Sweden's New Stockholm Syndrome
exploring Islamic Radicalization in Sweden
By Sara Radomski and Erik Miller

To many, Sweden is a leading model for what a modern, liberal democracy should be; an exemplar of tolerance, humanitarianism, and diplomacy. To those who monitor global jihadism, however, Sweden has shown a severe lack of leadership in confronting the growing problem of Islamic radicalization within its own borders.

Even as newly-emerging evidence continues to expose this process of radicalization; the Swedish establishment fails to face the problem directly. In the name of multiculturalism and religious equality, leading Swedish figures have chosen not only to deny the issue but to seemingly embrace their homegrown Islamists.

This phenomenon is a new form of nationwide "Stockholm Syndrome" that is self-deceptive, self-defeating, and ultimately, suicidal. One of the ironic consequences of this new collective "Stockholm Syndrome" is that democratic values such as free-speech are sacrificed on the altar of political-correctness. But history shows that whenever critical-thinking is devalued - censorship and ideological extremism gain ground.

If the Swedish status quo abdicates its right to critique culturally/religiously-inspired ideas or behavior - Sweden will lose its ability to identify and counter the indoctrination, recruitment, and financing of Islamic radicalism; necessary precursors to any jihadist terror attack. In the final analysis, only tough leadership and an honest assessment of the threat can save Sweden.
" The Unholy Alliance" On 31 May 2010, the Israeli navy clashed with Turkish Islamists aboard the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara ship in what has since become a notorious international incident. The Islamic activists were one contingent within a larger Flotilla of left-wing pro-Palestinian activists from various nationalities.

The Flotilla itself then serves as a microcosmic reminder of the widening alliance between Muslim radicals and Western leftists. And counted among these sea-faring activists were 11 Swedish citizens, including a Green Party member of the Swedish Parliament.

In the aftermath of this incident and the deaths that followed, thousands of angry Muslim and leftist protesters gathered in the streets of Sweden's major cities to protest what they perceived as yet another act of Israeli intransigence. Sweden's Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, politicians from various parties, artists, and others came out to condemn Israel and support the "humanitarians" who tried to break the Jewish State's blockade.

This entire episode hints at the growing problem of Islamic radicalization in Sweden as well as the sanctification Islamists receive from left-wing activists, many of whom are ethnic Swedes. Yet the Flotilla incident is only one of many recent events confirming the trend.
Shifting Demographics For most of its modern history, Sweden has been governed by socialist and/or leftist parties. Consequently, Sweden has developed a generous immigration policy that has absorbed a large influx of refugees from Islamic countries.

Swedish politicians naturally feel compelled to support Islamic-friendly policies in order to win this ever-growing Muslim-Swedish vote.

The Green Party, for example, currently seeks to open more private Islamic schools in Sweden. These schools are typically places where children are subjected to dogmatic studies of the Quran in their parents' language and in an environment that is sometimes hostile to Western or Swedish values. By upholding the seclusion of Sweden's Muslim immigrants in the name of cultural sensitivity, Swedish political leaders perpetuate the process of radicalization.

Today there are some 250,000-450,000 Muslims living in Sweden which has a total of about nine million inhabitants. It's hard to estimate the actual number of Muslims, as the Swedish state does not conduct any official registration of its citizens' ethnicity or religion. As there is also no clear-cut definition of who identifies as Muslim, it's nearly impossible to pinpoint exact figures. Islam, however, is estimated to be Sweden's second largest religion.

According to Leif Steinberg, an expert in Islamic studies, the ethnic make-up of the people who define themselves as Muslim in all of Sweden in the year 2000 was represented (in order of largest to smallest) by: Bosnian, Iranian, Iraqi and Turkish immigrants. Other groups of Muslims came from Lebanon, Somalia and Kosovo/Albania, yet it is unknown where these Muslims settled throughout the Swedish state or to what degree they considered themselves religious.

The largest Muslim communities in Sweden are located in the three largest cities: Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö. In all three cities there are known cases of radical Islamic activities.

"Let [Bush] tell us then, "Why did we not attack Sweden?'" - Osama Bin Laden, 2004

Unlike England or Spain, Sweden has not yet suffered any coordinated jihadi terror attacks targeting the state itself. The reason has less to do with the Swedish preventative security forces and more with the fact that global jihadists see Sweden as a safe-haven, not an enemy.

In 2005, for example, the Iraqi terror group, Ansar al-Islam (aka Ansar al-Sunnah), posted videos of its militants training and setting off explosives in a wooded valley region which they claimed was the Skane area of Sweden (which includes Malmö). The initial video threatened to attack Sweden because of the anti-Muhammad remarks made by a Swedish preacher, Runar Soogard. But then another video followed assuring the Swedes that they weren't targeted for assassination, in general, but only those individuals who dared to insult the Prophet.

A prominent leader of Ansar al-lslam was Abu Qaswarah, a Swedish citizen since the 1990's. Qaswarah, also known as al-Skani (the Swede), was once second-in-command of Al-Qaeda in Iraq (under Zarqawi) before US forces killed him in October 2005. Before his journey to Iraq, Qaswarah was a member of the Brandbergen Mosque in Stockholm. The Mosque reportedly served as a center to disseminate information and funds for various jihadist groups including that which is today known as Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).


About the Authors

Sara Radomski, originally from Malmo, Sweden, holds a MA in Counter-Terrorism from the Interdisciplinary Center in Israel. She is currently researching Swedish anti-semitism for the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA) and works for the Institute for Terrorism Research and Response (ITRR).

Erik Miller is the Director of Security Studies at the Institute of Terrorism Research and Response (ITRR), where he serves as project-manager, case officer, researcher, and intelligence writer

 

---