Sweden’s Hypocrisy: Targeting Islamophobia While Ignoring Its Roots
In the second week of last month, Swedish prosecutors charged two Iraq-born residents, Salwan Momika and Salwan Najem, for the crime of “agitation against an ethnic and national group” for burning the Quran several times in 2023. Some of the acts that were done on camera were making derogatory remarks about Muslims, and this generated a lot of concern and international uproar as people deemed Sweden a nation whose issues respect multiculturalism and harmony among the people.
While prosecuting these men is a necessary move, it barely scratches the surface of Sweden’s deeper issue: the demonization of Muslims and the supposed normalization of Islamophobia has been an important one. This paper seeks to demonstrate that the political structure, laws, and laws of the country and the social culture of the society at large offer and, in most cases, support discrimination against Muslims.
Islamophobia in High Places
In my thesis, I have established that the problem of Islamophobia is not just an isolated one in Sweden. It begins at the top. Examples include Jimmie Akesson, the former leader of the SD party who, even in 2000, has been known to display hatred towards Muslims. Akesson has many times demanded to destroy mosques and ban Islamic symbols. His vocabulary is purely scary, saying that Sweden is afraid of either “Islamists, terrorists, and anti-democrats” or “democracy and the West.”
Still, these defaming statements made by Akesson are quite problematic, and still, the person continues as a member of the Swedish ruling coalition without much consequence. Not even the Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, who denounced some of Akesson’s statements, has done anything tangible against him. It is thus worrying that mainstream political parties appear to tolerate, if not promote, Islamophobia, which opens the door to bigotry against Muslims.
Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch has also helped to create this poisonous climate by calling on Muslims who do not ‘assimilate’ to leave Sweden. Such statements indicate an increasing attempt to Other the Muslims in the name of maintaining national identity and, therefore, firmly establishing Islamophobia in the political culture of Sweden.
Freedom of Speech as a Shield for Hate
Sweden is one of the countries with relatively free speech laws due to what is entailed in the constitution, but with time, these laws have been used to persecute Muslims. Article 21 has two chapters for the protection of the right to freedom of speech: Chapter two of Article 21 has provisions that allow for freedom of speech, especially on matters that are not considered sensitive, such as religious or cultural matters.
Thus, actions such as burning the Quran are lawful, although they trigger feelings of prejudice.
Swedish Muslims, who constitute roughly 7 percent of the population, are discriminated against in society, at work, and in all spheres of their lives. Even more, hate speech proves to be tolerated within the legal system, and thus only adds to their isolation. The burning of the Quran was legal under Swedish law, but due to pressure from the international community, the government had to prosecute the people involved. Nevertheless, this initiated legal action appears to have been designed and undertaken merely to appease international audiences rather than to dilemma Swedes’ oppressed Muslim populace.
The Far-Right and Government Complicity
People like Rasmus Paludan, a Danish-Swedish lawyer and the leader of the extremely racist ‘Stram Kurs’ party, are enjoying the freedom that Sweden offers. Paludan, who has previously ordered Quran burnings that sparked riots, has essentially gone scot-free for his racism and Islamophobia. His party goes on as before, evincing no genuine governmental scrutiny; his story discloses an organizational system that not simply permits but sponsors neo-Nazi thugs.
This is a clear case of hypocrisy, especially given that Sweden has been reluctant to condemn or arrest these actors. Thus, even though it is already a positive step toward change that Momika and Najem were prosecuted, the actual issue is the government’s involvement. Islamophobia has been mainstreamed, and until the politics change, these prosecutions will remain more of the same symbolic acts.
Sweden’s Double Standards
It is correct to persecute those who disrespect the Quran, but it will not help to cope with the problem observed in Sweden. The hatred against Muslims is well rooted in the political systems of the United Kingdom, where political leaders who incite hatred against Muslims go scot-free. Sweden cannot be proud of itself for being a symbol of religious tolerance while permitting neo-Nazi men to unleash violence on Syrian refugees. However, the issue is structural, and therefore, the Swedish authorities will not be able to eradicate discrimination against Muslims in Sweden by arresting a few people.
