Sweden Rattled By Somali Jihadists In Its Midst
Ten subway stops from downtown Stockholm is ''little Mogadishu,'' a drab suburb of the Swedish capital where radical Islamists are recruiting the sons of Somali immigrants for jihad. Police and residents say about 20 have joined al-Shabaab, an al-Qaida-linked group waging a bloody insurgency against Somalia's government, and many of them came from the suburb of Rinkeby -- the heart of Sweden's Somali community. The Swedish state security police say five of them have been killed and 10 are still at large in Somalia.
The issue has gained notice at a time of worsening fears of Islamic radicalism in the Scandinavian countries, home to more than 40,000 Somalis. In December, a Danish man of Somali descent killed 24 people in a suicide bombing in Mogadishu. On Jan. 1, a Somali immigrant - who had ties to al-Shabaab - in Denmark tried to murder a cartoonist who caricatured Muhammad. In Sweden, police say they can do little to stop people leaving for Somalia unless they can prove that they are conspiring to commit terrorism. Unlike the U.S., Sweden has not put al-Shabaab on any terrorism list. Al-Shabaab recruitment was recently linked to a youth center in Rinkeby that was financed with city subsidies.
Baptism Of Fire For 'Horny' Church's New Name
Church leaders in Storuman, northern Sweden (pop. 2,255), are facing a barrage of protests from local worshippers after deciding a sexual connotation linked to the name Kåtakyrkan was no longer fitting and should be changed after 30 years. "It's not suitable for it to be called Kåtakyrkan, it's too offensive," said church council leader Olov Wärnick. "It can be completely misunderstood, especially by young people," he added.
The word 'kåt' in Swedish means 'horny' but the origin of the name is linked to the style in which the church was built. A 'kåta' [pictured] is a hut and traditional dwelling inhabited by the Sami people, native to Sweden's Lapland region. A new name, Kyrkkåtan, has been proposed to the distaste of local churchgoers. "Let the church keep its beautiful name which is appropriate for the area in which it was built," said campaigner Esther Gustavsson. She is one of around 60 local residents who have put their name to a petition objecting to the name change.
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1/24 News: Religion In Sweden
