A recent statement by the Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch has stirred a big debate in
Sweden. She said that Muslims in Sweden must adapt to Swedish values or leave the country. Her
statements have raised questions about cultural integration, religious freedom, and immigration
policies, in Sweden and elsewhere.
Busch’s comments came after a celebration by Hamas supporters in Sweden. The event sparked
discussions on how different cultures can coexist in Sweden. Most Swedes are concerned about the
future of multiculturalism in the country. Some agree with Busch, saying that immigrants should
follow the values of their new country.
Others believe that such demands are unfair and could lead to discrimination against Muslims. Busch
stated, “I want Muslim girls and boys to feel that we are on their side.” She repeated this message
several times, showing her concern for young Muslims in Sweden. However, her comments have
been seen as controversial by many.
Meanwhile, on 31 August 2024, Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of PM Modi’s Economic Advisory Council
(PM-EAC), criticised the Sweden-based independent research institute Varieties of Democracy (V-
Dem).
Apparently, Sanyal’s critique was triggered by a statement from Ebba Busch, Sweden’s Deputy Prime
Minister, who claimed that Islam must align with Swedish values and that Sharia law has no place in
the country.
Through a witty post on his official X account, Sanyal tagged V-Dem and questioned, “Would be
interested to know if @vdeminstitute’s supercomputer adds or deducts points for these statements
from the Deputy PM of its home country.”
Sanyal claims that instead of addressing the issue or leaving it alone, the institute – rather than
engage with Sanjeev Sanyal’s critique – chose to block him.
However, we have to be clear here that Sanyal’s tweet was not in favour of Islam, or condemning the
Swedish Deputy PM, instead it seems to have been inspired on an earlier report from V-Dem
criticising India for its worsening democratic traditions.
In a subsequent post, Sanjeev Sanyal revealed that the V-Dem Institute had blocked him, and he
included a screenshot to confirm the action. Sanjeev mocked, “So, @vdeminstitute has now blocked
me!! So much for freedom and dialogue. This after I asked them a very common-sense question
about their home country.”
A survey by V-Dem shows how sovereign governments globally, are perceived through its research
and indices, such as The Regimes of the World (RoW). This framework categorises political systems
into four types: closed autocracies, electoral autocracies, electoral democracies, and liberal
democracies, based on V-Dem’s Democracy Core indices.
Earlier this year, the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute released a report labelling India as one
of the “worst autocratisers” globally in recent times. According to the institute, India remained
classified as an “electoral autocracy” in 2023. Their report highlighted that 42 countries, including
India, are experiencing a trend toward autocratisation.