Sweden's last Muslim school may be closed after the jihad sermon

Published 12 December 2024 at 12.15

Domestic. The last Muslim free school in Sweden, Växjö Islamic School, is under scrutiny after a video was circulated in which the head of the school, Ismail Abu Helal, speaks of jihad as “the pinnacle of Islam”. This is reported by Aftonbladet.

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In the clip , which was filmed in the Växjö mosque, Abu Helal calls on Muslims to raise their children about jihad and highlights “people who love death as you love life”.

The video has provoked strong reactions and criticism is directed at the head of the school for he uses the concept jihad, which is often associated with militant Islamism and violence.

However, the school's representative, Avdi Islami, believes that the statements were misinterpreted and that Abu Helal spoke of jihad as a positive endeavor, and that it was about “planting trees” and helping others.

– He talked about fighting for it good and calm the mood in a heated situation, says Islami to Aftonbladet.

The incident has led to several students leaving the school, and critics believe that the statements are not compatible with the values ​​of the Swedish school. Islami, however, defends the operation and points out that the school follows the curriculum and offers voluntary teaching in Islam outside school hours.

The school inspectorate has started an extensive review of the school, while the conflict between the school foundation and other actors in Växjö continues. The future of the last Muslim independent school now depends on the results of the review.

At least 20 or so Muslim schools and preschools have been closed down by the authorities in recent years due to scams or when or alarms from Säpo about radicalization of children, writes Aftonbladet.