Stockholm: “Let’s work together to modernize Sweden”

The Swedish parliamentary elections are coming up in September. The Swedish Green Party posted the following ad in the immigrant-heavy Stockholm suburb of Skärholmen.

(PI)

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

The slogan says “Let’s work together to modernize Sweden!”, and the poster seems to be a translation of what the Green Party calls the multicultural elections ad:

(Green Party)

“Modernize Sweden! We believe in an open Sweden, which takes in any one who wants to live here. New arrivals should be able to quickly finish their education and get a job. And children should have a right to mother-tongue education.”

Germany: Football squad revitalised with multicultural approach

When Sami Khedira and his Under-21 team‑mates held aloft the European Championship trophy last summer, after humbling England 4–0 in the final, they dreamed of changing the face of German football. Little did they know that their opportunity would come so quickly.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

After Euro 2008, Joachim Löw, the Germany manager, accepted the need to “rejuvenate” a squad that had become too heavily seasoned in parts. He has done so in spectacular fashion. Germany have only nine survivors from that tournament here. (It is worth remembering that they were runners-up in Austria and Switzerland.) And once Löw had done with filleting his squad, the players he turned to were almost all from the next generation.

Khedira, the U-21 captain during that heady campaign in Sweden, and five of his team‑mates, including Mesut Ozil, who had orchestrated the destruction of Stuart Pearce’s England, were given the call and so were four other youngsters who were eligible for the U-21 finals. Two of those, Thomas Müller and Holger Badstuber, were not selected for Sweden simply because they had not yet emerged from Bayern Munich’s reserves. Their progress over this past season has been startling.

(…)

The youth of this new Germany, however, is only part of the story. The country has changed greatly over the past decade or so, with its society becoming more integrated, and Löw’s squad reflects what the tabloids like to call German “multi-culti”. Of the six players promoted from Horst Hrubesch’s U-21 champions, five are of immigrant backgrounds. The exception is the goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. Khedira’s father is Tunisian and Ozil is of Turkish descent. Jerome Boateng’s father is Ghanaian, Dennis Aogo’s is Nigerian while Marko Marin was born in Bosnia. In addition, Serdar Tasci, one of the group that was eligible for Sweden but did not play, has Turkish parents.

The German government oversaw a liberalisation of its eligibility laws in 1999, which made it easier for foreigners and the children of immigrants to gain citizenship. The stand-out case in Löw’s squad is the striker Cacau, who came on as a substitute against Australia to score the fourth goal. The 29-year-old was born and raised in Brazil and came to Germany, initially, to play lower-league football. But as he has worked his way to the top, so he has passed the requisite tests to become a German national. One of his examination questions concerned the names of former German chancellors; Cacau has consequently earned the nickname of “Helmut” from his team‑mates.

The challenge that faced the German Football Association (DFB), though, was to make sure the likes of Khedira, Ozil and Boateng did not declare for the other countries for which that they were eligible. Boateng’s brother, Kevin-Prince, the Portsmouth forward, has pledged himself to Ghana – in a quirk of fate, Germany face Ghana in the final group game, pitting the brothers against one and other.

Driven perhaps by their lack of young talent, the DFB made a conscious effort to court and groom players from the immigrant community, even employing a dedicated integration officer. They can now enjoy the fruits of those labours.

“We are aware that it’s something new to have German national players with Turkish, Ghanaian, Nigerian or Tunisian roots but for our generation, it’s very normal,” said Khedira, who is the DFB’s poster boy for the liberation generation. “We have some players called Khedira and some called Müller. We don’t know any differently.”

Ozil’s case is considered as being particularly significant. Turkish-Germans represent by far the largest ethnic minority in the country and, in the past, many of them, like the Altintop brothers, have opted to play for the country of their parents. Ozil, a third generation immigrant, could inspire the community to follow in his footsteps.

(more)

Source: Guardian h/t Islamophobia Watch

Sweden: Terror suspect lured to Somalia

The Gothenburg resident suspected of conspiring to commit terrorist acts might have been lured to Somalia. He and his girlfriend called home and said they had no choice but to stay with the terrorist movement. Either he managed to escape or he got orders from al-Shabaab which he was supposed to carry out in Sweden, says an acquaintance of the family.

The 22 year old, who is a Swedish citizen but is originally from Somalia, was changed on May 21 in the Gothenburg court of conspiring to commit terrorist acts in Gothenburg, other places in Sweden and Somalia.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

“He feels well, considering the circumstances,” says his lawyer, Richard Backenroth.

he 22 year old told the prison service that he’s a practicing Muslim. He reads the Koran, prays five times a day and goes to the mosque every Friday.

The man was born in Saudi Arabia and came to Sweden when he was two. He grew up in Gothenburg, attended a science program in high-school and graduated in 2006. A year later he got married with a 15 year old girl according to the Muslim tradition. The couple has a daughter.

After he finished school he worked as a truck driver, warehouse worker, newspaper delivery man and telephone salesman.

When he came back from Somalia, he told the prison service that he went to Somalia to get ‘breathing space’ and to get away from his money problems. He has 18,270 kroner of debts in unpaid telephone and broadband bills and more on the way.

He also says that he suffered from a severe infection in Somalia which left him unable to speak or walk.

GT met a female friend of the family. Her statements differ from those of the 22 year old’s mother, who told the media that her son was innocent. About a year ago he, his 16 year old girlfriend and the couple’s little daughter, all traveled to Somalia. A country in anarchy, where nobody goes on holiday…

Before that, the man had been brainwashed by recruiters in Gothenburg.

“He fought for al-Shabaab down there,” says the woman. The first time he called his mother, he said that God loved him and that it was better to fight than to be in Sweden. He mother was totally shocked.

The son called again one more time, and this time the tone was different.

“He said, ‘momma, they deceived me. I have no choice.”

His girlfriend called and confirmed the case, that they and many others were deceived. In March the family returned to Gothenburg.

“I don’t know how they managed to get back home again. They kill you if you try to escape,” says the woman. Maybe they gave him a task in Sweden?

GT formerly reported how young Swedes of Somali background who are persuaded to fight for the terrorist movement, or are convinced to become suicide bombers. Several exiled Somalis expressed great concern that extreme Islamists are getting control of their children, which they meet in mosques and on the internet.

Säpo (Swedish security service) confirms that representatives of al-Shabaab are active in Sweden, that about 20 Swedish citizens were recruited to fight and that a handful of young men with Swedish passports were found dead in Somalia.

The woman from West-Sweden describes how the recruiters collect money among the Somalis, Arabs and Iranians. That the money allegedly goes to humanitarian aid, but is really used for al-Shabaab’s terror activities.

She herself forbade her sons from going to the mosque.

“I noticed that they were being influenced, they didn’t listen to me any longer, didn’t obey”.

It’s easy to influence the youth, she says. Especially those who are failing in school and don’t get a job. A life with al-Shabaab and a promise for a place in paradise suddenly becomes an alternative.

“But how can you move to the hell in Somalia when you can live in peace and quiet here in Sweden?” she asks.

Säpo is interrogating the 22 year old. He told the police of his time in his homeland. What he said is secret and all those involved are banned from speaking about it.

The case is supposed to get to court June 18th, but will probably be postponed.

Source: GP 1, 2 (Sweden)

Sweden/Switzerland: Difficulties in school for 2nd generation immigrants

New figures released by the Swedish National Agency for Education reveal that foreign-born children are still less likely than children born in Sweden to succeed in school. They also show that there are large differences depending on where the children came from. The study showed that after completing secondary school, only 25 percent of Somali-born students are ready for senior high school, compared to 82 percent of Finnish-born students.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

However, in an interview with Svenska Dagbladet today, the ethnologist René León Rosales cautioned that numbers alone cannot account for certain vital factors affecting a child’s success.

“If you have a situation,” said Rosales, “where none of the students have Swedish as a mother tongue, where many of the parents hold unsteady positions in the job market, where a large group of students have parents who are unfamiliar with the education system, that is probably not an environment conducive to high school grades.”

—————-

Switzerland

The transition from education to job training is extremely difficult for young second-generation immigrants, according to the results of a study by the Federal Office for Migration and the National Science Foundation.

The study looked at 45 young people who were all born in Switzerland but retain the nationalities of their foreign-born parents.

It found that many of the young people could not find apprenticeships or were unable to gain access to secondary schools.

The researchers say this was due to their nationalities and that the results could apply to all Swiss cities with a high proportion of foreigners.

Sources: SR, WRS (English)

Uzbekistan: Sweden harbors terrorists

This is not the first time the Uzbeks accuse Sweden of giving free reign to Islamic terrorists, and in particular to Obidkhon Nazarov. Uzbekistan is not the only country making those accusations, either.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

A cleric based in Sweden has been accused by Uzbek state television of instigating a suicide attack on the US embassy in 2004, as well as directing a series of high-profile killings last year.

A documentary that aired on Thursday night said Obidkhon Nazarov, a once-popular preacher in Uzbekistan who fled to neighbouring Kazakhstan in the late 1990s, had flown to Sweden with the help of “foreign secret services” in 2005.

“Although Nazarov was wanted by Uzbek law enforcement, including Interpol, he could freely fly away from Almaty airport with the help of invisible hands… and found safe shelter in Sweden,” the documentary said.

From Sweden “he is still trying to set up his jihad group” that has planned terrorist attacks in Uzbekistan, it said.

(more)

Source: The Local (English)

Norway/Sweden/Finland: Attitudes towards immigration

Recent polls in Norway, Sweden and Finland show a varied picture of attitudes towards immigration, with Finns being most opposed, while Sweden and Norway generally think it’s a good thing.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

Norway

61% of Norwegians think that immigration is positive, according to a poll by Sentio for Nationen. 23% don’t think so.

The percentage who think immigration is positive went up from last year, when 46% thought it was. People in the countryside are most skeptical towards immigration, while the residents of Oslo and other large cities are most positive.

The study shows that younger people are more positive than the elderly, and that skepticism is greater in North Norway than in other parts of the country. Women are a little more positive towards immigration than men.

People with the highest educational level are much more positive towards immigration than people with a low educational level. On the political level, SV (Socialist-Left Party) voters are most pro-immigration. 95% of them are positive and nobody thinks immigration is negative. Skepticism is greatest by the Progress Party, where more than half don’t think that immigration is positive.

(Source: VG)

Finland

Nearly two thirds of Finns say Finland should not encourage more foreigners to move here, according to a YLE survey. Supporters of the right-wing True Finns Party were the most opposed to more immigrants. However, Centre Party and Social Democratic supporters were not far behind.

According to the survey, 63 percent of respondents said Finland should not try to entice foreigners to live here. A whopping 82 percent of True Finns backers were of the same opinion. For Centre Party supporters the number was 70 percent, while 68 percent of Social Democratic backers felt the same way.

Supporters of the Green League were the most receptive to more immigrants. A total of 65 percent of Green respondents said that Finland should work to attract foreigners here.

(more)

Sweden

Swedish attitudes to immigration and refugee centres have become more positive, with urbanites, women and young people among the most favourable, a new report from the SOM institute in Gothenburg shows.

The SOM survey, conducted in the autumn of 2009, shows that 36 percent of Swedes consider that there are too many foreigners living in Sweden. In 1993 the figure was 52 percent.

“Never before have Swedish attitudes been so accepting as their are now,” Professor Marie Demker wrote in an opinion article in the Dagens Nyheter daily on Monday.

In 1993, 25 percent replied that they would not like an immigrant from another continent marrying into the family, this figure had dropped to 12 percent in the autumn.

“Despite the attempts to mobilize, groups which oppose immigration remain a peripheral sub-culture,” Demker wrote.

(more)

See also:

* Sweden: 56% think immigration was good for Sweden

* Finland: 59% against more immigration

Sweden: Suspects in Vilks attack are two brothers

The 21 and 19 year old arrested on for the attempted arson attack against Lars Vilks house are brothers, reports Sydsvenskan.

The 21 year old man was arrested in his mother’s apartment in Landskrona. He was arrested early Saturday morning – suspected for attempted arson.

“When I heard what happened, I went to the apartment. But the police didn’t let me in and they took our mother to interrogation. She felt very bad,” says the 21 year old’s sister.

The 21 year old moved from Kosovo to Sweden with his family in the early 1990s. He’s a religious Muslim and regularly visits the mosque. But his sister says she has difficulty accepting that her brother is now a suspect in the attack against Lars Vilks.

“He’s extremely kind. Certainly he’s religious, but that doesn’t mean that he would do such a thing,” she says.

The 21 year old’s lawyer says he denies the accusations, and that he didn’t get to see all the evidence, but what he did see was quite thin.

This article was prepared by the Islam in Europe blog – islamineurope.blogspot.com

Source: KVP (Swedish)

Finland: Gov’t unveils site on immigration

Finland’s Ministry of the Interior has unveiled a new internet site aimed at promoting facts and discussion on issues relating to immigration. Questions and articles on the subject can be posted on the site. However, the site does not have a discussion forum.

Project Co-Ordinator, Nexhat Beqiri, emphasizes the site is open to all those interested on the subject of immigration. Site administrators want to give a boost to factual and serious debate and information on the issue. Contributors can post articles in their own name.

”We want to get away from an ‘us and them’ position as well as from preaching and guilt attitudes,” Beqiri adds.

The site is part of a wider project organised by Finland, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Holland and Ireland.

(more)

The new site has a whole section about Islam, with one article in English:

The public debate about immigrants in Finland seems to concentrate on religious issues, especially on the impact of Islam on Finnish culture. According to Aho, Mustakiven ala-aste does not appear to experience much racial or religious tension among the children, even though she admits that every once in a while there are conflicts of such nature. “But not all problems in the school are racially based,” she points out.

The school has zero tolerance to racism and violence of any kind. Mari Aho has observed, though, that immigrant children easily play the race card if a solution to a conflict does not go in their favour or if a teacher rebukes the child. Children of immigrant background are also generally more temperamental, she says.

There are reports that in some Finnish schools children from Moslem families are not allowed to take part in school activities such as singing and dancing, which are considered religious. Not in Mustakiven ala-aste. Most children participate in all school festivals and it is very rare to have children sitting on the sidelines because of religious reasons.

(more)

Sources: YLE (English)