Draft:Leif Skjetne
Norwegian-born former Church of Sweden priest who converted to Islam and moved to Morocco; his life
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Leif Skjetne (also known as Ahmed Skjetne or Ahmed Rekdou Skjetne) is a Norwegian-born former priest of the Church of Sweden (Swedish: Svenska kyrkan), in which he served for 30 years. He converted to Islam in 2017, changed his name to Ahmed, and moved to Morocco.[1][2]
Leif Skjetne | |
|---|---|
| Born | Oslo, Norway |
| Other name | Ahmed Skjetne |
| Occupation | Former priest |
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Early life and religious career
Leif Skjetne grew up in Oslo, Norway. He moved to Sweden in 1984[3] and served as a priest in the Norrbärke parish in Smedjebacken during the 1980s[4] , and later in the Öved Parish from 1988 to 1999.[5]
He moved to Vägsjöfors in Torsby Municipality in 1999, and served as a priest in the Dals-Ed parish between 2001 and 2003. The newspaper Dalslänningen reported on his installation service, which was led by Bishop Bengt Wadensjö alongside a procession of both Swedish and Norwegian clergy colleagues, as he succeeded Henrik Flemberg.[3] He later served for nearly 15 years in the Skillingaryd pastorate[2] , mainly as komminister (curate) in Åker and Hagshult. As a retiree, he worked extensively in Hånger-Dannäs.[6]
Conversion and move to Morocco
In about December 2015, he hosted a young Moroccan refugee named Abdullah (then about 18 years old) in his home, at the request of a teacher in the Swedish for Immigrants course (SFI), because the young man was not comfortable in the reception centers. Abdullah lived with him for about a year and a half, and he was a devout Muslim who prayed the five daily prayers. The two developed a father-son relationship.[7][8]
Leif was moved by this encounter and began studying Islam. He fasted during Ramadan in 2016. In autumn or December 2017, he recited the two declarations of faith (the Shahada) and converted to Islam in secret while still working in the church, and he changed his name to Ahmed.[1][9] He said he saw great similarities between Christianity and Islam, and that Islam contains the teachings of Christianity, with the main difference being the status of Jesus and Muhammad.[6]
In February 2018, he announced his name change and his intention to move to Morocco (at that time, in an interview, he said he had no plans to convert to Islam). He sold his house and planned to leave Sweden in April 2018 to live as a retiree in Morocco.[8] After he announced his conversion to Islam, the Church of Sweden tried to persuade him to return by sending people to Morocco, including a deacon’s assistant, but he refused, saying that he did not need to be “rescued.”[1]
He visited Sweden in 2024 (including Skåne), where he gave lectures and visited mosques in Malmö and Lund, and he appeared on the podcast "Koranpodden."[10]
Documentary
In 2020, the Swedish documentary Bekännelsen – En film om svek, lögner och mod ("The Confession – A Film About Betrayal, Lies and Courage"), directed by Tomas Blideman and Alex Bolevin, was made about his life. The 58-minute film was broadcast on SVT1 on 8 September 2020. It follows his secret conversion, his fear of how others would react, and the lies he told colleagues, friends and the parish in Hånger, before he made the decision to leave the church and move to Morocco.[11]