Fifteen years ago, Swedish migration authorities faced a problem. They had seen a marked uptick in asylum seekers from Uzbekistan who claimed to be persecuted for their religious beliefs. That was not in itself surprising: Especially after an attempt on President Islam Karimov’s life in 1999, the government in Tashkent was well known for repressing Islamic groups that diverged from the country’s traditional, tolerant version of Islam.
Terror in Stockholm
Svante E. Cornell
Last week’s terror attack in Sweden should raise important questions about how the West defines its enemies.
Last Friday, an ISIS supporter rammed a truck into a department store in the heart of Stockholm, Sweden, killing four people and injuring 15. That same evening, news broke that Swedish police had arrested a 39-year old man from Uzbekistan for complicity in the attack. By Sunday morning, Swedish media reported that the man’s social media account indicated his support for both the Islamic State and the Islamic Party of Liberation, Hizb-ut-Tahrir.
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