Just over a month before the Swedish election, the party Nyans is fully mobilizing to enter the Swedish Parliament as a new party. Nyans believes that the minority population in Sweden has special interests that none of the established parties take seriously. Politically, they are turning towards the suburbs where they want to attract sofa voters, but also to get votes from parties on the Swedish left. Nyans believes that the Swedish Social Democratic Party has betrayed the minorities in the country. – The Social Democrats have taken our votes for granted. I would like to see other parties take our issues seriously, but they don’t. That’s why we have to get involved, says party secretary in Nyans, Rami Hussein to news. In connection with an international smear campaign against Swedish child protection, Nyans and party leader Mikhail Yüksel organized a demonstration against the Swedish social services. Photo: Jessica Gow/TT / TT NEWS AGENCY Political scientist: Muslim interest party – Nyans works to be an interest party. They claim not to be a Muslim party, but it is Muslims they are mainly trying to mobilize – above all Sunni Muslims, says political scientist at Gothenburg University, Jonas Esaisson. As a cause of action, they want Muslims and “Afro-Swedes” to be recognized as a national minority in the Swedish constitution – on the same lines as Jews, Samaritans, Kvens and Roma people, write SVT. Other issues include banning Koran burning and opening up more free schools. Several prominent politicians in Sweden have attacked the new party. Minister of Justice and the Interior Morgan Johansson warned against Nyans. He thought the party contributed to creating more division in Swedish society. Photo: TT NEWS AGENCY / Reuters – Extremely dangerous, said Justice and Interior Minister Morgan Johansson about Nyans in an interview with Expressen. Party secretary in Nyans, Rami Hussein, interprets it as the Social Democrats see Nyans as a democratic threat. He does not think it is impossible for a similar party to gain a foothold in Norway. – It may well happen, says Hussein. The Nyans party will introduce a ban on Koran burning in Sweden. The aim is to be the voice of the population in the suburbs of Sweden. Photo: Screen dump / Nuance – Don’t listen at home – I don’t want Norway to be a country where individual groups have their own party, says parliamentary representative Kamzy Gunaratnam (Ap). It is the social democratic parties that have stood strong among Norwegians with an immigrant background in both Norway and Sweden. At the last general election, it appeared that this was about to change. – The minority population, like everyone else, is concerned with being part of freedom of expression, the community and contributing through working life. They also need universal design and LGBTQI rights. The minority population does not belong to just one religion or one ethnic group, says Gunaratnam. – The established governing parties have a responsibility to represent the entire population, believes parliamentary representative Kamzy Gunaratnam (Ap). Photo: Martin Holvik / news Gunaratnam believes the party is a result of greater polarization in Sweden, illustrated by the success of the far-right party Sweden Democrats. – Therefore, the established governing parties have a responsibility to include and represent the entire population, she says. – That they mobilize and persuade voters, I have no doubt. But I don’t think it belongs in a modern society, says Gunaratnam. Could there be a demand Islam researcher Olav Elgvin at the University of Bergen believes there may be a demand for a similar party in Norway. He has researched Muslim organizations in Norway. – There are many Muslims who have a combination of opinions that are not represented among the established parties, he says. He describes this combination as progressive when it comes to the economy and immigration, but at the same time conservative in matters of values linked to family and crime. In the Netherlands, the leader of the Denk party, Farid Azarkan, entered parliament with two other representatives in 2017. The party targets the minority population in the country. Photo: SEM VAN DER WAL / AFP He has no doubt that a Muslim party in Norway would cause an uprising in Norway as well. Many Muslims would refuse to support such a party for this reason, he believes. Elgvin himself does not fear such a party. He thinks it could be given a similar role to KrF. – Much rests on whether the established parties will be able to hold on to these voters. In Norway, Muslims have so far felt more at home with the established parties than in Sweden, where Muslims and Muslim organizations have felt increasingly excluded in the public conversation, he says. Bankruptcy declaration Historically, very few “immigrant” or “Muslim” parties have gained a foothold in European countries. The most successful is possibly the party Denk, which got three representatives into the assembly in the Netherlands in 2017. In Norway, there have already been two attempts to form a “Muslim” party, but neither of them has been very successful. The immigrant party that stood for election in Oslo in 2007 also does not seem to exist anymore. – Muslim voters are not a homogeneous group and single-party parties lose their appeal over time because work and the economy are more important issues, says debate editor in Avisa Oslo, Ahmed Fawad Ashraf. Debate editor in Avisa Oslo, Ahmed Fawad Ashraf, believes the conditions in the Swedish suburbs are a reason behind the success of Nyans. Photo: Caroline Roka This spring, he started a major public debate after he said that he no longer calls himself Norwegian. Fawad compares Nyans with the Folket’s party FNB, Folkeksjonen no to more tolls. – I think this party will eventually disappear. It is a myth that immigrants and minorities are only concerned with religion and racism, he says. He gets support from the creator behind the Instagram account Racism in Norway, Jamal Sheik. – If such a party had come to Norway, it would have been a declaration of bankruptcy for the Norwegian diverse society. One of the nice things about politics is that people come from all backgrounds and participate together, says Sheik, who is also a member of the Center party. Social debater and party member in Sentrum, Jamal Sheik, does not think a party like Nyans will gain a foothold in Norway anytime soon. Photo: Xueqi Pang Both believe that Nyans is a result of greater polarization in the Swedish vocabulary. The success of the far-right party Sweden Democrats and the situation in the Swedish suburbs are the main reasons, Fawad believes. – It is the established parties that are responsible for giving minority people positions and influence to prevent such parties, he says. The Swedish election will take place on 11 September.
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Immigrant party mobilizes before the Swedish election – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
