I love Sweden, this country has taught me a lot about humanity and solidarity. But the last weeks betrayal makes not just me, but many people, Swedish and non-Swedish start to question both our government and our parliament.
When Sweden recognized Palestine, the Islamists cheered. When Sweden criticized Saudi Arabia for its view of women, the Islamists became furious. I do not pretend that any of the Swedish decisions were wrong.
Photo of the Swedish Parliament
Many people were surprised when the Conservative Moderate Party, The Swedish Social Democratic Party, the Centre Party, the Left Party and the Green Party chose not to vote for recognition of the ongoing genocide against Yazidis, Assyrians/Chaldeans/Syriacs and other indigenous people in Iraq and Syria. What did the Swedish policy makers have to lose? Why didn't they standing up for the weakest? The European Parliament and US are among those who've recognized the genocide. The fact is it's a genocide. What makes Sweden's choice even more surprising is that the resolution in the European Parliament was written by a Swedish parliamentarian. From a Newsweek report: Lars Adaktusson, Swedish member of the European Parliament for the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) Group, who tabled the resolution, calls the vote a "historic decision" that represents a further step towards recognition of ISIS crimes against Christians, Yazidis and other religious minorities at the United Nations.
In the Swedish Parliament only The Christian Democrats, the Liberals, and the Sweden Democrats chose to recognize the genocide.
After, Margot Wallström, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden called on Saudi Arabia publicly, the Swedish Government had to go there and apologize. The Saudis took the criticism very seriously and threatened with reprisals. It could have meant disaster for our Sweden's economy, due to the trade agreements the country has with the Saudis and their allies.
It's not a secret that the newfound friends Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar support the Islamists in Iraq and Syria. These countries' regimes could have been outraged by a Swedish recognition of the genocide. If this is a part of the reason that one does not dare admit it, it's both a scary and cynical one. Sweden stands for human rights, but also wants to sell weapons and keep other import and export contracts.
Three members of the Moderate Party, Hanif Bali, Finn Bengtsson and Niklas Wykman, chose to go against their party and vote for recognition. Both Bali and Wykman has now been relieved of their trusted prestigious seats. They claim that there is a connection. They chose to vote for the truth, recognize the genocide and to try to contribute for stoping it. Were they punished for it? Or are there other reasons that explain the party leadership's actions? Both Bali and Wykman has earlier been in clashes with the Moderate party leadership.
I look forward to the unveiling of why the Moderate Party parliamentary group, were forced to dismiss their expert on integration issues, Hanif Bali. It will most certainly leak out why they chose not to recognize the genocide, perhaps because they were afraid of losing the contacts with Saudi Arabia when they come to reign?
In her latest column in the Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet, Jenny Nordberg, renowned author and investigative journalist, describes the situation between Turkey and the EU as a hostage. If we don't pay President Erdogan enough, he will not take care of the refugees as he promised.
That is what is so horrible about our trade agreements with dictatorships, we become hostages and must abandon the truth, and sometimes even humanity.