Response to interpellation 2023/24:125 on the silence of Muslim religious communities
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
KD condemns Hamas's attacks and emphasizes Israel's right to self-defense 1. KD works to combat violence-oriented extremism, plans new democratic conditions for religious communities 1 and has introduced a new crime for participation in a terrorist organization 1. KD is concerned about the vulnerability of the Jewish minority 2 and argues that one should be careful about linking Muslims with Hamas to avoid polarization 2. KD emphasizes that Jews are in a vulnerable situation 3 and that Muslims are also subjected to attacks against mosques 4. SD considers that there is a striking silence from Muslim religious communities regarding Hamas's attacks 5 6. SD argues that antisemitism is a gigantic problem 7 and that Jew-hatred is incorporated into Islam's scriptures 7. SD considers that the religious communities should take an unreserved distance from Hamas 7. SD argues that there is a widespread antisemitism within the Muslim population 6 8 and that persons with Muslim faith and immigrant background in the Western world celebrated Hamas's terrorist attacks 6. SD considers that Quran burning is part of freedom of speech 8.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Socialministern Jakob Forssmed (KD)
Madam Speaker! Tobias Andersson has asked me if I intend to work for a review of pro-terrorist sympathies within Muslim religious communities. Tobias Andersson has also asked me if I intend to review the funding of various religious communities and associations if it turns out that pro-terrorist sympathies are found.
I would like to begin by underlining that the government unreservedly condemns the terrorist group Hamas's horrific attacks. Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas's attacks in accordance with international law. At the same time, it is of the utmost importance that all parties comply with international humanitarian law.
The government also takes a strong stand against and is actively working to curb both violence-promoting extremism and terrorism, regardless of whether it is politically or religiously motivated and regardless of where in society it is found.
The government's starting point is that religious communities have an important role for their members and, through the work they perform, also for society as a whole. They also contribute to keeping the democratic conversation alive. The right to practice one's faith openly, fully, and together with fellow believers is central in our society. Violence-oriented extremism or terrorism aimed at undermining this and other democratic values must be combated with the utmost determination and force.
An important part of the work involves ensuring that tax revenues do not go to violent extremism, terrorism, or other anti-democratic movements that want to divide our society. The Government plans to submit a bill to the Riksdag where new conditions for support to religious communities and other organizations in civil society, sometimes called the democracy conditions, are presented. It is important to have clarified, legally secure, and uniform conditions for grant provision in place. We need to ensure that authorities and organizations that distribute support to civil society have well-functioning tools to prevent funds from going to activities that are not compatible with society's fundamental values.
The Government has implemented several other measures in parallel with the process regarding new conditions for the granting of grants. On 1 June 2023, legislative changes entered into force which mean that a new crime, participation in a terrorist organization, was introduced in the Terrorist Crime Act (2022:666). The new crime entails a specific criminal liability for those who participate in the activities of a terrorist organization in a way that is intended to promote, strengthen, or support the organization.
The Government has also, in the budget bill for 2024, proposed that funds be allocated to the Crime Prevention Council to, among other things, establish a central support function at the Center against violent extremism in order to prevent public funds from being distributed to activities with links to violent extremism or other anti-democratic environments.
In addition to these efforts, the law enforcement authorities also conduct continuous and careful work regarding organizations that promote violent extremism or terrorism, or that in other ways undermine democracy. If the relevant authorities receive information that a religious community, a congregation, or an association has links to extremism or terrorism in such a way that they constitute a security problem, information will be shared between them and relevant measures will be taken.
The fundamental principles on which our society rests must be defended and promoted, and this is an important issue for the government. Let me therefore conclude by once again emphasizing that violent extremism and terrorism shall be combated with the utmost determination and force.
Tobias Andersson (SD)
Madam Speaker! Thank you for the answer, Minister! In the aftermath of Hamas's ruthless attack against Israel and their torture, murders, and kidnappings, it may seem as if the entire Swedish society should distance itself from Hamas and express its clear support for Israel. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. Instead, we have seen everything from high-ranking politicians to Islamists who have tried to relativize and excuse the attack or shift the focus away from the attack.
On streets and squares, the killing of civilians has even been hailed by thousands. From the left wing, there is a desire to legitimize the pro-Palestinian demonstrations and the antisemitic statements as a reasonable criticism of Israel, even though that is not the case. Time and again, there are attempts to equate the democratic state of Israel with the terrorist group Hamas.
Against that background, it is important that the government is clear about its support for Israel, which I believe the government has been. It would also have been appropriate if the Muslim religious communities in Sweden had clearly distanced themselves from Hamas and their killing of civilians on October 7.
Magnus Norell, a researcher focusing on terrorism and the Middle East, wrote the following in Expressen in connection with exactly this:
One might think that it would not be so difficult to condemn, or at least distance oneself from, mutilated pregnant women, burned-to-death infants with severed necks, or raped and murdered young women whose bodies were then desecrated. But this is how Sweden's largest Muslim organizations have chosen to act, and in this lies a clear message that Sweden as a nation should most seriously take to heart.
"If Sweden does not address this issue on all fronts, we have paved the way for a long-lasting and even more polarized and divided country, which does not bode well for the future."
I agree with that quote and with the problem picture that is painted, given the strategic silence from certain concerned parties.
There are probably many measures that the government can take in this area to counter violent extremism in general and Islamism in particular. Jakob Forssmed mentions some in his response. This includes, among other things, the support for the Swedish Crime Prevention Council to establish a center against violent extremism, the new legislation regarding participation in a terrorist organization, and the upcoming bill with new conditions for support to religious communities and civil society, including the democratic conditions. It is very much appreciated, and we can return to it during the debate.
I would, however, like to start by asking Jakob Forssmed if he agrees with the picture that the researcher Magnus Norell paints in Expressen, regarding antisemitism among Muslims and the striking silence of the Muslim religious communities after Hamas's terror attacks. Has the minister requested condemnations or clear positions against Hamas in the dialogue that the minister has had with the Muslim religious communities since the terror attacks on October 7?
Josef Fransson (SD)
Madam Speaker! On October 7, one of the most bestial and sadistic atrocities we have ever witnessed on this earth was committed, I would like to say. The terrorist organization Hamas murdered 1,400 Israeli civilians. The primary targets appear to have been women and children. Under the war cry Allahu akbar, a mother was raped, among other things, while her children were shoved into and grilled in an oven. Young Jewish women were raped and broken, and then dragged behind cars. They kidnapped 240 civilians. They entered Gaza and committed a series of further bestial acts, all of which are difficult to even utter. They did this while filming themselves and expressing euphoric happiness over having murdered Jews.
All over Sweden, we could see how this was immediately celebrated by car convoys with sirens and Palestinian flags.
The celebration of the October 7 massacre has furthermore been replaced by mass demonstrations where hordes of Islamists - and certainly one or another weak-minded useful idiot - demonstrate on Swedish streets and chant about intifadas, the erasure of Israel, and much more.
Antisemitism in Sweden today is a gigantic problem, as I see it. It is so large that one can wonder if Sweden's Jews even have any future in Sweden. I know that it is a question that they ask themselves as well. I mean that we must speak plainly about where this antisemitism comes from. It is people with roots in the Middle East. The author Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who has left Islam, tells in one of her books about how one as a Muslim often gets the hatred of Jews with the mother's milk. Those who know something about Islam's scriptures are hardly surprised. The hatred of Jews is, so to speak, incorporated into the religion.
One point in this context is that the mass demonstrations we are now seeing ring very false. It is a feigned concern for the Palestinians. Had one protected the Palestinians, one would have started by demanding that Hamas release the 240 who they took hostage on October 7. That is not what is being done. The hatred towards the Jews is much greater than the pity for their Muslim brothers and sisters who are now actually falling victim to Israel's defensive war against Hamas. Hamas's tactic is, as we all know, that as many Palestinian civilians as possible should die so that they can photograph these bodies and send them to AP.
Further evidence that the care for Muslims is secondary is that hundreds of thousands of Muslims have been killed in recent decades in countries such as Syria, Yemen, and many others, primarily by other Muslims, but then without any notable demonstrations from either the Swedish left or Muslim groups and religious communities. How is that? The question is possibly somewhat rhetorical. But I think it is distressing to see the eloquent silence from Muslim religious communities. I think it is time to hold them accountable. They need to take an unreserved distance from Hamas's terror, and there I also think the government has a role to play.
Socialministern Jakob Forssmed (KD)
Madam Speaker! I and the government are very concerned about the situation for the Jewish minority in Sweden, which the interpellator has raised. I personally visited the Jewish congregation in Helsingborg on Thursday. It is a very small congregation, furthermore in a city where it was celebrated in connection with Hamas's heinous terror attack. It is clear that the question becomes existential when one is forced to take off Jewish symbols or to avoid speaking Hebrew on the streets and when one reflects on the future.
It is incredibly important for the government to support the Jewish minority. Today, the State Secretary had meetings regarding securing Jewish life in Sweden. It is very important for us. We have submitted a special contribution for the current year of 10 million to the Jewish Central Council to increase security and take measures so that one can be met in this very vulnerable situation when antisemitism spreads on social media, in schools, and on the streets. We will also increase the security contribution overall for next year for this reason. A large part of those funds will be able to be shared by Jewish organizations.
Antisemitism is to a greater extent among people from the Middle East. It is obvious. It is not uncommon that one has brought it with them when growing up. Furthermore, it is not uncommon that it is state-supported. It is about states' work to attack Israel in different ways. We need to be aware of that. It does not mean that it is the only source of antisemitism. It also exists among the far-right. It also exists historically among far-left groups. Jews are vulnerable in Sweden in the sense that antisemitism exists broadly. Furthermore, there is a threat against Jews from both Islamists as well as from the far-right and also far-left groups.
I think one should be a bit careful and not make this into a conflict between Jews and Muslims, because it is not. This is fundamentally a conflict between Israel and Hamas. One should not hold Jews in Sweden responsible for various things that the state of Israel does; one must be very careful about that. One should also be careful about linking Muslims with Hamas in various ways. The conflict does not stand between Jews and Muslims in that way. They are also often careful themselves to emphasize this, and I think there are reasons to underline it in order to not drive further polarization.
I think it is very good if very many distance themselves from terrorism in different ways. It is a terrible and horrific phenomenon, and we see now what it leads to. It leads to immense suffering and an existential vulnerability for Jews in different ways. It also brings an enormous misfortune upon the Palestinian people.
It is important that Israel's right to self-defense occurs within the framework of international humanitarian law. But it is particularly important to condemn the bestial crime that Hamas committed against Israel and everything that now results from this.
Tobias Andersson (SD)
Madam Speaker! Thank you for the answer, Minister! I agree with what the Minister says regarding the importance of condemning the bestial violence that Hamas committed against civilian Jews in Israel.
It is exactly against that background that I chose to submit this interpellation. There has, in fact, been a striking silence regarding this from the Muslim religious communities that exist in Sweden today. Jakob Forssmed is welcome to correct me if I am wrong, if it is the case that Jakob Forssmed in his role as minister in the area has received various condemnations from Muslim religious communities. I have not.
Most recently today, a debate article was published in Sydsvenskan. It was signed by Arlöv Muslimska Kulturförening, Malmö Muslimska församling, Malmö Muslimska Samfund, Bosniakiska islamiska föreningen i Malmö, Islamiska Förbundet i Malmö and so on. I believe it was up to 20 organizations that signed it. They condemned how Swedish media reports on the conflict, and they condemned both Israel's response to the attack from Hamas and Israel as a state. They also highlighted that they viewed the Swedish government's support for Israel with dismay, but what they chose not to condemn was one thing, namely Hamas and their attack on October 7. This was, therefore, signed by a set of Muslim associations.
There is no condemnation there. I have not received anything of that kind. This is a problem.
I think it is positive that the Minister notes that there is a significantly more widespread antisemitism among people from the Middle East, because that is the case. Then the Minister still chooses to note that there are other groups, both far-right and far-left, who somewhere meet in opposition to Israel and in some cases in antisemitism. That is true. But the measurements that exist from Sweden, the United Kingdom, Germany, and other states clearly show that antisemitism among the domestic population only amounts to a few percent. It is a problem that we can absolutely address, but in the Muslim population, even in Western countries, we are talking about up to 30 percent who harbor antisemitic views. This is not about Muslims who can claim that they have been affected by Israel's actions in the Middle East, but it is people who have been born in the Western world, who have been born in Europe, who have been born in Sweden.
It is also the case that it is absolutely possible to make a connection between Palestinians and Hamas or Muslims in the area and Hamas. Hamas was indeed elected at one point in time, and we also saw how Muslims around the world celebrated when Hamas committed terrorist attacks against Israel. Before Israel had responded to the terrorist attack, Muslims in Sweden as well as around the Western world chose to go out and celebrate the attacks, even though the only thing known at that time was that a terrorist organization had chosen to ruthlessly slaughter and murder innocent people.
Then Muslims around the world celebrated. It was not Swedes who celebrated. It was not Christians who celebrated. It was not those who potentially have a reason to harbor resentment toward Israel in the Middle East who celebrated. It was people of the Muslim faith, with immigrant backgrounds in the Western world, who celebrated in the streets and squares. People who have never been affected by anything that Israel has done celebrated here. Then one must be honest and say that there is a profound problem with antisemitism within the Muslim population both in Sweden as well as in Palestine and other parts of the world.
Adam Cwejman in Göteborgs-Posten wrote just this week about the importance of daring to state who is responsible for the antisemitism if we are to be able to tackle this issue. One must be able to state this, because it is not just about how the antisemitism manifests itself.
I therefore want to ask the minister once again if he agrees that there is a widespread antisemitism among Muslims in Sweden.
Josef Fransson (SD)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for this conversation or debate or whatever we shall call it! We are, once again, fundamentally in agreement that Hamas should be condemned unconditionally and that antisemitism is a problem. Then there are possibly degrees of this where we differ. I do not know. The Minister may perhaps answer that; I shall not put words in his mouth.
The Minister said that Jews in Sweden should not be held responsible for what is happening in Israel. That is naturally correct, and I do not believe that it is something that we from Sverigedemokraterna or the government are doing. However, it occurs very much in other cases, and it is deplorable to see how the Swedish left handles this conflict. It is obvious that antisemitism thrives significantly the further to the left one goes.
Fortunately, they are perhaps not particularly prone to violence and do not go on the attack in that way. We may, however, have a few smaller groups of right-wing extremists who do, but in total, neither of these two groups is an existential threat to Sweden's Jews in the short, medium, or long term. That is how I see it, and I hope I am not wrong.
What makes Jews today wonder if they have a future in Sweden, I believe is neither traditional "Swedish" left-wing or right-wing extremists, or what we shall call them, but it is something new that is happening in Sweden today. I am glad that I myself am not in those shoes, but at the same time, we are a canary in a coal mine, as people usually say. It begins with the Jews, and then it continues.
Socialministern Jakob Forssmed (KD)
Madam Speaker! It is, as I described, a very vulnerable situation for Jews in Sweden. This stems, not least, from the fact that threats and hatred have increased in connection with or in the aftermath of Hamas's terrorist acts and what is happening there. As I also noted, people who have their background in the Middle East are overrepresented when it comes to harboring antisemitic views. So it seems to be. But I would not underestimate other threats against Jews from other groups.
We need to fight antisemitism regardless of where it appears anywhere, and we are doing a lot regarding this. We are strengthening the security for Jewish groups in Sweden to ensure that there is the possibility to fully live a Jewish life in this country and follow their culture and their traditions. This government will stand up for Jews' right to live a life as Jews in Sweden.
In addition to the security measures that I pointed out, we are doing active work against antisemitism with remembrance trips and educational initiatives to ensure that we counter this poison, which is being spread in society with very great force and in a very unpleasant way. We intend to continue with this.
It is also important that we are careful and do not turn this into a conflict between Jews and Muslims and then fuel the conflict in different ways. I just want to emphasize this further in this context.
Only in the last few weeks, four mosques have been vandalized in different ways. It is a threat that meets ordinary Muslims who want to celebrate worship in accordance with their faith, and they should have every right to do so as well without being affected by threats, hate, and Islamophobia in various ways. Furthermore, during the summer, they have been exposed to Quran burnings, even in connection with them being on their way to their worship services.
Freedom of religion applies to everyone in Sweden, and it is important. We must ensure that people who want to live their lives in freedom shall be able to do so, regardless of which religion they profess or if they do not profess a religion at all. It is incredibly important for the government to secure this freedom.
Tobias Andersson (SD)
Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister again for the answer.
One should perhaps not dwell on formulations, but my perception is that one cannot be subjected to a Quran burning. No one is subjected to anything when a book is burned. As said; one should not dwell on exact formulations, but I still want to get it into the record that I absolutely do not think anyone is subjected to anything just because a book is burned. It is part of our freedom of expression, provided that one, for example, has applied for a demonstration permit or whatever it may be. No one is going to be harmed because a book is burned.
It is another matter if tens of thousands of people stand 200 meters from here and shout: From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free. It indirectly means that all Jews in the region must either migrate from the land where they have a cultural and religious home or they will be slaughtered. It is by definition what one expresses when one says that one wants Palestine to exist from the sea to the river.
This is a completely different concern than a holy scripture being burned; that is to say, it is significantly worse to incite violence and to stand behind an erasure of Israel as a state and thus the Jews who live and work there. I note that this has been chanted almost daily freely on Swedish streets and squares.
I also note that this is a widespread concern. Even though the minister has not admitted that it is a concern that antisemitism is widespread within the Muslim population, the minister has at least pointed to persons with a background from the Middle East – even though Muslims is a more correct designation of those who are affected. I do not believe that the Israelis who live in Israel, who happen to be in the Middle East, have so much antisemitism among them.
Has the minister held a dialogue with the Muslim religious communities? Why have they not condemned Hamas's terror attack?
Socialministern Jakob Forssmed (KD)
Madam Speaker! I made an argument, but that did not mean that I equated different things with each other. I believe that was clear to the listeners. On the other hand, I can state that Muslims are also currently being subjected to attacks against mosques, and I think we can jointly condemn that. So that should not be in a country.
Of course, one can be vulnerable to different things in different contexts of different degrees of severity. Right now, we know that many Jews are incredibly vulnerable, experience an existential threat, and reflect on their Jewish lives in different ways. The Government intends to stand up for their right to live as Jews in Sweden, and we do not intend to do anything other than just this. We have been clear about this in many different ways.
It is important to safeguard everyone's right to freedom of religion. It is fundamental for Sweden. We maintain a continuous dialogue with religious communities, and I meet with them at regular intervals. Most recently, we had the Council of Religious Communities gathered at the Ministry of Social Affairs. We also had the Swedish Committee against Antisemitism present, which accounted for antisemitism, how it spreads, how it functions, and how we can help each other in different ways to counteract it. It is incredibly important that many of us can work together to counteract the misconceptions that are spread about Jews, which are very harmful to society and contribute to hatred and polarization.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.