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Negative and Positive Freedom of Religion: The Ambiguous Relation of Religion and Human Rights in Sweden

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Religion and Human Rights

Abstract

Sweden can be characterized as one of the most secularized countries in the world. This chapter aims to explore the relationship between religion and human rights in Sweden, with a focus on the contemporary situation. The research question is how to understand the relation between religion and human rights in the light of the role of religion in the country. The contentious argumentation around the freedom of religion illustrates the ambiguous role that religion plays in contemporary Swedish social life. Starting out from cases where freedom of speech and freedom of religion have been contested, this chapter explicates that Swedish society often constructs religion as a private matter and uses human rights discourses as a common denominator. Also empirical data on young people’s attitudes toward freedom of religion and religious diversity are used, underlining this ambiguous picture. Public discussions on human rights in Sweden follow three tracks: consensus on human rights discourse in general, an awareness of the need for constant refinement regarding the application of human rights, and thirdly a rising awareness of the stigmatization of Muslims which can be seen as a sign of a lack of religious literacy.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The prohibition of blasphemy was taken out of the penal code in 1949, and replaced by a statute on Peace of faith, which was subsequently abolished of the penal code in 1970.

  2. 2.

    The first data mentioned come from a school survey, using a two-step representative sample of upper secondary pupils, ages 18–19, who responded in school to a questionnaire on religion and Religious Education (Sjöborg 2013b). The second data mentioned comes from a strategic sample in Greater Stockholm schools of upper secondary pupils, ages 16–19 (Sjöborg 2012b).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Theology, University of Uppsala, Box 511, 75120, Uppsala, Sweden

    Dr. Anders Sjöborg

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  1. Dr. Anders Sjöborg
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Correspondence to Anders Sjöborg .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Practical Theology, Würzburg, Germany

    Hans-Georg Ziebertz

  2. Hrvatsko katolicko sveuciliste, Zagreb, Croatia

    Gordan Črpić

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Sjöborg, A. (2015). Negative and Positive Freedom of Religion: The Ambiguous Relation of Religion and Human Rights in Sweden. In: Ziebertz, HG., Črpić, G. (eds) Religion and Human Rights. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09731-2_14

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