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DE RUEHSM #0784/01 3501149
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O 161149Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4998
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 STOCKHOLM 000784 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/08/2019 
TAGS: KISL PHUM PTER PINR PREL SW
SUBJECT: MUSLIM COMMUNITIES STRUGGLE TO INTEGRATE IN SWEDEN 
 
REF: A. STOCKHOLM 779 
     ¶B. STOCKHOLM 597 
     ¶C. STOCKHOLM 327 
     ¶D. 2008 STOCKHOLM 802 
     ¶E. 2008 STOCKHOLM 716 
     ¶F. 2008 STOCKHOLM 557 
     ¶G. 2007 STOCKHOLM 1448 
 
Classified By: DCM Robert Silverman for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Approximately 30% or 400,000 of Sweden's 
foreign-born population comes from a Muslim-majority country. 
 Despite generous government-sponsored social services for 
newcomers, immigrants routinely face racial, ethnic and 
religious discrimination.  Immigrants often live in 
segregated communities outside major urban areas and report 
difficulties finding full-time employment.  For undocumented 
immigrants, access to healthcare is economically prohibitive, 
and inequalities in educational achievements for non-Swedish 
children exist. 
 
    ¶2. (SBU) Swedish civic life accommodates -- albeit to 
varying degrees -- Muslim religious practices such as Islamic 
burial, halal slaughter, the hajib and some Muslim women's 
requests for more modest social inclusion.  As Sweden gears 
up for a national election next fall, immigrant integration 
policy -- both the challenges and opportunities -- will 
feature prominently in domestic political debates.  Early 
polls show enough support for the Sweden Democrats, a far 
right-wing political party advocating an anti-immigrant, 
anti-Islam agenda, to take seats in parliament. 
 
¶3. (SBU) This is the second in a three-part series on Muslim 
communities in Sweden.  The first part outlines growth and 
diversity in Muslim communities (ref A). The third part 
addresses violent radicalization and extremism, particularly 
among immigrant groups who may be alienated from mainstream 
Swedish society.  End summary. 
 
------------------------- 
THE STRUGGLE TO INTEGRATE 
------------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) Like other countries in Western Europe, Sweden is home 
to a growing number of individuals from foreign countries. 
Approximately 30% or 400,000 of Sweden's foreign-born 
population come from Muslim-majority countries (ref A).  In 
2008, the Swedish Migration Board (SMB) reported that 90,000 
immigrants arrived in Sweden, with largest groups from Iraq 
and Somalia.  According Liv Feijen (protect), UNHCR's Head of 
the Protection Unit in the regional office for Baltic and 
Nordic countries, Sweden continues to attract vulnerable 
refugee populations, such as minors, political refugees, 
religious minority groups as well as a small group of gay and 
bisexual individuals (ref B). 
 
¶5. (SBU) Asylum seekers in particular may remain isolated 
from mainstream society as they await a formal decision on 
their residency status.  The SMB aims to make asylum 
decisions in about six months, but the actual waiting times 
can be much longer during which asylum seekers stay either 
with family members or at official Swedish "reception 
centers."  They receive healthcare subsidies, a daily 
allowance (about $10/day), access to Swedish language courses 
and children can go to school.  For those granted residency, 
locally-funded two-year integration programs introduce 
individuals to the rules and regulations of Swedish life. 
 
----------------------------- 
HOUSING AND URBAN SEGREGATION 
----------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) While the 400,000 Muslim-majority immigrants to 
Sweden from face integration difficulties, these may have 
less to do with Islam and more to do with the social and 
economic conditions of immigrant communities in general. 
Between 1967-1972, the government of Sweden launched the 
"Million Homes Program," a subsidized housing project 
designed to create one million modern dwellings.  These 
apartment buildings,  located in the suburbs of major urban 
centers, represent isolation and alienation from Swedish 
society for the many immigrants who live there.  Today, the 
three largest cities in Sweden -- Stockholm, Gothenburg and 
Malmo -- receive the largest share of the country's new 
immigrants. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Stockholm metro area (pop. 1,500,000) is recognized 
as the center for Muslim organization in Sweden and is home 
to the Grand Mosque as well as three smaller mosques and 
several Islamic cultural organizations.  Muslims tend to live 
on the outskirts of town in the immigrant dense neighborhoods 
 
STOCKHOLM 00000784  002 OF 004 
 
 
of Rinkeby-Kista, Skarholmen and Spanga-Tensta where most 
residents claim a Middle Eastern or African background. 
Compared to more affluent areas in Stockholm, these districts 
are marked by higher unemployment and increased reliance on 
social support services;  many school-aged children do not 
speak Swedish at home, and 30% the population is under 20 
years of age compared to 20% in other parts of town. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Gothenburg (pop. 500,000) is situated on the 
southwest coast of Sweden. About one-fifth of the residents 
are born outside of Sweden.  In 2008, 8,000 foreign 
individuals settled in Gothenburg with the five largest 
groups coming from Iraq, Romania, Poland, Somalia and Iran. 
In 1998, a nightclub fire attended by teenagers with 
immigrant backgrounds claimed the lives of 63 young people 
and injured 213 more.  Police and fire investigators 
eventually determined that the blaze was intentionally set by 
four young immigrants from Iran who were upset at being 
denied entry to the event.  More than ten years after the 
fire, this tragedy continues to symbolize the complex racial 
tensions that persist in Gothenburg and other urban areas. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Malmo (pop. 286,535) is located on the southern tip 
of Sweden about 30 minutes from Copenhagen, Denmark.  This 
area between Sweden and Denmark, known as the "Oresund 
region," encompasses over 3 million people.  Malmo has a long 
history as an immigrant destination for people from South 
America, Turkey and the Balkans, although the largest 
non-Swedish group living in Malmo are Danes.  A government 
report shows that immigrants from non-EU countries usually 
only reside in Malmo for about five years before they move to 
other places in Sweden, which makes the population very 
transient.  About a quarter of Malmo's residents are Muslim 
(ref C).  In the immigrant-dense district of Rosengard, 
recent violent encounters between law enforcement officers 
and youth have resulted in emergency workers and fire 
department officials refusing to enter the district.  Malmo 
is considered to be one of Sweden's most ethnically 
segregated cities. 
 
------------ 
UNEMPLOYMENT 
------------ 
 
¶10. (SBU) The current center-right government views 
employment as a key indicator of successful immigrant 
integration, but trends show that immigrants have struggled 
to achieve employment at the same levels as native-born 
Swedes.  In 2005, the employment rate among individuals born 
in Sweden was 81% compared to 64% among individuals born 
outside of Sweden. In some Muslim-majority communities such 
as Rosengard in Malmo, employment is estimated at just 38%. 
Swedish officials often state with concern that male 
immigrants to Sweden will search for employment on average 
for seven years before finding a permanent job.  For females 
immigrants, it takes about ten years.  Economists at 
Stockholm University found that immigrants may have better 
luck on the Swedish job market if they change their surname 
from an African, Asian or Slavic sounding name to a more 
Swedish or neutral sounding name, which underscores the 
indirect and institutionalized discrimination that immigrants 
routinely face in the Swedish labor market. 
 
¶11. (SBU) The Ministry for Integration and Gender Equality 
presented a new government bill on September 11, 2009 that, 
if passed, will allocate some $133 million to reforming the 
employment process.  Working with the Swedish Employment 
Agency, immigrants will be given a "coach" to help tailor an 
individualized two-year program that will include language 
and civic training.   Financial incentives will be given to 
those actively pursuing employment.  Minister for Integration 
and Gender Equality Nyamko Sabuni stated that the plan is 
intended to move immigrants from welfare dependency and 
social exclusion to self-sufficiency and empowerment. 
Critics argue that the proposed changes do not do enough to 
encourage companies in Sweden to hire immigrant labor. 
 
¶12. (SBU) Two new government-supported initiatives aim to 
address these employment hurdles for immigrants.  Manpower, a 
world leader in employment services, has developed a 
public-private initiative with the city of Sodertalje, home 
to a large Iraqi community, to support immigrant entry into 
the workforce through job preparation training and arranging 
practical working internships.  The "Kosmopolit Project," 
launched by the MFA on September 15, aims to establish 
networks where foreign-born entrepreneurs can meet, exchange 
experience and support each other.  According to the MFA, one 
in five companies set up in Sweden is started by a person 
with a foreign background. 
 
-------------------- 
 
STOCKHOLM 00000784  003 OF 004 
 
 
HEALTH AND EDUCATION 
-------------------- 
 
¶13. (SBU) Numerous academic studies show that immigrants to 
Sweden suffer from chronic and stress-related illnesses more 
so than native-born Swedes.  Immigrant women's health issues 
including domestic violence and trauma have received special 
government attention through telephone-based support programs 
that offer help in at least 43 different languages.  These 
programs also offer assistance to women at risk for honor 
crimes.  The Red Cross and other volunteer organizations 
operate a network of no-cost healthcare services for 
undocumented immigrants in Sweden, including those who have 
been denied asylum.  The Red Cross estimates that 10,000 to 
15,000 undocumented people reside in Sweden, of which 1,000 
to 1,500 are children.  Undocumented individuals fear being 
arrested if they seek medical care through the nationalized 
medical system and say that costs are prohibitive for those 
outside the Swedish system.  One report found that 
undocumented immigrants pay $700 per doctor visit compared to 
just $36 that Swedish citizens pay for the same services. 
 
¶14. (SBU) Immigrant children typically perform substantially 
worse than native students in the Swedish educational system, 
according to a new study by the Swedish Institute for Labor 
Market Policy Analysis.  The study found that educational 
inequalities are more severe the older a child is at the time 
of migration; those who arrive in Sweden after age 7 face 
more social and economic difficulties later in life than 
those who arrive before the age of 7.  According to 
Statistics Sweden, foreign-born individuals have only a 
somewhat lower level of education compared to individuals 
born in Sweden, with 37% of Swedes and 35% of all immigrants 
having post-secondary education.  Some immigrant groups, 
notably Iranians, have attained a higher level of education 
than Swedes. 
 
---------------------------- 
HATE CRIMES AND ISLAMOPHOBIA 
---------------------------- 
 
¶15. (SBU) According to the Swedish National Council for Crime 
Prevention, there were almost 6,000 hate crimes reported in 
Sweden in 2008.  This figure, up dramatically from previous 
years, reflects a new definition of "hate crime," which 
adopts a broader view of what constitutes hate crimes.  An 
overwhelming majority of hate crimes (72%) were based on 
racial and/or ethnic harassment.  Of the total reported hate 
crimes in 2008, 21% included direct physical contact or 
violence while the remaining 79% involved nonviolent threats. 
 
 
¶16. (SBU) Most hate crimes occurred in public places between 
individuals who did not know each other prior to the reported 
incidents.  Included within the hate crime figures were 600 
hate crimes against religious groups, of which 45% involved 
Islamophobia and 26% involved anti-Semitism.  In response to 
these crimes involving religion, the Swedish government 
established an anonymous hotline for reporting harassment and 
created one specially-trained police unit in Stockholm to 
respond to hate crimes.  Outreach in schools and information 
pamphlets have been produced in a number of languages to make 
sure more people know that they can report hate crimes. 
 
¶17. (SBU) Anti-immigrant rhetoric has gained some traction in 
political campaigning by the Sweden Democrats, a far-right 
political group that claims some 3,600 members.  Sweden 
Democrats promote a nationalist agenda and view immigration, 
Islamization and globalization as threats to Swedish culture. 
 In September 2009, voter opinion polls showed that the 
Sweden Democrats received support from 5.9% of the Swedish 
population, a number which exceeds the 4% threshold for entry 
into the Swedish Parliament.  In the last general election in 
2006, Sweden Democrats received 2.9% support.  Following the 
Swiss minaret referendum this fall, Jimmie Akesson, leader of 
the Sweden Democrats, spoke in support of the referendum 
saying, "Minarets are a symbol of the multiculuralism and 
Islamization of Europe."  White supremacy groups are also on 
the rise, according to a study by the Expo Foudation.  There 
were 39 Swedish white power groups in 2008, of which 25 had 
been created between 2007-2008. 
 
----------------------- 
MUSLIMS IN SWEDISH LIFE 
----------------------- 
 
¶18. (SBU) In spite of integration struggles, Swedish civic 
life accommodates many Muslim religious and social practices. 
 Burial according to Islamic tradition has been available in 
Swedish cemeteries since 1974.  Muslim graveyards can now be 
found in all major Swedish cities and a growing number of 
 
STOCKHOLM 00000784  004 OF 004 
 
 
smaller cities.  Halal slaughter is not officially permitted 
in Sweden, but halal meat can be imported.  The hijab is a 
relatively common sight in Swedish life, although recent 
controversy erupted over adult students who requested to wear 
the full-cover niqab while attending a teacher-training 
program; school officials said that the clothing hindered 
student-teacher interaction.  Public debate about Muslim 
women who decline to shake hands with members of the opposite 
sex has resulted in numerous discussions about cultural and 
religious practices (ref D).  Separate swim hours for men and 
women have been arranged at a few public pools, a move which 
has received surprising support from Muslims and non-Muslims 
alike. 
 
¶19. (SBU) More generally, political debate has focused on 
where immigrants and asylum seekers settle;  many choose to 
live with family and friends in large cities when they arrive 
in Sweden, causing financial burdens for local governments 
and creating ghetto-like living conditions in some areas. 
Several programs in larger cities such as Malmo recruit 
newly-arrived immigrants to be re-settled in less densely 
populated areas, which Malmo city officials say has found 
some success.  In addition, officials at the MFA's Ministry 
for Integration and Gender Equality are also working to 
develop a set of common values in support of equality and 
tolerance in Swedish life to serve as a touchstone for 
integration in Swedish society. 
 
------- 
Anti-Ethnic Profiling 
------- 
 
¶20. (C) Many Swedish officials admit that integration 
policies have largely failed, but at the same time, there is 
an overall hesitancy to engage Muslim communities directly 
because Swedish law strictly prohibits targeting individuals 
on the basis of religious and ethnic affiliation.  However, 
U.S.-supported programs such as education and employment 
fairs as well as programs for international visitors and 
immigrant entrepreneurship have met with interest and remain 
fruitful areas for continued bilateral outreach (ref E, F, G). 
BARZUN