Sweden is moving to tighten oversight of foreign funding for religious groups and civil organisations, in a step that runs parallel to the opening of an official investigation into political Islam and the influence of religious currents within Swedish society.
The Swedish Ministry of Justice announced that Minister Gunnar Strömmer held a press conference yesterday to mark the presentation of a report entitled "A New Regulatory Framework for Scrutinising Foreign Funding of Religious Groups and Other Activities", attended by special investigator Michael Malkvist, to review the progress of the inquiry.
This comes days after the Swedish government commissioned Magnus Ranstorp, a researcher specialising in terrorism issues, to conduct an official investigation into religious radicalisation and political Islam, with the aim of mapping the scale of the phenomenon, its development, and its impact on democracy, integration, and public institutions in the country.
According to Swedish media outlets, including Aftonbladet and Omni, the political debate is focused on associations, schools, and educational federations, some of which are suspected of ties to networks close to the Muslim Brotherhood organisation, amid accusations that these institutions are being used to build long-term influence within Swedish society.