There is a growing need to present Islam in a positive light to the Swedish public. Many receive information about Islam through mainstream media, where Islam is stereotypically shown in a negative light. In spite of this, most people respond positively when presented with a balanced and genuine image of Islam.
Too often when people present Islam, the focus is on social, political and outward aspects. While these are all important parts of our faith, they do not convey the bigger picture. We believe there is an urgent need of presenting Islam as a holistic religion, a living faith, a complete way of life.
The Salam Project is a unique approach to the presentation and promotion of Islam in Sweden, a country at the very forefront of the modern secularised Western world.
We believe that the way to maintaining a sound and relevant Islam in today's Sweden, as well as in the future, is through presenting Islam to the people of Sweden, meeting the spiritual needs of Muslims and promoting Islamic art and culture.
At the heart of the Salam Project lies the Quranic and Prophetic injunction of guiding one’s own community first. All of the prophets of God were sent to their own people. Similarly, whenever a companion entered into the fold of Islam, the first thing the Prophet would do was to send them back to their own tribe, community or people to convey the message.
In the spirit of reviving this prophetic tradition, the Salam Project aims to present Islam in a way that makes it understandable and approachable to the Swedish mindset.
We arrange courses on Islam and Muslim culture for professionals and visits to schools and colleges to talk about Islam. We also receive individuals and groups at the mosque, hold public lectures, seminars and conferences as well as advise organisations and authorities on Islamic issues.
The Salam Project aims to meet the spiritual needs of Swedish Muslims. It is our duty to look out for our fellow Muslims, in order to ensure that they uphold faith, develop and strengthen their practice, and are able to nurture their relation with Allah.
Activities to help Muslim spirituality flourish include taking care of and assisting new Muslims, teaching and training in the basics of Islam, mentoring and counselling programmes, camps, retreats and other gatherings and study circles.
The Salam Project strives to increase the understanding of Islam in Swedish society, by promoting Islamic art and culture in Sweden and giving people a positive experience of Islam to counter negative associations.
Some of the ways we are doing this are through organising events, exhibitions and cultural workshops, encouraging Swedish Islamic literature and visual arts, engaging in intercultural exchange and dialogue and, not least, contributing to and serving the wider community.
When people in the West today hear the word Islam a whole range of inaccurate information and bad stereotypes immediately spring to mind. This presents a great obstacle for people wanting to find out more about Islam.
We feel that we owe it to our community to give them a chance to acquire a genuine understanding of Islam without being pushed away by the negative associations they have experienced through the media, or from interactions with the Muslim community.
We now aim to establish a centre to cater for the needs of the Muslim community, a hub for information and support. We hope to create an open environment where both Muslims and others can gain traditional Islamic knowledge, partake in Muslim cultural activities and receive accurate information about Islam.
Our vision is to build a welcoming environment where people can come as the are and comfortably access Islamic knowledge and connect with knowledgeable individuals who can present Islam to them, answer their questions, and show them, through practical experience, how people live Islam.
The idea is specifically not to open just another mosque, but rather to launch an entirely new concept. In addition to spaces for prayer and worship, we envisage a café, a library, exhibition spaces and dedicated areas for seminars, workshops and cultural activities. In brief – a Muslim cultural center.
We firmly believe that this would fill a large void in the current landscape of Islam in Sweden, and Swedish society in general.Our hope is that the new Salam Center could function as a hub for places of Islamic propagation and support all over Europe.
The Sidratul Muntaha organization, founded by Swedish Muslims in 2003, aims to foster a positive image of Islam in Sweden. Over the years, we have educated numerous students, conducted extensive courses for non-Muslim professionals, and organized various events, including seminars, workshops, interreligious dialogues, and camps for new Muslims and others.
Our work has earned us recognition and respect in many parts of society, leading to well established connections with authorities, media, religious institutions, communities, and more.
The Scandinavian Islamic Organisation has its roots in a Pakistani Muslim community in the northern parts of the Stockholm area. Since the early 1990's, we have been running a mosque in the city centre, serving thousands of members and visitors over the years.
The mosque at Sankt Eriksplan is open daily and serves not only as a meeting place for its members and other Muslims, but also as a space for education and interaction with the public. We are a well established part of the Swedish Muslim community as well as the community in large and have built strong connections with other religious insitutions, schools and authorities.