Examining Sweden’s Integration Strategy of Self-Identifying Muslim Asylum-Seekers from the Middle East North Africa Region and Identifying the Primary Factors Needed to Facilitate Their Integration into Swedish Society
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Rauh, Amanda
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Abstract
This thesis examines the nationwide past and present integration strategy of immigrants that Sweden uses, focusing specifically on the integration of self-identifying Muslim asylum-seekers from the Middle East North Africa region. Over the centuries, people have immigrated to Sweden for a variety of reasons, seeking asylum being among the motivations. Many of the immigrants originated from the MENA region and former Yugoslavia. Over the last fifteen years, the majority of the immigrants coming to Sweden have been done so on humanitarian grounds, and came to Sweden to seek asylum. Sweden has generally been characterized as a generous and tolerant country, and has frequently been a destination country, with many asylum-seekers traveling across much of Europe to reach Sweden. Recently, however, with the immense wave of asylum-seekers who came to Sweden in 2015, most of them originating from the MENA region and being self-identifying Muslims, there is concern about how to integrate so many people, as well as regarding religious beliefs and culture, which seems to be on the rise in Sweden, as well as throughout much of Europe. This thesis explores Sweden’s integration strategy and has identified what have emerged from this research as the key components to integration of self-identifying Muslim asylum-seekers from the MENA region, into Swedish society.
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Asylum-seeker, Integration, Muslim, Middle East North Africa, Sweden, Immigration