Mosque, which receives around 350,000 in state support annually and has just over 600 members, was founded after a diplomat from the Iranian embassy in Oslo received 50,000 euros from the Iranian Foreign Ministry. Later, the Islamic organization Ahl al-Bayt bought the mosque in Tveita and helped send and pay for imams from Iran.

Ahl al-Bayt is a global Islamic organization based in Tehran, founded by Ayatollah Khomeini. Dagbladet has documented how the organization has taken root in both Norway and Sweden.

Spionanklager

Several times, parts of the Imam Ali Mosque’s relationship with Iran and the practice of sharia law in Norway have been featured in the media. But it has not been known how the imam, with alleged links to Iranian intelligence, has created waves in the Shiite Muslim community in the capital.

Most people know of the Iran intelligence link. The imam has said it himself, he has used it to scare others, says a source that he himself knows the imam well, and he himself uses the Imam Ali mosque, Dagbladet.

In the Shiite Muslim community in Oslo, Dagbladet is informed that several other Shiite mosques have noticed an influx of believers who often flock to Imam Ali, after the conflict around Imam surfaced. Dagbladet sources dare not appear by name, due to their own safety. Dagbladet is familiar with previous cases in Norway where people who have critically commented on Iran in Norway have experienced threats against themselves and their families.

Religious inspectors

– What has the management of the mosque done, we asked a central source.

– The leadership of the mosque mentioned it with Iran, the people who are in Ahl al-Bayt. This is not good, destroy the mosque.

According to information from Dagbladet, the mosque board has tried to get the imam to tone down his activity. The Imam Ali mosque board of directors also contacted Iran itself, Dagbladet was informed.

Dagbladet is informed that Ahl al-Bayt in Iran, the Islamic organization that supported the Imam Ali Center with money, sent inspectors to Norway at least twice to speak with the Imam.

– It happened in both 2018 and early 2019. They came from Ahl al-Bayt in Iran. The last one here said he agreed that it was okay to react against the magnet, but that it was beyond his power, a central source tells Dagbladet.

– Black paint

According to Dagbladet’s information, the imam must have traveled from Norway by now and remained in Iran. Attorney Javeed Shah, representing the imam charged with espionage, writes in an email to Dagbladet:

– What you write is very interesting, but you have no comment until we have a general description of the case. Regarding his sources, my client has clear ideas about who it can be and would like very much to comment. Unfortunately, you cannot do this at this time. As for the role of an imam, it is clear that he is in contact with many people, who come to him for advice and conversations. It is a fact that then you can talk about everything between heaven and earth. My client is very clear that he has not done or said anything criminal. It is no wonder that some try to blackmail him or the Imam Ali Center regarding the interest and agenda of the media. He will comment on your case when we see that the time has come.

It has not been possible to obtain a comment from Ahl al-Bayt in Iran. The Iranian embassy in Oslo has not responded to Dagbladet’s questions.