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As Muslim individuals, communities, and institutions have been transformed by the digital revolution, a literature has developed that seeks to contribute knowledge about these changes. Pioneering studies in this field suggest that this literature has a focus on digital documents. This scoping literature review aims to find out whether this focus is still valid. Therefore, we examine all studies on Muslims and social media that can be retrieved from the databases Scopus, Web of Science, Index Islamicus and Atla Religion Database between 2010 and 2022, using the following keywords: Facebook; Twitter (tweets); YouTube; Instagram; TikTok; Snapchat; and Telegram (n = 359). Our findings show that interest in studying Muslims on social media has grown significantly in recent decades and that most studies have focused on non-conflictual use of social media. Most of the studies are corpus studies, i.e. big data, data scraping, or descriptive analysis of websites, Twitter accounts, or Facebook pages (82 percent). Thus, this literature review shows that the study of Islam, Muslims, and Islamic online environments is flourishing in various fields of scholarship. However, the strong focus on descriptive documentary studies should be complemented by more studies that collect new empirical data through interviews, surveys, and mixed methods. It is only by engaging with the users of these services that we can answer when, what, and why individuals do or do not do something on social media.

The aim of this paper is to explore if, when, how, and why “religion” is a topic in police research and analyze if police research frames religion as a resource or a problem. Theoretically we investigate if “religion” in police research is perceived as a potential asset that the police can use for building trust and dialogue with various religious communities and citizens, or is religion perceived as a problem or even a danger that should be controlled, and under what circumstances. Are there changes over time and place, and can these changes be related to the role and function religion plays in different social settings? To what extent does it matter to the police if religion is an asset or a potential problem, and do police tactics or social attitudes towards religion matter when it comes to how police officers view religion? We expect to find different attitudes in different countries, and different attitudes might be explained by the various roles religion and religiosity takes in different social settings. To fulfil the aim of the study, we provide a systematic literature review of the existing police research that is related to “religion” in three databases, namely Scopus; Web of Science and Criminology collection. By this procedure we can present an overview to the existing literature and research on the nexus between religion and policing. Furthermore, we are can also present trends and developments over time and place as well as point to future research. Besides an interest in research patterns and trends over time, the findings can also be of importance for the training of future police officers who will work in a multicultural and multireligious society. 

Sedan 2008 har andelen som begravs i Sverige utan ceremoni ökat från två procent till nio procent (med en toppnotering pandemiåret 2020 på 11 procent). Enligt Sveriges begravningsentreprenörer kan en begravning utan ceremoni förstås som en direktkremering där hämtning, transport och gravsättning sker helt utan närståendes medverkan. Den här artikeln sammanfattar de svenska rapporter och uppsatser som finns om begravningar utan ceremonier tillsammans med det internationella forskningsläget. De svenska undersökningarna antyder att nya typer av personliga och privata ceremonier kan ha ersatt borgerliga och religiösa ceremonier. Det internationella forskningsläget pekar mot att avstå från ceremoni kan öka risken för förlängd och fördjupad sorg (komplicerad sorg). Tidigare forskning förbiser vad den ökande sannolikheten att ingen kommer till ens begravning har för konsekvenser för dem som lider av ensamhet. 

Since 2008, the proportion of burials without ceremonies in Sweden has increased from two percent to nine percent (with a peak of 11 percent in the pandemic year 2020). According to the Swedish Association of Funeral Directors, burials without ceremonies can be understood as a direct cremation in which collection, transport and burial take place without the participation of relatives. This article summarizes the Swedish reports and essays on burials without ceremonies together with the international research literature. The Swedish studies suggest that new types of personal and private ceremonies may have replaced civil and religious ceremonies. The international research suggests that refraining from ceremony may increase the risk of prolonged and deepened grief (complicated grief). Previous research overlooks the impact of the increasing likelihood of no one attending one’s funeral on those suffering from loneliness.

This paper explores the dynamic interplay between media consumption, identity, and discrimination within the Swedish Muslim community. Given Sweden's high levels of social media engagement and diverse media landscape, the study addresses the dual nature of media as both a community-building tool and a potential arena for hate and discrimination.

The research uses a unique survey focused on Muslim media consumption, with the aim of uncovering how individuals use different media sources and how this correlates with the risk of experiencing hate and discrimination. The methodology includes a descriptive presentation of the survey results, controlling for demographic factors such as age, gender, and education.

In order to provide a holistic analysis, the article briefly outlines the historical and contemporary situation of Islam and Muslims in Sweden. This contextual overview is essential for understanding the challenges facing the Muslim community and the potential impact of the media on these challenges.

The study seeks to highlight the dual role of the media for Muslims in Sweden - facilitating community cohesion and identity formation, while also acting as a platform for hate speech and discrimination. By examining these dynamics, the research contributes to discussions on the complex relationship between media, identity, and discrimination among Muslims in Sweden. The combination of survey analysis and historical context adds valuable perspectives to ongoing discussions about the role of the media in shaping inclusive societies and promoting harmonious coexistence.

This chapter explores the meanings attached to the term 'existential' in hospital chaplaincy in Sweden. In this setting, the term 'existential' has become increasingly popular among chaplains, hospital staff and management, as well as policymakers. Therefore, understanding the connotations of the term is arguably part of the literacy of hospital chaplains who wish to communicate effectively with their environment. The analysis offered in this chapter focuses on the sociological understanding of 'existential' observed in previous research on religiosity in Sweden. The sociological perspective is justified because social sciences are often used to evaluate care practices. Two dominant ways of understanding the 'existential' are observed: Inglehart's theory of 'existential security,' which positions the existential as something outside religion, and substantive approaches to the definition of religion, which see the 'existential' as something religious-like that is not necessarily religious. In contrast to these two dominant views, a functional approach based on Milton Y. Yinger's definition of religion is described and discussed. Arguably, the chapter concludes, Yinger's definition can be seen as an approach to understanding the 'existential' as something at the heart of both religion and secular care practices. As such, it adds to dominant understandings that position the existential as something different or less than religion.

Since the turn of the century, Sweden has gone from a country where the majority attended a religious ceremony at least once a year to a country where only 30 percent of the population has personal experience with organized religion. The process of secularization has also been accompanied by changes in the media landscape. With the decline of organized religion, a literature on how the Internet is used to develop and spread religiosity has found that religion is encountered in news and social media interactions. To contribute to this literature, this study examines the use of online resources among groups with different religious and socioeconomic backgrounds in Sweden. It compares the extent to which the Internet is used to read news, find information, or use social media among Swedes who identify as Christian, Muslim, and secular.

Andelen svenskar med muslimsk kulturbakgrund ökar och i det offentliga samtalet kan vi skönja allt mer polariserade positioner i fråga om de utmaningar som en större muslimsk närvaro i Sverige kan förväntas medföra. I dessa diskussioner, liksom i den allmänna mediabilden av muslimer, ligger fokus oftast på personer för vilka religionen utgör en viktig del av identiteten. I ett sekulariserat samhälle – där det lutherska kristna arvet för många upplevs som något som tillhör det förflutna – uppstår en situation i vilken människor med muslimsk familjebakgrund betraktas som mer religiösa än de med en kristen.

Men hur är det egentligen med detta? Är svenskar av muslimsk börd mer religiösa än andra i Sverige idag? Med utgångspunkt i den forskning som Erika Willander och David Thurfjell genomfört inom ramen för projektet The Muslim mainstream presenteras i denna rapport resultat i fråga om i vilken utsträckning och på vilka sätt svenskar med muslimsk familjebakgrund är sekulära. 

Sweden is both secularised and multi-religious. This article analyses the secularity of Swedes with Muslim and Christian family backgrounds. Survey data were collected from people living in Sweden with a family background in Iraq, Iran, Yugoslavia, or Turkey, as well as from a control group of Swedish origin. We first present the extent to which respondents agree with the statement "I see myself as secular (non-religious)". This is followed by an exploratory regression analysis of what is associated with self-identification as secular. Country of origin and secularity in the immediate family were the variables that correlate most clearly with a secular self-image. Length of residence in Sweden, exposure to majority Swedish culture and socio-economic factors also have some influence. We conclude that secularity is mainly something that Swedes with a Muslim family background bring with them from their countries of origin, rather than something that they acquire in Sweden. The article concludes with a discussion that opens up the results for further theorising in the field of secularisation studies.

Sverige är samtidigt sekulariserat och mångreligiöst. Föreliggande studie bidrar till förståelsen av denna situation genom att diskutera sekularitet bland svenskar med muslimsk respektive kristen familjebakgrund. Materialet i undersökningen kommer från en enkät som skickades till i Sverige bosatta personer födda i, eller med föräldrar som föddes i, Irak, Iran, Jugoslavien eller Turkiet, samt till en kontrollgrupp (personer med familjebakgrund i Sverige). Inledningsvis presenteras i vilken utsträckning de svarande instämmer i påståendet ”jag ser på mig själv som sekulär (icke-religiös)”. Därefter följer en explorativ regressionsanalys av vad som sammanfaller med att beskriva sig som sekulär. Analysen visar att ursprungsland och graden av sekularitet i den närmsta familjen är det som tydligast samvarierar med en sekulär självbild. Viss betydelse har också vistelsetid i landet, exponering för svensk majoritetskultur och socioekonomiska faktorer. Vår slutsats är att sekularitet bland svenskar med muslimsk familjebakgrund huvudsakligen är något de har med sig från sina anknytningsländer och inte något de förvärvar i Sverige. Detsamma gäller svenskättade svarspersoner utan migrationsbakgrund. Artikeln avslutas med en diskussion som öppnar för vidare teoretisering inom sekulariseringsfältet.

By breaking down the concepts of “identity and belonging” to a question about trust and a sense of feeling valued in Sweden, we want to explore if Swedes who self-identify as Muslims show lower levels of trust and feel less valued than the average population of Sweden. Our operationalization starts from the numerous studies that have shown that Sweden and the Nordic countries measure high for trust in social institutions as well as inter-personal trust. The analysis presented in this chapter is based on the annually collected Society, Media and Opinion (SOM) survey. Notwithstanding the result of merging data-collections of two years (2015–2016), the group of self-defined Muslims is small (n = 38). Leaving aside the low response rate, our study indicates that self-defined Muslims in Sweden answer questions about belonging and being valued by the Swedish society in ways that show an overall positive outlook, yet also reveals that this group’s sense of belonging and feeling valued is low compared to the other groups. In general, we see a tendency among the self-defined Muslims to express less trust, have a weaker sense of belonging and being valued compared to other religious groups and the Swedish population in general.