Is this something that actually has support across the board in the Swedish business community, or simply an act of appeasement by the Swedish government towards its Muslim minority? Either way, it’s a major step by the Swedish political elite towards completing their multiculturalism project, whose aims are to further distance Swedes from their Christian cultural past, which will ironically be helping those Muslims who want an Islamic Swedish future.
The Local: “Almega, an organisation that supports service companies in Sweden, has proposed a move away from public holidays based on Christian beliefs. It should instead be up to employees to decide which holidays to take on the basis of their own religious faith. “Why should a Shiite Muslim be free on Epiphany if he or she wants to be free to celebrate the Day of Ashura? I think this will become the norm in the labour market in the future,” Almega’s Magnus Kendel told Metro. The organisation bases its proposal on a recommendation made by Sweden’s discrimination ombudsman in March of last year.”
Scandimerican weighs in:
“What concerns me about this one is that it comes from a government bureaucracy: the “discrimination ombudsman” has practically issued an edict saying that employers shall detach employees’ holidays from the Christian calendar. That, to me, is a worrisome sign, because it means that his office is joining in the de-Christianification of Sweden. Since Swedes aren’t really grown-ups, but more like adultified kids, they cannot handle a philosophical issue like this. The end result may very well be absolutely ridiculous. E.g., what if a muslim complains that he has to use the “khafaar” calendar at work? What if he wants to date his reports with islamic year, month and date? If any European country will introduce parallel official calendars – one Christian, one Islamic – it will be Sweden.”
This is of course in keeping with the European-Arab Dialogue that historian/scholar Bat Ye’or warns about in her book “Eurabia.” I view this latest move by the Swedish government to be possibly in line with the EAD concept, that allows Islam, step by step, to become a state within a state. Muslims have already called for the Swedish state to recognize sharia (Islamic law) as an alternative for Muslims. Regardless of the fact that the state refused the demand (this time), what confidence is there that a future government will be as strong willed?
What is troubling, is that Sweden has taken many conciliatory steps in recent history, towards supplicating extremist demands from its Muslim communities. Last year a Swedish court rejected to press charges against a Mosque selling anti-Semitical tapes to its members, deeming the tapes (that contained hostile, racist rhetoric towards Jews) as being a part of the “normal discourse” in region’s politics concerning the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and therefore permissable. Sweden also allowed Hamas representative entrance into Sweden last year, in spite a EU ban prohibiting such a move.
Though the idea of allowing diversity in the observance of religious holidays (on the national level) might sound harmless and even appealing, it is nonetheless troubling because it harbors certain dangers towards the fabric of society. It’s a pity to see the Swedish business sector starting to promote the government’s agenda as well. The proposal by the Swedish government only works if there exists 100% trust and tolerance across the religious spectrum, and presently, such trust and tolerance does not exist, and for good reason.
If Islamic leaders in the West – who set the tone for their communities – continue to be either intimidated by radical Islamists to keep quiet, or work hand in hand to implement their political agenda, no trust can ever be forthcoming towards Islam from the rest of society. Such a simple measure as the one under advisement in Sweden, would become a legal nightmare as political Islam seeks to assert itself at the expense of liberal pluralistic democracy. Is that scenario really in the West’s best interest? *L* KGS
