Quran Verses in Christmas Program in Norway School

TEHRAN (IQNA) – An elementary school in the city of Skien in Norway has announced that its Christmas celebrations this year will include not only the usual reading of verses from the Bible by students but also two verses from the Quran.

All of the verses are about Jesus (AS) whom Islam considers a prophet and not the Son of God.

Historically, Norway has been called a Christian country. The majority of the population are members of the Church of Norway with 71.5 percent of the population.

They officially belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Norway.

Norway’s official holidays are Christmas, Easter and their National Day. Even though many Norwegians do not attend church regularly, the country still celebrates its one thousand year old Christian heritage. At Christmas time, the streets are decorated with lights and wreaths. Every home has a Christmas tree, and you can’t turn on the radio without listening to Christmas hymns.

When the school’s spokesperson was interviewed by a local newspaper, he explained the reason for including the Quran verses. He said that "to create respect and understanding between different religions” the Quran’s verses are added.

But critics claim that the two Quran verses in a Christmas program would not serve to increase any child’s awareness of the extensive theological differences between Christianity and Islam.

Source: christiansinpakistan.com