The Bosnian mosque in the Swedish city of Norrkoping was the target of an attack during which windows were broken and offensive messages were written on the walls.
“With great shame and deep sadness, we condemn the disgusting attack on the construction of our mosque in Norrköping, where windows were broken and offensive messages were written on the walls. This action brings back unpleasant memories from the time when many of our members came to Sweden as refugees during the war in Bosnia. The messages that are directed at us now are similar to the neo-Nazi slogans that they have encountered up to that time,” reads the press release issued by the Board of Directors of the Bosnian Islamic Assembly in Norrköping, the Board of the Bosnian Islamic Society in Sweden and Haris Delic, a member of the Interfaith Council of Sweden.
They state that they see the attack as an attack, not only on the holy place and the community, but also on the basic values of respect, tolerance and diversity of the entire Swedish society.
“This is the second major hate crime targeting community mosques and its members in a short time, and we are experiencing a general increased Islamophobic feeling in society. Therefore, we are directly addressing the government with a proposal to do more to protect religious freedom in Sweden. polarization and growing hate campaigns like this one, we expect the government to act more decisively and intensively in security work with religious communities,” it said.
They emphasized that they want to make it clear that this act of hatred will not shape or break our spirit.
“On the contrary, it strengthens our determination to continue building our mosque and keep it open for all residents of Northköping. We also want to express our deepest gratitude to everyone who has shown support and solidarity at this difficult time. Your touching words and actions remind us that we are not alone in the fight against hatred and intolerance,” it concludes.
