239,000 Norwegians check whether they were enrolled in religious groups

Nearly a quarter of a million Norwegians have checked whether they were registered with a religious group without their knowledge, DR reports, citing Norwegian outlet VG.

Some 239,000 people accessed official records over the past 10 days. The checks followed a VG report last week that several people had been registered without knowing it, including Mahmoud Farahmand, a member of parliament from the Høyre party.

Religious groups receive state funding based on the number of valid members. The registrations allowed groups to obtain public money for people who had not knowingly joined.

The 239,000 visits are far above the usual level. Registry press officer Frode Nordfjellmark said the records typically receive between 200 and 500 visitors on an ordinary day.