Security risks in Sweden rise due to Quran desecrations and protests, security agency says

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Sweden’s domestic security service says the country’s security situation has deteriorated after recent Quran burnings in the country and protests in the Muslim world, both of which have negatively impacted the Nordic nation’s image. The agency, known by its acronym SAPO, said in an assessment Wednesday that the burnings and desecrations of religious books in Sweden, and ongoing disinformation campaigns on social media and elsewhere, have negatively affected Sweden’s profile. SAPO said in a statement that the image of Sweden has changed “from a tolerant country to a country hostile to Islam and Muslims, where attacks on Muslims are sanctioned by the state and where Muslim children can be kidnapped by social services.”