Wants to stop foreign money in Swedish societies

The government wants to stop foreign funding of Swedish mosques and other denominations. In this way, they want to stop attempts at radicalization.

– Violent extremism and anti-democratic values ​​have no place in Sweden, says Minister of Culture Jeanette Gustafsdotter (S).

Last week, the government announced that the so-called democratic conditions for religious communities that receive state support will be tightened. If you break the conditions, the grant must be stopped.

Now they also want to put a stop to foreign financing of religious communities in Sweden.

– There are signs that foreign interests are trying to influence the interpretation of religion, sometimes in an extreme and pro-violence direction. This is something we take seriously, says Gustafsdotter to TT.

According to the Minister for Integration and Migration Anders Ygeman (S), “significant financial transfers” have been seen to various parishes in Sweden.

– It is of course the case that it risks leading to demands on the congregations’ work, religious interpretation and stance. We simply do not want to see that in Sweden and then it is a matter of what measures can be taken against it.

Regulation – not prohibition

The matter is on the Government Offices’ table, the ministers say, and it is likely that it will be a government assignment or an investigation that will review how a funding stop should be designed and from which countries and foreign congregations the money comes.

Ygeman says that he does not envisage a direct ban, but rather a regulation. Partly because a proposal for a total ban would have a more difficult journey in the Riksdag, partly because there is also legitimate funding from abroad.

– We know that Swedish congregations, including the Church of Sweden, also have an international work. On the other hand, we want to exclude the extremist contribution that is also involved and controls who is to preach to congregations and which messages are to be conveyed.

“Great work”

The regulation must apply to all kinds of religious communities, not just Muslim ones.

– It is not just linked to a religion, even though we may have seen the worst examples there, says Ygeman.

Just over a month ago, several riots and riots broke out in connection with right-wing extremist Rasmus Paludan’s planned burning of Koran in several places.

TT: Is this an attempt to break the legs of Paludan’s so-called election tour?

– No, I do not think you can say that. We were on this ball before that. Many of the Muslim congregations did a great job around the Easter riots and what came after, when several made it clear that one should ignore those who seek to provoke rather than do something about it, says Ygeman.