Over the past decade, Sweden has seen rising levels of Islamophobia, but how deeply does it actually run? Tensions are high in the conflict between Sweden and the Islamic world, with recent escalations such as provocative Quran burnings, a raised terror threat level by Swedish authorities, and the tragic 2023 terror attack in Brussels, where two Swedes lost their lives in an act of Islamist-motivated violence. In the summer of 2021, an unparalleled controversy emerged: accusations, manifested in the LVU campaign, that the Swedish state was “kidnapping” Muslim children. Now, a study by the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare offers insights that may finally settle the matter. It highlights why discussions about the treatment of Muslims in Sweden should be kept in the forefront of public discussion—but perhaps not for the reasons some may expect.
The LVU campaign is a recent social movement that gets its name from the LVU Law (the Swedish Care of Young Persons Special Provisions Act), which grants Swedish social services the legal authority to remove children from unsafe or unsuitable homes. The movement began with a handful of individuals claiming their children had been taken into state care on insufficient grounds and calling for greater accountability for civil servants. However, their message quickly spread through social media, and the LVU campaign grew to be the largest coordinated effort in Sweden’s history to raise awareness and shape public opinion.
Forces behind the LVU campaign propagated claims that Muslim children were being forcibly secularised by the Swedish state—being made to eat pork and drink alcohol. Sentiments such as these swept across social media and spread through the Muslim community in Sweden. Notably, the accusations didn’t stop at Sweden’s borders. The LVU campaign was endorsed by several Middle Eastern influencers with ties to radical Islam. Among them was the influencer El-Sharqawy, who used to run the website ArabAffairs.net and later IslamPost—both of which promoted radical Islamist propaganda. The campaign even gained the attention of Middle Eastern news channels, such as TRT Arabi and Al Jazeera Arabic, which featured testimonies from prominent individuals in the Swedish campaign, shedding light on their perspectives and experiences. In spite of the engagement largely having died down, the LVU campaign continues to spark discussions and shape beliefs. This is evident in the comparison that was drawn at a recent pro-Palestinian demonstration where children being taken into state custody on the basis of the LVU law was likened to Hamas’ kidnapping of Israelis.
The LVU campaign is labelled by the Swedish state as an improper information influence campaign, while Swedish media often calls it a conspiracy theory. To anyone who hasn’t had the emotionally taxing experience of dealing with social services, has never faced racism, or has not lived in a country with an oppressive state, these accusations may seem somewhat far-fetched. However, when the previously mentioned factors are paired with issues of segregation and polarisation, it is a recipe for misunderstanding and distrust.
With all this being said, is there any truth to the notion of Swedish authorities “kidnapping” Muslim children? In short, no.
The central message of the LVU campaign is not simply fake news, but is the exact opposite of what is actually occurring. A recent study conducted by the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare shows that children with parents born in a Muslim country are not being taken into state custody unjustifiably or at an excessive rate. In fact, they are 50% less likely to be taken into care than children with Swedish-born parents. Thus, an injustice is occuring. Children of foreign-born parents arguably are not receiving the same support as children of Swedish-born parents.
Admittedly, when comparisons are drawn without considering socioeconomic differences between groups, placements are found to be more common among children and youth with foreign-born parents than among those with Swedish-born parents. However, this disparity simply reflects broader social inequities, with foreign-born families disproportionately represented among those in lower socioeconomic groups.
Although the core accusation of the LVU campaign remains clearly unsubstantiated, the campaign should not be dismissed outright. Its success in capturing public attention and participation underscores deeper issues of distrust between Muslims and the Swedish state. Moreover, it reflects the broader tensions between the West and the Islamic world. Moving forward, Sweden would benefit from an increased focus on fostering understanding, addressing social disparities, and building a society that bridges these divides.
By Maya Bukhory
November 19, 2024
