Selbekk became widely known in Norway and abroad after he in 2006 reprinted a facsimile of the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons as editor of the Christian newspaper Magazinet (now Dagen), sparking a major incident and ensuing controversy.

[4] He has attended Livets Ord's Bible school in Uppsala, Sweden, and was for many years an important figure of the Norwegian charismatic free church movement.

[5][8][11] He released the book Truet av islamister later that year, which chronicled the events, and criticized Norwegian authorities' handling of the case.

[5] Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre expressed understanding for the reactions in Muslim countries, and apologized for the unrest the cartoons had sparked.

[13] Selbekk has strongly criticized what he has described as being singled out as a "public enemy", making him a "legitimate target" amid death threats against himself and his family.