Muslim Association of Sweden
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The Muslim Association of Sweden (Swedish: Sveriges muslimska förbund, SMF) is Sweden's largest Muslim organisation, which represents around 70,000 Muslims in Sweden.
[edit] Controversy
In April 2006 the organization's chairman Mahmoud Aldebe wrote an open letter to Swedish political parties suggesting that Sweden would launch a separate legislation for Muslims in such areas as: imams should be allowed into state schools to give separate lessons in Islam to Muslim children, that boys and girls should have separate swimming lessons, and that divorces between Muslims should be approved by an imam.[1][2] This request provoked a "swift and fierce response across the political spectrum" and was rejected by Swedish integration and equality minister Jens Orback,[3][4] who explained: "In Sweden we are all equal before the law... we have fought for a long time to achieve gender-neutral laws, and to propose that certain groups should not be treated like others is completely unacceptable."[5]
[edit] Notes
- ^ Swedish Muslims seek separate laws, islamonline.com, April 30 2006
- ^ Muslim Council: no support for 'special laws', The Local, 29 April, 2006.
- ^ 'Separate laws for Muslims' idea slammed, report, The Local, April 28 2006
- ^ Muslimskt samfund vill ha egna lagar (Muslim Association wants his own law), report by Swedish TV/svt.se, April 28 2006 (Swedish).
- ^ Filip van Laenen, 'Swedish Muslims Want Separate Laws', The Brussels Journal, 29 April, 2006.
[edit] External links
- Swedish Muslim Association homepage (Swedish)
- The Swedish Muslim association's demands published by the Liberal People's Party (Swedish)
- The Swedish Muslim association's demands translated from Swedish
- Sweden nixes special laws for Muslims, Associated Press/The Jerusalem Post, April 28 2006
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