This week marked the beginning of the Muslim fasting month Ramadan, something that an agency under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs chose to highlight via its social media channels, where followers are interested in Sweden and Swedish culture.
“Ramadan Mubarak!” was exclaimed on Sweden.se’s social media, followed by the information that Ramadan has now begun for Muslims in Sweden, the largest non-Christian religious group in the country.
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The criticism on Facebook was extensive, and many questioned what Ramadan has to do with Sweden and Swedish culture—a question we posed directly to the Swedish Institute, which operates the pages (the SI is, in turn, run by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
“As part of our mission to inform about Sweden :censored:6:cdd6bbaa89:ly, we highlight various types of content and current events that reflect our everyday life and society. Informing about different holidays and traditions shared by many in Sweden is part of our communication about Sweden,” says Sverre Nyborg-Warner at SI to Samnytt.
Most people follow Sweden.se out of an interest in Sweden and Swedish culture, not in what immigrants from the Middle East are doing.
Is it the cultures of immigrants that you think your social media followers are interested in?
“Our mission is to highlight various types of content about contemporary Sweden based on a variety of aspects including democracy, societal issues, culture, business, etc.,” says Nyborg-Warner.
What are your thoughts on the criticism in the comments section, which you have now restricted—do they have a point?
“Our comments section is not permanently restricted, but we have a routine where the comment function is switched off outside office hours and then reopened when staff are present. We do this on occasions when we see that our community standards are not being followed, to ensure we can moderate in a responsible and safe manner. We always inform when we close the comment sections.”
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) also acknowledged Ramadan:
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