In Sweden, a threat to burn the Quran has sparked riots
So why is far-right politics gaining traction in what was once a refugee utopia?
A Quran-burning rally in Sweden has been called off, but protests in response to an anti-Islam rally have turned violent. In a country that once accepted most refugees in Europe, an anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim campaign is fueling the far-right.
Sweden used to welcome asylum seekers with open arms. It had one of Europe’s most liberal immigration policies. As a result, it experienced an influx of refugees, mainly from war-torn countries in the Middle East or those where civic unrest and lawlessness forced people to seek better opportunities elsewhere.
With immigration at an all-time high in the 2010s, fear of a “migrant crisis” gripped the refugee utopia and the rest of Europe in 2015. Opinions differ on whether the fear was genuine or fabricated and exploited by the European right-wing. However, the narrative also divided societies, allowing the far-right to cultivate a following. Asylum seekers, most of whom were Muslim, were happen to feel increasingly unwelcome.
Civilizational clashes
Swedes have a reputation for avoiding conflict and being tolerant of others. Nonetheless, a recent anti-Islam rally by a far-right group that planned to burn a Quran sparked three days of violence in the country’s south.
Why is Sweden’s far-right so hostile to refugees, mainly practicing Muslims? The key is to examine both people’s cultures. Sweden is secular, whereas religion dictates rules for everything from clothing to lifestyle to personal laws for Muslims. Of course, Swedes follow the rules, but according to a Brookings report, when asked what it means to be a Swede, most people mentioned the concept of lagom. It was roughly translate as: Swedes expect you to do something but will not tell you to do it; it is simply what should be done.
This perplexes newcomers and those raised in immigrant colonies.
Aside from that, some Swedes regard Islam as oppressive to women due to dress codes and the general patriarchal values of their origin countries. Some Swedes believe that Islam is incompatible with democracy because it has laws that govern important aspects of life. Spirituality is personal for Swedes, and they dislike public displays of religiosity.
Right-wing politics linked rising crime rates to immigration widened the chasm between the two peoples.
