Sweden abandons the term “Islamophobia” in favor of “anti-Muslim racism”

The Swedish government abandons the use of the term “Islamophobia”, deemed “problematic” by Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard. He prefers the expression “anti-Muslim racism”, believing that “phobia” refers to individual fears rather than phenomena of discrimination. Stockholm also wants to promote this change in terminology within the EU and the UN. This choice is part of an evolution that began with the government plan against racism and hate crimes adopted in December 2024, where the use of the term had already been called into question. Until then, the expression “Islamophobia” still appeared in official documents, including an action program published in 2022.

The question was raised again during a parliamentary debate after a questioning from MP Richard Jomshof, critical of the use of the term in the context of UN initiatives. The government now indicates that it wants to rally its European partners before taking this change in terminology to an international scale, with a discussion planned in Brussels in mid-May. In summary, the government wants to change the words used to talk about these subjects. He believes the new term is more accurate in describing racism and discrimination against Muslims.