Sveriges Unga Muslimer (SUM), previously named ''Sveriges Muslimska Ungdomsförbund (SMUF)'', is an Islamic youth

umbrella organisation An umbrella organization is an association of (often related, industry-specific) institutions who work together formally to coordinate activities and/or pool resources. In business, political, and other environments, it provides resources and ofte ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

. The organisation was formed in 1991. SUM itself a member organisation of the following umbrella organisations: the

Muslim Council of Sweden The Muslim Council of Sweden ( sv, Sveriges muslimska råd, SMR) is an umbrella organisation of Islamic organisations in Sweden. It was founded in 1990 by representatives of the United Islamic Parishes in Sweden ( sv, Förenade islamiska församl ...

, Forum for European Muslim Youth and Student Organisations (FEMYSO) and ''Ibn Rushd studieförbund''. In 2016 it had about 4000 members. SUM, along with other Muslim community organisations has its headquarters at

Stockholm mosque Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan's Mosque ( sv, Zaid Ben Sultan Al Nahayans moské, ar, جامع زايد بن سلطان آل نهيان), commonly known as the Stockholm Mosque (''Stockholms moské'') or the Stockholm Grand Mosque (''Stockholms stor ...

. SUM is a supporting organisation to Ship to Gaza Sweden. The organisation has an annual conference in the Kista district of Stockholm, with about 800-1500 participants aged 15–25. In 1995, the organisation helped organise the Euro-Islam conference in

Lidingö Lidingö, also known in its definite form ''Lidingön'' and as ''Lidingölandet'', is an island in the inner Stockholm archipelago, northeast of Stockholm, Sweden. In 2010, the population of the Lidingö urban area on the island was 31,561. It is ...

organised on a directive from the

Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs The Ministry for Foreign Affairs ( sv, Utrikesdepartementet, UD) is responsible for Swedish foreign policy. History The ministry for Foreign Affairs was created in 1791 when King Gustav III set up ''Konungens kabinett för den utrikes brevv� ...

. The youth section of this conference was dominated by participants with connections to the

Muslim Brotherhood The Society of the Muslim Brothers ( ar, جماعة الإخوان المسلمين'' ''), better known as the Muslim Brotherhood ( ', is a transnational Sunni Islamist organization founded in Egypt by Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan ...

and similar forms of ideology, for instance the Young Muslims UK and Jamat-i Islami according to French islamologist

Gilles Kepel Gilles Kepel, (born June 30, 1955) is a French political scientist and Arabist, specialized in the contemporary Middle East and Muslims in the West. He is Professor at the Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL) and director of the Middle Ea ...

. This conference resulted in the founding of FEMYSO. In 2003, the organisation received a grant of 400 000 SEK from the Swedish Inheritance Fund for a project on

Islamophobia Islamophobia is the fear of, hatred of, or prejudice against the religion of Islam or Muslims in general, especially when seen as a geopolitical force or a source of terrorism. The scope and precise definition of the term ''Islamophobia'' ...

as form of racism. In 2010, the organisation invited

Abdullah Hakim Quick Shaykh Abdullah Hakim Quick (born June 20, 1949) is an American-Canadian Imam and travelling lecturer. Background He was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts of African American, Caribbean and Mohawk descent. He grew up in Boston. He received ...

to its annual conference, which was criticised by the

Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights The Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Rights ( sv, Riksförbundet för homosexuellas, bisexuellas, transpersoners och queeras rättigheter, RFSL, formerly ) is a Sweden, Swedish organization working for LGBT right ...

(RFSL) in a public debate because of his homophobic views. SUM claimed they did not know his opinions on homosexuality. SUM later cancelled the invitation. In 2011 SUM invited

Yvonne Ridley Yvonne Ridley (born 23 April 1958) is a British journalist, author and politician who holds several committee positions with the Alba Party in Scotland. She was a former chair of the National Council of the now-defunct Respect Party. Ridley ma ...

to a seminar in

Tensta Tensta is a district in Spånga-Tensta, Spånga-Tensta borough, Stockholm, Sweden. There are about 6,000 apartments in Tensta

. She was invited again in 2013 to ''Muslimska Familjedagarna'' (translation: "Muslim family days"), an event organised by SUM, Islamic Association in Sweden and Ibn Rushd study company other Muslim community organisation, which was noted by anti-fascist magazine

Expo An expo is a trade exposition. It may also refer to: Events and venues * World's fair, a large international public exposition * Singapore Expo, convention and exposition venue ** Expo Axis, one of the world's largest membrane roofs, constructe ...

due to Ridley's

antisemitic Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

views. In 2016 SUM criticised that

Mehmet Kaplan Mehmet Güner Kaplan (born 18 July 1971) is a Swedish politician of Turkish origin who served as Minister for Housing and Urban Development from 2014 to 2016. He is a member of the Swedish Green Party. Kaplan resigned from the Cabinet after con ...

, a former chairman of SUM who later joined and rose in the ranks of the

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...

, had been forced to resign from his position as Minister for Housing and Urban Development after his connections to Turkish extremists and nationalists were made public. In the spring of 2016, chairman Rashid Musa criticised the stricter

anti-terrorism legislation Anti-terrorism legislation are laws with the purpose of fighting terrorism. They usually, if not always, follow specific bombings or assassinations. Anti-terrorism legislation usually includes specific amendments allowing the state to bypass its ...

in then coming into force in Sweden and alleged the legislation discriminated against Muslims in Sweden. The organisation received

state aid State aid in the European Union is the name given to a subsidy or any other aid provided by a government that distorts competitions. Under European Union competition law the term has a legal meaning, being any measure that demonstrates any of the ...

from the

Swedish Agency for Youth and Civil Society Swedish Agency for Youth and Civil Society ( sv, Myndigheten för ungdoms- och civilsamhällesfrågor, MUCF) is a Swedish government agency which deals with youth policy and issues relating to Swedish civil society. The name of the agency prior t ...

(Swedish acronym: MUCF) in the years 2011-2015. SUM had to pay back the government funds for 2016 and 2017 due to the organisation failing to respect the ideals of

democracy Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation (" direct democracy"), or to choose gov ...

. A report outlined how sympathisers and activists for extremist movements had leading positions of local chapters of SUM. In 2017, chairman Rashid Musa led a seminar on Islamophobia organised by the Stockholm chapter of

Swedish Social Democratic Youth League The Swedish Social Democratic Youth League ( sv, Sveriges Socialdemokratiska Ungdomsförbund ; SSU) is a branch of the Swedish Social Democratic Party and the Swedish Trade Union Confederation in Sweden. The president has been Lisa Nåbo, since ...

(SSU) where white people were barred from attending. Lena Rådström Baastad, the secretary of the mother party

Swedish Social Democratic Party The Swedish Social Democratic Party, formally the Swedish Social Democratic Workers' Party ( sv, Sveriges socialdemokratiska arbetareparti ; S/SAP), usually referred to as The Social Democrats ( sv, link=no, Socialdemokraterna ), is a social-d ...

, commented that the social democrats would never organize an ethnically segregated event.

Member organisations

* ''Mångkulturella Ungdoms Center (MKUC)'' (translation: "

multicultural The term multiculturalism has a range of meanings within the contexts of sociology, political philosophy, and colloquial use. In sociology and in everyday usage, it is a synonym for "Pluralism (political theory), ethnic pluralism", with the tw ...

youth centre") has its address at the Bellevue Mosque in

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

. During a criminal investigation against a member of MKUC leadership, police found videos promoting violent jihadism in the computers of the MKUC office. * ''

Eskilstuna Eskilstuna () is a city and the seat of Eskilstuna Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden. The city of Eskilstuna had 67,359 inhabitants in 2015, with a total population of 100,092 inhabitants in Eskilstuna municipality (2014). Eskilstuna has ...

Unga Muslimer'' two members of the leadership, Karzan Fares and Diary Mohammed travelled to Syria in November 2015 where they joined a jihadist group loyal to

al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...

. One of them posted pictures of jihadist

Anwar al-Awlaki Anwar Nasser al-Awlaki (also spelled al-Aulaqi, al-Awlaqi; ar, أنور العولقي, Anwar al-‘Awlaqī; April 21 or 22, 1971 – September 30, 2011) was an American imam who was killed in 2011 in Yemen by a U.S. government drone stri ...

in social media. In August 2016 Karzan Fares was reported as killed in Syria. * ''Märsta Unga Muslimer'' in

Märsta Märsta () is a suburb of Metropolitan Stockholm, a locality and the seat of Sigtuna Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 27,034 inhabitants in 2015. The town is situated close to Stockholm's main international airport, Arlanda. Even though ...

near Stockholm invited

salafist The Salafi movement or Salafism () is a reform branch movement within Sunni Islam that originated during the nineteenth century. The name refers to advocacy of a return to the traditions of the "pious predecessors" (), the first three generati ...

Abdur Raheem Green Abdur Raheem Green (born: Anthony Waclaw Gavin Green; 1964), is a British revert to Islam who is known in some Muslim communities for his work in Dawah, both in televised formal settings and informal contexts such as Hyde Park's Speakers Corner. ...

to a lecture in 2012.

Leadership & notable members

, chairman 2000-2002 * Barlin Nur, 2004-2008 *

Omar Mustafa Omar Mustafa (born 23 March 1985) is a Swedish politician of Syrian descent and leader of the Islamic organisation in Sweden. He was a politician for the Social Democrat Party for AStockholm between 7 and 13 May 2014. In 2007 he was chairman of ...

, general secretary 2010{{Cite web, url=http://www.ungamuslimer.se/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=255%3Aomar-mustafa-ny-generalsekreterare-pa-sum&Itemid=53, title=Omar Mustafa, ny generalsekreterare på SUM, date=1 March 2010, website=Sveriges Unga Muslimer, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511150021/http://www.ungamuslimer.se/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=255%3Aomar-mustafa-ny-generalsekreterare-pa-sum&Itemid=53, archive-date=11 May 2013 * Rashid Musa, chairman 2016 *

Fida al-Sayed Fidaaldin Al-Sayed Issa ( ar , فداء الدين السيد عيسى), born January 15, 1985, is a Syrian political activist who lives in Eskilstuna, Sweden. Fida is the chairman of the ''Youth Coalition of March 15'' and former spokesperson f ...

References

1991 establishments in Sweden Islamic organizations based in Sweden Islamic organizations established in 1991