Secular authorities and Muslim communities under Covid-19 : Oslo as a case study of post-secularity

Abstract

Despite processes of secularization of the cultural and political realms of societies, religious traditions and practices continue to suffuse in the life of many people around the world. In Norway increased international mobility and migration is believed to be among factors for the presence of various cultures and religions. Recently the issue of collaboration between Muslim communities and public authorities has received a great deal of attention among scholars and policy makers alike. This paper contributes to this debate through discussion of the nature of the interaction between secular authorities and Muslim communities in Oslo under the Covid-19 crisis. The paper presents a literature review of studies related to the relationship between religions and a secular society, focusing on interactions at a local level. To generate my own empirical data, I conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 research participants. Using different understandings of post-secularity as the theoretical framework, the study has revealed that there is a combined effort in Oslo, even though only to some extent, to bring Muslim communities and secular authority together to address the Covid-19 crisis.