As the first article notes, Islamic coins are commonly found in Scandinavian countries, often cut up indicating they were considered just another form of bullion. Vikings ranged far across land and sea to trade: Czarist Russia, crossroads of East, Mideast, and West, developed out of Viking cities in what is now Russia and Belarus. The copying of Persian script, which weavers may or may not have realized was anything more than decoration, certainly does not imply a religious motive. We should expect middle-eastern beads to turn up in Scandinavia as well.