Religion as a Social Problem in the Swedish Parliament

Abstract

This article examines how the Muslim veil and call to prayer are constructed as social problems in motions to the Swedish parliament between 2010 and 2024. Analyzing 120 political proposals, the study reveals how these religious practices are portrayed as problematic by constructing them as threatening to Swedish values, particularly gender equality and secularism. Using Carol Lee Bacchi’s “What’s the problem represented to be?” approach, the article identifies underlying assumptions that frame Muslim practices as incompatible with Swedish identity. The analysis demonstrates how these problematizations contribute to the construction of Muslims as “religious others” who remain outside the imagined Swedish Folkhem (the people’s home). While initially dominated by the Sweden Democrats, this framing has gained wider political acceptance over time. The article argues that these political constructions reflect tensions in the Swedish social contract and governance mechanisms that determine which religious expressions are acceptable in public spaces.