Swedish State TV (SVT) has made its own Undercover Mosque as part of the investigative series call Uppdrag. Translated from Swedish by Nicolai Sennels, Sydsvenskan, May 16: “Women advised not to report to the police“:
With hidden cameras and secret telephone recording equipment, two women went to the country’s ten largest mosques to ask for advice regarding polygamy, abuse and sex without consent. Tonight’s Uppdrag, broadcast on SVT, documents that the advice of the mosque’s representatives are often contradictory to Swedish law. … Six out of ten mosques advised the woman not to report the beatings to the police. At one mosque different answers were given, and another mosque gave an unclear answer. Only at two mosques were the woman advised to contact the police. Nine out of ten said that under certain conditions men are allowed to marry several women. Only one said that man cannot do so and that he must comply with Swedish law. The illegal advice to the women was given by imams or Muslim family counselors.
When Uppdrag’s journalist Janne Josefsson asked two of the largest mosques about their official position, the answers were different from what they had given the undercover journalist. In front of Josefsson, the Chairman of the Islamic Uppsala Association said that people should act in accordance with Swedish law. Confronted with what the imam at the mosque said to the women, the chairman said that the imam’s personal opinion was that the woman should forgive the man rather than report the abuse. But what the imam actually said to the woman was to defend polygamy, and he advised the woman not to report the abuse to the police and instead give her husband more love. “Do not refuse to give love to him, maybe he will change,” said the imam.
After the confrontation with Josefsson, the Islamic Association of Stockholm has suspended the imam and started an investigation.
“This is a case of clear violation of Swedish law and misconduct by the imams and the organisations,” says Mohammad Fazlhashemi, professor and author of books on Muslim history of philosophy. Fazlhashemi involved himself in the program and has received a written presentation of the advice given to women. “What these men say to the women violates their human rights. These men humiliate and violate women when they say ‘you have to put up with this man’s beatings,'” says Mohammad Fazlhashemi. He is highly critical of the fact that the imams do not comply with Swedish law.
“Since the mosques receive government grants, they must agree to follow Swedish law and fundamental democratic principles.” … Mohammad Fazlhashemi, himself a Muslim, believe that the outdated mosque representatives benefit Muslim-haters and the Sweden Democrats (Sweden’s only Islam-critical party).
“The imams confirm the caricature of Muslims. It is deeply regrettable that they live up to all the prejudices of the Islamophobes.”
JihadWatch on the Swedish Democrats: “Nicolai Sennels interviews politician Kent Ekeroth, Swedish Democrats: no more mosques, no more Muslim schools“