RUTHFULLY YOURS

The “Nordic Paradise” that was Sweden until a few decades ago, has become a virtual nightmare with the influx of thousands of migrants from the Middle East, most of them unwilling to assimilate. The homogeneous society that was once Sweden, with low crime, and strong work ethics, has turned into a multicultural society, replete with crime, social instability, and declining productivity.

For the many believers in the workability of social democracy, Sweden was a model of success and admiration. While personal taxes were high, the state provided its citizens with a lavish social welfare system and cradle-to-grave social services. Then came the flood of immigrants from the Balkans, and with it, changing economic circumstances. Swedish historian Johan Norberg explained, “Our economy was in a crisis, inflation reached 10%, and interest rates soared to 500%. At that point, the Swedish population just said enough, we can’t do that.” As Sweden approached the 1990’s, its economy encountered a serious fiscal and budgetary crisis. It required the almost endemic rule of the Social-Democratic government to enact drastic reforms, including extensive privatization, cuts in government spending, reduction of social services, and opening itself to a free market economy. It meant that the socialist experiment had to come to an end. The above moves created prosperity and economic progress for a while, albeit, individual taxes remained high.

The arrival of hundreds of thousands of Middle Eastern immigrants changed Sweden’s cultural scene, and adversely impacted on its economic wellbeing. The Danish historian and social commentator, Lars Hedegaard, observed in his 2014 book “Dangerous Words” that, “If there is any lesson to be drawn from history, it is that what you do not think will happen, does. Time and again. The final consequence of the West and, above all, Sweden’s immigration policy is that the economy will collapse — because who is going to pay for it all? And economic breakdowns once they happen, always happen very fast.”

In the early 1970’s, Sweden had one of the highest income levels in Europe. Today, its lead has all but disappeared. The well-intentioned Swedish style socialism undermined individual responsibility, and created a welfare dependency, particularly among low-skilled immigrants. In recent years, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita in Sweden has declined from $60,075 in 2013 to $52,958 in 2017.  Similarly, its GDP fell from $579 billion in 2013 to $536 billion in 2017.

In his book, “The New Totalitarians,” author Ronald Huntford wrote: “There is of course no reason why the new totalitarianism should resemble the old. Government by firing squads…is not merely inhumane…it is demonstrably inefficient, and in an age of advanced technology, it is a sin against the Holy Ghost. A real efficient totalitarian state would be the one in which the all-powerful executive of political bosses and their many managers control a population of slaves who do not have to be coerced, because they love their servitude. Of all the people, it is the Swedes who have come closest to this state of affairs.” Huntford argued in his 1972 book that the “benevolent socialism” of the Scandinavian system created a sterile, spiritually barren society populated by docile, hyper-conformist populace.”

The Swedish Lutheran Church no longer plays a spiritual role in Sweden. It has succumbed to the mores of the ultra-secular society Sweden has become. The one freedom the Swedes are very adamant about is sexual freedom. However, with the influx of Muslim immigrants from the Middle East, it has served as invitation for rape and sexual crimes. Sweden has been aptly called “the rape capital of Europe.” Multiculturalism has become Sweden’s new religion and civic ethos, where one cannot criticize immigrants, and the press is deliberately suppressing immigrant crimes. Yet, antisemitism in Sweden has become rampant, forcing young Jews to leave the country. This reporter interviewed a 28-year old Swedish Jew who served as an officer in the Swedish army. He explained that Sweden is no longer safe for Jews, and that he planned to move to Israel or the U.S. The city of Malmo, the third largest Swedish city is nearing a point of being ‘judenrein’ due to Muslim immigrants’ assaults and intimidation.

The Swedish government prides itself on its human rights record, but it appears hypocritical when it blames the U.S. or Israel for suppressing violent Hamas-led rioters, while staying silent on the persecution of Kurds by Iran. Sweden’s Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom has been quick to blame the U.S. and Israel for alleged misdeeds toward the Palestinians. The Turkish-based Anadolu Agency reported on May 16, 2018 that Wallstrom blamed the U.S. for encouraging the Palestinian riots in Gaza. She is quoted as telling Swedish TT News Agency that: “The U.S. has a big responsibility in the incidents where at least 50-60 Palestinians were killed, and many others injured.” This was said in the context of the Hamas organized provocation to march thousands of Gazans across the Israeli borders. It also happened to occur during the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, which followed the Trump administration’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Wallstrom did not condemn Hamas’ efforts to attack Israel and Jewish civilians.

The same Swedish foreign minister, Margot Wallstrom, while eager to condemn the U.S. and Israel, has been silent about the execution of Kurdish political prisoners by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Sweden has turned a blind eye on Iran’s gross violations of human rights, and its cruel executions of women and teenagers. The Iranian regime has executed Kurdish dissidents with impunity. Sweden was silent about it, as were other leaders of the EU. They were too busy appeasing the Ayatollahs in an effort to preserve the unreliable Iran nuclear deal or JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), and winning business contracts.

Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of UN Watch, had this to say (February 2017) about a Swedish delegation of the so-called “first feminist government in the world,” visiting Iran wearing Hijabs, Chadors, and long coats indoors in deference to Iran’s oppressive Hijab law. “If Sweden really cares about human rights, they should not be empowering a regime that brutalizes its own citizens while carrying out genocide in Syria; and if they care about women’s rights, then the female ministers never should have gone to misogynistic Iran in the first place.” It is rather ironic that that the Swedes elected a “feminist” government that is more concerned with protecting immigrant rapists than with protecting Swedish women.

The once homogeneous, virtually crime-free Sweden, with its cradle to grave benefits, in which the government pampered its citizenry, labeled by many as the so-called “Nordic Paradise,” has turned into a hellish reality. This reporter witnessed Stockholm neighborhoods where police dare not enter, and ordinary Swedes avoid at all costs. Malmo is already virtually lost; its immigrant gangs rule its streets. The Swedish media won’t reveal the extent of the rape epidemic in the country. The Swedish parliament, in recent years, defeated a motion to produce up-to-date crime figures based on national origin. The Spectator headlined its February 10, 2018 issue with, “Violent crime in Sweden is soaring. When will politicians act?” It was followed by a sub-title that read, “Shootings, hand-grenade attacks, and gang warfare made some city areas no-go-zones.”

The above description sounds more like Baghdad or Gaza than the Nordic paradise. Sweden’s multiculturalism and open immigration policy is contributing to its moral and economic collapse.