Nyamko Sabuni
Encyclopedia
Nyamko Ana Sabuni is a politician
, currently serving as Minister for Integration and Gender Equality
in the Swedish government
. She is a member of the Liberal People's Party
. Sabuni was elected a Member of Parliament
in 2002
and assumed the office of Minister for Integration and Gender Equality on 6 October 2006.
in Burundi
where her father, a left-wing politician from Zaire
, lived in exile. Sabuni's father is a Christian
while her mother is a Muslim
. The family obtained political asylum in Sweden
in 1981 and Sabuni grew up in Kungsängen
, north of Stockholm
. She studied law
at Uppsala University
, migration policy at Mälardalen University
in Eskilstuna
, and information and media communications at Berghs School of Communication in Stockholm.
She is married to a Swedish man with whom she has twin boys. She has described herself as non-religious.
refugee Gerard Gbeyo, committed by a Swedish neo-Nazi
in the town of Klippan
in 1995, as one of the reasons she became involved in politics.
In a 17 July 2006 opinion letter published in the Swedish newspaper Expressen
, Sabuni called for mandatory gynecological examinations of all schoolgirls in order to prevent genital mutilation
(also known as female circumcision
). She has proposed a ban on hijab
for girls under 15 and also advocated the inclusion of honor killing
s as an independent category within the Swedish criminal code. In July 2006 her book Flickorna vi sviker ("The Girls We Let Down"), about women in Sweden living under the threat of honor violence, was published.
Sabuni states that practicing Muslims who live by the Qur'an "limit their own opportunities". She suggests that practices such as praying five times a day, or questioning music marginalize Muslims. Muslims respond by saying that Sabuni is singling them out, while avoiding issues concerning the Muslim community like unemployment.
On 6 October 2006, the new Swedish coalition government
which emerged from the election
announced Sabuni's appointment as the new Minister for Integration and Gender Equality. She is the first person of African descent to be appointed as Minister in a Swedish government.
Sabuni's appointment as Minister for Integration and Gender Equality was met with protests from some Swedish Muslims
, who accused her of Islamophobia
and populism
. A petition
against her appointment was signed by the Muslim Association of Sweden, reportedly the largest organization representing Muslims in Sweden.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, currently serving as Minister for Integration and Gender Equality
Ministry of Integration and Gender Equality (Sweden)
The Ministry of Integration and Gender Equality is a ministry of the Government Offices of Sweden. Its areas of responsibility include consumer affairs, democracy issues, gender equality, human rights, integration issues, metropolitan affairs, minority issues, non-governmental organizations and...
in the Swedish government
Government of Sweden
The Government of the Kingdom of Sweden is the supreme executive authority of Sweden. It consists of the Prime Minister and cabinet ministers appointed by the Prime Minister. The Government is responsible for their actions to the Riksdag, which is the legislative assembly...
. She is a member of the Liberal People's Party
Liberal People's Party (Sweden)
The Liberal People's Party is a political party in Sweden. The party advocates social liberalism and is part of the governing centre-right coalition The Alliance, which achieved a majority in the general election of 17 September 2006...
. Sabuni was elected a Member of Parliament
Parliament of Sweden
The Riksdag is the national legislative assembly of Sweden. The riksdag is a unicameral assembly with 349 members , who are elected on a proportional basis to serve fixed terms of four years...
in 2002
Swedish general election, 2002
The Swedish general election of 2002 was held on Sunday 15 September to elect the 349 members to the Parliament of Sweden. This election was hels along with other elections in Sweden to the Municipalities and the County Councils. 5,385,430 of the 6,722,152 eligible to vote voted in this election .-...
and assumed the office of Minister for Integration and Gender Equality on 6 October 2006.
Personal life
Nyamko Sabuni was born in BujumburaBujumbura
-Education:The University of Burundi is located in Bujumbura.Hope Africa University is located in BujumburaUniversité du Lac Tanganyika is located in Bujumbura-External links:**...
in Burundi
Burundi
Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...
where her father, a left-wing politician from Zaire
Zaire
The Republic of Zaire was the name of the present Democratic Republic of the Congo between 27 October 1971 and 17 May 1997. The name of Zaire derives from the , itself an adaptation of the Kongo word nzere or nzadi, or "the river that swallows all rivers".-Self-proclaimed Father of the Nation:In...
, lived in exile. Sabuni's father is a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
while her mother is a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
. The family obtained political asylum in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
in 1981 and Sabuni grew up in Kungsängen
Kungsängen
Kungsängen is a locality and the seat of Upplands-Bro Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 7,367 inhabitants in 2005.- References :...
, north of Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. She studied law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
at Uppsala University
Uppsala University
Uppsala University is a research university in Uppsala, Sweden, and is the oldest university in Scandinavia, founded in 1477. It consistently ranks among the best universities in Northern Europe in international rankings and is generally considered one of the most prestigious institutions of...
, migration policy at Mälardalen University
Mälardalen University
Mälardalen University College , or MdH, is a university college located in Västerås and Eskilstuna, Sweden. It has 13,000 students and over 1,000 employees, of which around 40 are professors...
in Eskilstuna
Eskilstuna
Eskilstuna is a city and the seat of Eskilstuna Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 60,185 inhabitants in 2005. Eskilstuna has a large Sweden Finn population....
, and information and media communications at Berghs School of Communication in Stockholm.
She is married to a Swedish man with whom she has twin boys. She has described herself as non-religious.
Political career
Sabuni was a member of board of the Liberal Youth of Sweden from 1996 to 1998. She has cited the murder of IvorianCôte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
refugee Gerard Gbeyo, committed by a Swedish neo-Nazi
Neo-Nazism
Neo-Nazism consists of post-World War II social or political movements seeking to revive Nazism or some variant thereof.The term neo-Nazism can also refer to the ideology of these movements....
in the town of Klippan
Klippan Municipality
Klippan Municipality is a municipality in Skåne County in southern Sweden. Its seat is located in the town of Klippan.The municipality was created in 1974 through the amalgamation of the market town Klippan with the rural municipality of Riseberga and part of Östra Ljungby.Söderåsen National Park...
in 1995, as one of the reasons she became involved in politics.
In a 17 July 2006 opinion letter published in the Swedish newspaper Expressen
Expressen
Expressen is one of two nationwide evening tabloid newspapers in Sweden, the other being Aftonbladet. Expressen was founded in 1944; its symbol is a wasp and slogans "it stings" or "Expressen to your rescue", always on the reader's side....
, Sabuni called for mandatory gynecological examinations of all schoolgirls in order to prevent genital mutilation
Genital mutilation
Genital mutilation can refer to:*Clitoridectomy*Female genital mutilation, also known as female circumcision*Genital modification and mutilation*Infibulation...
(also known as female circumcision
Female genital cutting
Female genital mutilation , also known as female genital cutting and female circumcision, is defined by the World Health Organization as "all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons."FGM...
). She has proposed a ban on hijab
Hijab
The word "hijab" or "'" refers to both the head covering traditionally worn by Muslim women and modest Muslim styles of dress in general....
for girls under 15 and also advocated the inclusion of honor killing
Honor killing
An honor killing or honour killing is the homicide of a member of a family or social group by other members, due to the belief of the perpetrators that the victim has brought dishonor upon the family or community...
s as an independent category within the Swedish criminal code. In July 2006 her book Flickorna vi sviker ("The Girls We Let Down"), about women in Sweden living under the threat of honor violence, was published.
Sabuni states that practicing Muslims who live by the Qur'an "limit their own opportunities". She suggests that practices such as praying five times a day, or questioning music marginalize Muslims. Muslims respond by saying that Sabuni is singling them out, while avoiding issues concerning the Muslim community like unemployment.
On 6 October 2006, the new Swedish coalition government
Cabinet of Fredrik Reinfeldt
The cabinet of Fredrik Reinfeldt is the current cabinet of Sweden. It is a coalition cabinet consisting of the four parties in the centre-right Alliance for Sweden: the Moderate Party, Centre Party, Liberal People's Party and the Christian Democrats...
which emerged from the election
Swedish general election, 2006
A general election was held in Sweden on 17 September 2006, to elect members to the Swedish parliament. All 349 seats were up for election: 310 "fixed seats" in 29 constituencies and 39 members at a national level for what are called "adjustment seats", used to ensure that parties have...
announced Sabuni's appointment as the new Minister for Integration and Gender Equality. She is the first person of African descent to be appointed as Minister in a Swedish government.
Sabuni's appointment as Minister for Integration and Gender Equality was met with protests from some Swedish Muslims
Islam in Sweden
Islam in Sweden is the religion of around 450,000 to 500,000 citizens and residents, as of 2009, around 5% of the total population.-History:Islam begins to have a noticeable presence in Sweden with immigration from the Middle East beginning in the 1970s....
, who accused her of Islamophobia
Islamophobia
Islamophobia describes prejudice against, hatred or irrational fear of Islam or MuslimsThe term dates back to the late 1980s or early 1990s, but came into common usage after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States....
and populism
Populism
Populism can be defined as an ideology, political philosophy, or type of discourse. Generally, a common theme compares "the people" against "the elite", and urges social and political system changes. It can also be defined as a rhetorical style employed by members of various political or social...
. A petition
Petition
A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer....
against her appointment was signed by the Muslim Association of Sweden, reportedly the largest organization representing Muslims in Sweden.
External links
- Nyamko Sabuni at the Government Offices of SwedenGovernment of SwedenThe Government of the Kingdom of Sweden is the supreme executive authority of Sweden. It consists of the Prime Minister and cabinet ministers appointed by the Prime Minister. The Government is responsible for their actions to the Riksdag, which is the legislative assembly...
- Nyamko Sabuni at the Liberal People's PartyLiberal People's Party (Sweden)The Liberal People's Party is a political party in Sweden. The party advocates social liberalism and is part of the governing centre-right coalition The Alliance, which achieved a majority in the general election of 17 September 2006...
- Nyamko Sabuni at the RiksdagParliament of SwedenThe Riksdag is the national legislative assembly of Sweden. The riksdag is a unicameral assembly with 349 members , who are elected on a proportional basis to serve fixed terms of four years...