“Every evening, when I’ve finished writing for the day, I’ve imagined that I’ve had Jimmie Åkesson on one shoulder and Nooshi Dadgostar on the other. My aim has been for both of them to be roughly equally happy, or perhaps unhappy, with what I’ve written,” says Simon Sorgenfrei, professor of the Study of Religions at the School of Historical and Contemporary Studies.

His book traces the development from the first Muslim communities – which emerged in connection with post-war labour migration – to the contemporary political and media debate. Using historical examples, Sorgenfrei shows how Islam has gradually become a visible and politically complex part of Swedish society.

Öppna era hjärtan starts where Sorgenfrei’s previous book, "De kommer att vara annorlunda svenskar". Berättelsen om Sveriges första muslimer ended. Its title translates as, “They will be different Swedes”. The story of Sweden’s first Muslims.

“In that book I followed a handful of individuals and families. The new one focuses on immigrants, Muslims and members of the Sweden Democrats in five small and medium-sized towns. Together, the two books depict the long 20th century, a story that spans around 150 years, with the establishment of Islam in Sweden and the development of Swedish immigration policy.”

From a marginal issue to a societal one

For a long time, Islam was a relatively small and often invisible part of Sweden, but a result of migration and societal change, it has taken on a more prominent role.

Sorgenfrei shows how questions relating to the construction of mosques, and religious expression and integration have gradually become political issues, and how perceptions of Islam have changed as a result.

At the same time, the story has some unexpected elements, such as a photograph of Didar Samaletdin, who co-founded the United Islamic Congregations in Sweden, wearing a dress and holding a champagne glass at a party at Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Stockholm in 1975. Didar was one of the first people to grow up as a Muslim in Sweden.

“Over the fifty years covered by the book, the Muslim population has grown from a few thousand to hundreds of thousands – today, there are an estimated one million Swedes with a Muslim cultural or family background. In the debate on immigration in Sweden, Islam and Muslims have increasingly come to take centre stage.”

Public debate, perceptions and conflicts

Sorgenfrei describes how religion is sometimes used as a symbolic substitute for broader issues that concern identity, belonging and societal development.

“More than any other party, the Sweden Democrats have made immigration the focus of their political agenda. Their success is linked to rising immigration and a growing Muslim population.”

However, in the book, Sorgenfrei also shows that support for the Sweden Democrats can be due to reasons other than Islamophobia or racism.

“Some members of the Sweden Democrats I’ve spoken to describe a form of grief at the great changes that Sweden and its urban landscapes have undergone. They feel that they have lost out because of these changes, and that they are more or less powerless in the face of them. Where you used to be able to buy hot dogs, there’s now a shop that sells Middle eastern groceries and has a sign in Arabic instead of Swedish.”

Nuances in the build up to the general election

At the same time as Sorgenfrei wants to show the complexity of these issues, he highlights how the image of Islam is often oversimplified, and the ways in which different actors help to shape the public debate.

“After all, this year is an election year, and the questions covered in the book are likely to play a major role during campaigning. If what I have written can contribute to a better, more level-headed climate for debate around these issues, that would make me very happy.”

Öppna era hjärtan is published by Norstedts.