Sweden to stop using 'Islamophobia', urges shift to 'anti-Muslim hatred' across institutions

Sweden will no longer use the term “Islamophobia,” the country’s Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said on Friday, describing the concept as problematic because it brings to mind the irrational fears of individuals rather than hostility targeting people.

Malmer Stenergard told parliamentarians last week that the government is pressing for the term to be replaced across international institutions with “anti-Muslim racism” or “anti-Muslim hatred” in English. Officials will gather in Brussels in the third week of May in part to discuss the terminology.

The announcement drew praise from the right-wing populist Sweden Democrats. Party MEP Charlie Weimers said on Monday that Islamists exploit the term “Islamophobia” to advance their agenda and secure EU funding. He welcomed what he called the government finally scrapping the concept and noted that Stockholm is urging officials in Brussels and at the United Nations to follow suit.

Malmer Stenergard’s framing underscores a push to standardize language used in policy and international discussions, with an emphasis on describing discrimination against Muslims rather than using a label associated with individual fears. The forthcoming Brussels meeting will indicate how far Sweden’s proposed shift gains traction among European and multilateral bodies.