Saliha Marie Fetteh (born 19 January 1962 as Mette Marie Andersen) is a Danish author, debater, lecturer and former imam. She co-founded the Mariam Mosque in 2016 and became the first female imam in Scandinavia, along with co-founder

Sherin Khankan Sherin Khankan (born Ann Christine Khankan; 13 October 1974) is Denmark's (and Scandinavia's) first female imam; she founded a Women's mosques, women-led mosque in Copenhagen. She is also an activist on Muslim issues including female integration ...

Early and personal life

Fetteh was born as Mette Marie Andersen on 19 January 1962 in

Skagen Skagen () is the northernmost town in Denmark, on the east coast of the Skagen Odde peninsula in the far north of Jutland, part of Frederikshavn Municipality in North Denmark Region, Nordjylland, north of Frederikshavn and northeast of Aalbo ...

. When she was 12, she moved with her family to Vollsmose in

Odense Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (after Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2025, the city proper had a population of 185,480 while Odense Municipality had a population of 210, ...

when her father got a job at the Lindø shipyard. She formed strong friendships with Pakistani and Turkish girls in her area after feeling dissatisfied with her local community and gradually embraced their faith, and converted to Islam at the age of 18 and changed her name to Saliha Marie Fetteh. When she was 24, she met an Iraqi man 18 years her senior who was living in Denmark after fleeing military service. They married and immigrated to Iraq in 1987, after her husband was promised amnesty. However he was arrested upon arrival in Iraq and was only allowed to see her if he returned to the army. Fetteh moved into her husband's childhood home in northern Iraq while her husband had every other weekend off. However, he eventually fled the army again and left Fetteh behind. Without a man's signature, she found herself unable to obtain a residence, work or exit permit and was stranded there. After adjusting to her new situation, she earned a bachelor's degree in Arabic from

Al-Mustansiriya University Al-Mustansiriyah University () is a public university located in Baghdad, Iraq. It traces its origin back to 1227. The modern form of the university was founded in 1963. History The original Mustansiriya Madrasah was established in 1227 (or 12 ...

and got a job at a lingerie factory with help from her brother-in-law. In 1995, she left Iraq after all foreigners were ordered to leave the country.

Career

On her return to Denmark, she underwent primary school teacher training and received a cand.mag in Middle Eastern studies at the

University of Southern Denmark The University of Southern Denmark (, SDU) has campuses located in Southern Denmark and on Zealand. It offers a number of joint programmes in co-operation with the University of Flensburg and the University of Kiel. Contacts with regional indu ...

. She is a former part-time lecturer at the University of Southern Denmark and a regular commentator for Religion.dk. In 2016, she published the book ''Landet mellem de to floder'' about Iraq and the many years she spent there. In 2019, she released the travel book ''Alle veje fører til Amman'', followed by ''Maria lærer arabisk - en arabisk læsebog for begyndere'' in 2021. Three years later, in 2024, she published ''Med vinden som vidne - slægten fra Uggerby'', where she focuses on her own family and her female ancestors in particular.

Mariam Mosque

In 2016, Fetteh, along with

and others, started the Mariam Mosque in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

, which made history by becoming the first mosque in Scandinavia to have female imams lead Friday prayers. The mosque received a lot of media attention in Denmark and abroad, but was largely ignored by the Danish Muslim community. A year later, Fetteh left the mosque after disagreeing with Khankan over the theological line, with Fetteh saying her view of Islam was more conservative than the line drawn by the mosque.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fetteh, Saliha Marie 1962 births Living people 21st-century Danish non-fiction writers 21st-century Danish women writers People from Skagen People from Odense Municipality Danish imams Danish women activists Female Islamic religious leaders Muslim activists Proponents of Islamic feminism Immigrants to Iraq Al-Mustansiriya University alumni University of Southern Denmark alumni Academic staff of the University of Southern Denmark 21st-century Muslims Converts to Islam Danish lecturers