Islam

The following articles have been tagged with "Islam":

'Jihad Jane' pleads not guilty

National: 18 Mar 10
Colleen LaRose aka 'JihadJane', and the two men held in Ireland in connection with the alleged plot to kill Swedish artist Lars Vilks, are set to face court on Friday. READ »

Two remanded over cartoon murder plot

National: 16 Mar 10
Two men arrested in Ireland last week in connection with a plot to murder Swedish artist Lars Vilks were remanded into custody on Monday. Five of the seven arrested last Monday have now been released. READ »

Malaysia slams Sweden over cartoons

Politics: 14 Mar 10
The Malaysian foreign minister has asked Sweden to take action against newspapers which reprinted a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad with the body of a dog last week. READ »

'Jihad Jane' visited Sweden to plan attack

National: 10 Mar 10
The American woman known as "Jihad Jane", charged by US authorities on Tuesday with conspiring to kill Swedish Muhammad cartoonist Lars Vilks, is reported to have paid a visit to Sweden in August. READ »

US 'Jihad Jane' linked to plot to kill cartoonist

National: 10 Mar 10
An American woman known as "Jihad Jane" was charged by US authorities on Tuesday with conspiring to kill Swedish Muhammad cartoonist Lars Vilks. READ »

Irish police foil plot to kill Swedish cartoonist

National: 9 Mar 10
Seven Muslims were arrested by Irish police on Tuesday on suspicions of conspiracy to murder a Swedish cartoonist who drew the prophet Muhammad with the body of a dog. READ »

Stockholm gives go-ahead for new mosque

National: 27 Feb 10
Local politicians are in agreement that a mosque should be built in Rinkeby, a suburb in western Stockholm. Representatives of six Swedish political parties have expressed support for the new house of worship. READ »

What's On in Sweden: February 19th - 25th

Lifestyle: 18 Feb 10
What’s on in Sweden: Action Impro in Stockholm, Fresh Fish Fashion in Gothenburg and Muslim punk in Malmö. READ »

Iranian demo in clash with Swedish police

National: 12 Feb 10
Two people have been arrested and two others were hurt on Thursday in clashes between anti-Tehran demonstrators and Swedish police outside the Iranian embassy in Stockholm. READ »

'We killed Swedish soldiers': Taliban

National: 11 Feb 10
The Taliban has claimed that it was behind the attack that killed two Swedish solders and their Afghan interpreter on Sunday. READ »

Swede awarded UN top job in Afghanistan

National: 28 Jan 10
Long-serving Swedish diplomat Staffan de Mistura has been appointed by UN chief Ban Ki-moon as his new envoy to Afghanistan. READ »

Jews flee Malmö as anti-Semitism grows

Society: 27 Jan 10
Threats and harassment are becoming increasingly commonplace for Jewish residents in Malmö in southern Sweden, leading many Jews to leave the city out of fear for their safety. READ »

Swede gives millions to German anti-Islam party

National: 25 Jan 10
Swedish far-right businessman Patrik Brinkmann has announced he will pour €5 million ($7.1 million) into the coffers of Pro NRW, an anti-Islam populist party based in Cologne, Germany. READ »

Swedish TV show probes growth of English

Analysis & Opinion: 20 Jan 10
Where did the English language come from? Why has it become the world’s most widespread means of communication? What will happen in the future? Keith Foster, host of a new Swedish TV series, travels the world in search of answers. READ »

Sweden to tackle 'ticking bomb' of Islamic violence

Politics: 19 Jan 10
Sweden needs to do more to help young “violence-affirming Islamists” turn their backs on extremist organizations, minister for integration Nyamko Sabuni said on Tuesday. READ »

Danish artist's attacker 'tried to recruit Swedes'

National: 12 Jan 10
Young Swedes were encouraged to join the militant Islamist group al-Shabaab by the Danish-Somali man who attacked Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard with an axe, according to Danish media reports. READ »

Somali threats against Swedish illustrator

National: 4 Jan 10
Swedish artist Lars Vilks, who sparked outrage with caricatures of the Muslim prophet Muhammad as a dog, has received threats via telephone from Somalia. The threats come just days after a Danish cartoonist was attacked by a terrorist. READ »

No suspects in attack against Malmö mosque

National: 2 Jan 10
As of New Year's Eve evening, police had no suspects for an attack against a mosque in Malmö earlier in the day when shots had been fired through the window. READ »

Iran puts ten Swedes on Interpol wanted list

National: 29 Dec 09
Ten Swedes of Iranian descent are named on Interpol’s list of criminals wanted for terrorism and international organized crime. READ »

Pensioner indicted over China spy scandal

National: 15 Dec 09
A 61-year-old pensioner has been indicted in Stockholm on charges of spying on behalf of the Chinese government. READ »

Swede held in Pakistan on terror suspicions

National: 10 Dec 09
A Swedish national is reportedly among five terror suspects arrested in Pakistan on suspicions of plotting a militant attack, Pakistani authorities said on Wednesday. READ »

Minaret ban favoured by one in four Swedes: poll

National: 3 Dec 09
One in four Swedes is in favour of prohibiting the building of more minarets in the country, a new poll shows. READ »

Members flee Church of Sweden in droves

Society: 1 Dec 09
The Church of Sweden is bleeding members at an increasingly rapid pace, at the same time as membership rolls in Islamic, Roman Catholic, and Orthodox Christian assemblies are on the rise. READ »

Teens sign up for jihad at Stockholm youth centre

National: 11 Nov 09
Swedish taxpayers helped fund a youth recreation centre in the north Stockholm suburb of Rinkeby which served as a recruiting station for the Somalia-based Islamist group al-Shabaab. READ »

Afghanistan must bridge credibility gap: Bildt

Politics: 11 Nov 09
With Kabul's credibility "bordering disaster", Swedish foreign minster Carl Bildt has called on Hamid Karzai to instigate widespread reforms during his second term as president of Afghanistan. READ »

Sweden slammed for UN rights failures

National: 9 Nov 09
Sweden has come in for harsh criticism from the country's United Nations association and 15 other organizations for failing to abide by a number of UN conventions. READ »

Malmö Moderates open to SD cooperation

Politics: 8 Nov 09
The Malmö branch of the Moderate party has not ruled out cooperating with the far-right Sweden Democrat party after next year's general election. READ »

Ex-moderate Muslim to form 'anti-Zionist' party in Sweden

Politics: 3 Nov 09
A once moderate Muslim spokesperson who last year came out as an Islamist radical has announced plans to start a political party uniting all of Sweden’s anti-Zionists. READ »

What's on in Sweden: October 30 - November 5

Lifestyle: 29 Oct 09
What's on in Sweden: Alaska & William Fitzimmons (US) in Stockholm; Cirque du Soleil (CAN) in Gothenburg; Jay Reatard (US) in Malmö/Lund. READ »

Liberals open to Green support to block far-right

Politics: 23 Oct 09
Liberal party leader Jan Björklund has opened up the possibility of cooperating with the Green party if the far-right Sweden Democrats garnered enough votes to hold the balance of power after the 2010 election. READ »

Sweden Democrat quits over anti-Muslim views

Politics: 22 Oct 09
The head of a local chapter of the far-right Sweden Democrats has quit the party in the wake of an anti-Muslim article published by party leader Jimmie Åkesson. READ »

What's on in Sweden: October 23 - 29

Lifestyle: 22 Oct 09
What's on in Sweden: African film festival & lullabies for the environment in Stockholm; Hammarkullen carnival fun & exile film festival in Gothenburg; Steve Earle (US) in Malmö/Lund. READ »

'What do the Sweden Democrats want to do with us Muslims?'

Analysis & Opinion: 21 Oct 09
Anna Waara, chairperson of Swedish Muslims for Peace and Justice, calls for politicians and the media to reject the views expressed in an opinion piece by Sweden Democrat leader Jimmie Åkesson, in which he refers to Muslims as the greatest threat to Sweden since World War II. READ »

Sweden Democrat leader reported for 'hate speech'

Politics: 20 Oct 09
An opinion piece by Sweden Democrat leader Jimmie Åkesson in which he labels Muslims a major threat has been reported to Sweden's highest legal official by the Centre Against Racism. READ »

Islam 'Sweden's biggest threat': far-right leader

Politics: 19 Oct 09
An article by the leader of the far-right Sweden Democrats claiming that Islam is the biggest threat to Sweden since World War II is tantamount to hate speech, according to legal experts. READ »

What's on in Sweden: October 16 - 22

Lifestyle: 15 Oct 09
What's on in Sweden: Championship rugby & Massive Attack (UK) in Stockholm/Uppsala; Chocolate festival & avant garde dance in Gothenburg; Rahael Saadiq (US) in Malmö/Lund. READ »

Anna Anka conjures bygone era of Bad Girls and Mad Men

Analysis & Opinion: 13 Oct 09
An outspoken Hollywood housewife prompts The Local's Jeanne Rudbeck to weigh up her options: stay a wage slave to the grave or get back to bitchin' in the kitchen. READ »

Another Swede held in Pakistan: report

National: 12 Oct 09
Sweden’s foreign ministry confirmed on Monday that an additional Swedish citizen is currently being held in prison in Pakistan following the return home at the weekend of a group of Swedes who had been arrested on terror charges. READ »

Terror suspect Swedes freed from Pakistan

National: 10 Oct 09
The Swedish foreign ministry has confirmed that four Swedish citizens, arrested in Pakistan in August as terrorist suspects, have been released and put on a flight to Stockholm. READ »

What's on in Sweden: October 9 - 15

Lifestyle: 8 Oct 09
What's on in Sweden: Fashion market & Nouvelle Vague (Fr) in Stockholm; Culture night & Nostalgia fair in Gothenburg; The Handsome Family (US) & English comedy in Malmö/Lund. READ »

Pakistan to free Swede held in terror probe

National: 7 Oct 09
The 19-year-old Safia Benaouda and her two-year-old son, who have been imprisoned in Pakistan since August, are to be released “shortly”, according to the Swedish foreign ministry. READ »

Egypt kicks out Swedish journalist

National: 2 Oct 09
A Swedish journalist was deported by Egypt on Thursday due to his alleged involvement in pro-Palestinian march. READ »

Swede held in Pakistan 'refuses to be released': official

National: 29 Sep 09
A 19-year-old Swedish woman is still being held in Islamabad after having declined several times to be released without her husband, Pakistani officials report. READ »

Mystery grows over whereabouts of Pakistan Swedes

National: 27 Sep 09
The Swedish embassy in Islamabad has denied that 19-year-old Safia Benaouda and her two-year-old son have been released by the Pakistani authorities, as reports continue to circulate indicating their imminent return to Sweden. READ »

Swedish woman freed in Pakistan terror probe

National: 25 Sep 09
Safia Benaouda, the 19-year-old Swedish woman arrested in Pakistan earlier in September in the company of former Guantanamo inmate Mehdi Ghezali, is reported to have been released, according to local media. READ »

Swedish officials meet suspects in Pakistan terror probe

National: 23 Sep 09
Official from Sweden's embassy in Islamabad have met with four Swedish terror suspects currently detained in a Pakistani prison, the foreign ministry announced on Wednesday. READ »

Woman 'not a suspect' in Pakistan terror probe

National: 17 Sep 09
The head of the Muslim Council of Sweden, Helena Benaouda, expressed relief on Thursday that her daughter, arrested three weeks ago along with her child and two other Swedes, is not considered a terror suspect by Pakistani authorities. READ »

Terror suspect Swedes still detained: Pakistan

National: 16 Sep 09
Pakistan’s foreign ministry on Wednesday confirmed that four Swedish citizens are sitting in prison in the capital Islamabad, three weeks after their arrest in the north of the country. READ »

Four Swedes in Pakistan terror probe

National: 14 Sep 09
Sweden's foreign ministry confirmed on Monday that four Swedish citizens - three adults and a child - are being held in Pakistan, where authorities are investigating whether the group has ties to Al-Qaeda. READ »

'Guantánamo Swede' arrested in Pakistan

National: 11 Sep 09
One of the three Swedish nationals arrested nearly two weeks ago in Pakistan is Mehdi Ghezali, a former terror suspect who was released from the United States’ Guantánamo Bay prison in 2004. READ »

Swedes reported arrested in Pakistan

National: 8 Sep 09
The Swedish embassy in Pakistan is investigating media reports that three Swedes have been arrested by the Pakistani military. READ »

Sweden says EU ready for 'talks or confrontation' with Iran

Politics: 5 Sep 09
The Swedish EU presidency is ready to talk to or confront Iran over its nuclear programme, characterizing as a “provocation” the appointment of a terror suspect as the country’s defense minister. READ »

Transgender belly dancer helps launch Arab gay initiative

Lifestyle: 21 Aug 09
As a human rights group publishes details of a bloody campaign of hate being waged against gays in Iraq, Rami Abdelrahman speaks to members of a recently founded initiative for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Arabs in Sweden. READ »

Probe into school's alleged Islamic veil discrimination

National: 7 Aug 09
The Swedish Equality Ombudsman has launched a probe into a case of alleged discrimination after two women who wear veils revealing only the eyes claim they were not allowed to attend adult education classes. READ »

Presidency condemns Iran executions

Politics: 6 Aug 09
The Swedish EU presidency has spoken out against Iran's recent execution of 24 people by hanging. READ »

Thousands demonstrate in Stockholm for a free Iran

National: 26 Jul 09
Thousands of demonstrators gathered in in Swedish cities and around the world to protest the re-election of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, calling for the release of political prisoners. READ »

Children tell of 'hell' under abusive father

National: 23 Jul 09
Three of the children of a father accused of abusing and imprisoning his family spoke out on Thursday as the trial of the 58-year-old kicked off in Uppsala in eastern Sweden. READ »

Bildt: Iranian government facing 'legitimacy' issues

Politics: 22 Jul 09
Speaking for the EU Presidency, Sweden's Carl Bildt reiterated on Tuesday that the government of Iran was dealing with questions about its legitimacy in the eyes of its voters. READ »

Bildt: EU faces 'difficult choices' on Iran

Politics: 16 Jul 09
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt reiterated on Wednesday that Iran's nuclear ambitions will present the European Union with some tough decisions in the coming months. READ »

Migration Board bans 'racist' lawyer

National: 15 Jul 09
An asylum lawyer from Skåne in southern Sweden has been blacklisted by the country’s migration authorities following revelations about his personal blog on which he referred to Islam as a “psychosocial disease”. READ »

EU mulls diplomatic pullout in Iran: Sweden

Politics: 3 Jul 09
The Swedish Foreign Ministry has said the EU is considering taking action if Iran fails to release British embassy staff being held in the capital Tehran. READ »

Three of four hate crimes racist: report

National: 29 Jun 09
Three quarters of all hate crimes reported in Sweden are xenophobic or racially motivated, according to a new report. READ »

Migration agency used anti-Muslim lawyer

National: 24 Jun 09
A lawyer contracted by the Swedish Migration Board to represent asylum seekers has a personal blog in which he refers to Islam as a “psychosocial disease”. READ »

Swedish embassy targeted in bomb plot

National: 24 Jun 09
Pakistani security forces have arrested a man suspected of plotting to bomb the Swedish embassy in Islamabad. READ »

Sweden summons Iran's ambassador

Politics: 23 Jun 09
Sweden's foreign ministry summoned Iran's ambassador to a meeting on Tuesday regarding Sweden's "serious concerns" about the ongoing violence and restrictions on free speech in the middle eastern state. READ »

Sweden expels Chinese diplomat: report

Politics: 22 Jun 09
The Swedish government has expelled a Chinese diplomat following revelations that the Chinese embassy was allegedly involved in spying on political refugees residing in Sweden. READ »

Bildt pushes Iran to allow peaceful protests

Politics: 22 Jun 09
Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt on Monday urged Iran to permit peaceful demonstrations against the results of the country’s recent presidential elections. READ »

'God probably doesn't exist': Swedish humanists

Society: 10 Jun 09
The role of religion in public life in Sweden has been brought into sharp relief by a provocative ad campaign questioning the existence of God. READ »

Swedes killed in fighting in Somalia

National: 29 May 09
Several young men who left Sweden to join the radical Islamic militant group al-Shabaab in Somalia have been killed in battle, according to Sweden’s security service. READ »

Weapons smuggled in planes used to send aid: think tank

Politics: 12 May 09
A prominent Swedish think tank has warned that air cargo companies hired to deliver humanitarian aid and support peacekeeping operations in Africa are also often used to smuggle weapons. READ »

What's on in Sweden: April 24 - 30

Lifestyle: 24 Apr 09
What's on in Sweden: International dance day & Salif Keita in Stockholm; English speaking theatre in Gothenburg; Depeche Mode tribute in Malmö. READ »

Muslim group: 'Make halal slaughter legal'

Politics: 31 Mar 09
The Muslim Association of Sweden has renewed calls for the legalization of religious slaughter practices such as kosher and halal. READ »

Rosengård: Integration in the eye of the storm

Analysis & Opinion: 27 Mar 09
Malmö suburb Rosengård has come to symbolise Sweden's struggles with integration. AFP's Marc Preel examines a community grappling with its identity after a winter marred by rioting and clashes with the police. READ »

Somali insurgent group led by a Swede

National: 18 Mar 09
A Swedish citizen of Somali origin previously held in Sweden on terror financing suspicions has returned to his homeland to assume a leadership position in a newly created armed insurgent movement. READ »

Sweden: 'Palestinian accord part of process'

Politics: 26 Feb 09
Sweden's prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt urged national reconciliation between the two main Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fatah, when he met Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Wednesday. READ »

Muslim woman sues college over veil ban

Society: 12 Feb 09
A Stockholm woman has reported an adult education college in Spånga to the Equality Ombudsman (DO) after being told that she could not wear an Islamic headscarf in class. READ »

'Anti-Semitism on the rise in Sweden'

Analysis & Opinion: 9 Feb 09
An ugly wave of anti-Semitism is on the rise in Sweden, and politicians who compare Israel with Nazi Germany or apartheid-era South Africa cannot claim to be free of responsibility, writes David Stavrou, a freelance Israeli journalist based in Sweden. READ »