The spread of Islam in Sweden has increased notably with the influx of Muslim immigrants, resulting in construction of mosques in cities both large and small.
This presence has led many Swedes to explore Islam. Among them are Emily Andersson, 29, and Martina Hildingsson, 39, who both converted to Islam after a period of exploration, Swedish Center for Information reported on Friday.
Emily Andersson, from Savalo in southern Sweden, shared her story with Swedish television. “I was never attracted to Christianity. There was no spiritual feeling in Christianity, but I watched Muslims and tried to get to know the Quran after the Quran burning incidents.”
“I was in a state of grief over the death of my grandmother and sad about my mother’s serious illness. So I decided to listen to the Quran, because I can’t read it in Arabic. When I first listened to the Quran, I started crying. Yes, I didn’t understand what I was hearing, but I felt it was the word of God. I cried and cried. I feel that I need this Quran and this religion,” she added.
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Martina Hildingsson, unlike Emily, was a devout Christian. Observing the manifestations of Islam around her, she decided to investigate whether Islam was truly a divine religion.
After studying the Quran and its interpretations, she felt a spiritual connection. “Yes, the Quran is similar to me as a religious person committed to the teachings of God,” she said.
Martina also described her background, noting that her parents were not believers, but she felt a spiritual longing for faith. “Because I am religious, I adhered to all the teachings of Islam as soon as I converted to it, and I wore the hijab to be closer to God,” she explained.
Despite facing criticism and attacks for her conversion and wearing the hijab, Martina remains proud of her decision. “I am the same person as I was before, a religious believer but in the direction that I see as right,” she added.
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As of 2017, the Muslim population in Sweden was estimated to be around 810,000, making up about 8.1% of the total population. More recent estimates place the number between 250,000 and 400,000. Roughly half of the Muslim population resides in the capital, Stockholm, with another 10-15% living in Göteborg.
Islam’s presence in Sweden dates back to the 7th-10th centuries during Viking trade with Muslims in the Islamic Golden Age. Significant Muslim immigration began in the late 1960s and 1970s, with the community now being diverse, including people from Iraq, Somalia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan.
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