Sulaiman Abdullah Alshiddi and Hussein Al Daoudi, from Saudi Arabia and Sweden respectively, have established an organization called The Islamic Endowment in Iceland, Vísir reports.
The purpose of the group is twofold. On the one hand, to help Muslims in Iceland maintain the characteristics of Islam, and to help Muslim children hold onto their faith and traditions. On the other hand, the group also wants to encourage Muslims in Iceland to learn both Arabic and Icelandic. They also want to teach Muslims Iceland’s laws and societal mores, their rights and responsibilities, and to get Icelanders better acquainted with what Muslims believe.
Salmann Tamimi, the chairman of the Muslim Society of Iceland, told Vísir that the group has not been in contact with him yet, but that he does know they have branches in Sweden, where they engage in charity and educational work. “Hopefully this new group can help us get a mosque in Iceland,” he added.
There are about 600 registered members of the Muslim Society of Iceland, who have been waiting about 11 years for approval for a plot of land to build a mosque in Reykjavík from city council. That approval is still pending.