Nyamko Sabuni
Nyamko Sabuni | |
---|---|
![]() Nyamko Sabuni (2011) | |
Leader of the Liberals | |
Assumed office 28 June 2019 | |
Preceded by | Jan Björklund |
Minister for Gender Equality | |
In office 6 October 2006 – 21 January 2013 | |
Prime Minister | Fredrik Reinfeldt |
Preceded by | Jens Orback |
Succeeded by | Maria Arnholm |
Minister for Integration | |
In office 6 October 2006 – 5 October 2010 | |
Prime Minister | Fredrik Reinfeldt |
Preceded by | Jens Orback |
Succeeded by | Erik Ullenhag |
Personal details | |
Born | Bujumbura, Burundi | 31 March 1969
Political party | Liberals |
Alma mater | Uppsala University |
Website | www.liberalerna.se |
Nyamko Ana Sabuni (born 31 March 1969) is a Swedish politician who has been Leader of the Liberals since June 2019. She previously served as Minister for Integration from 2006 to 2010 and as Minister for Gender Equality from 2006 to 2013 in the Swedish government. A member of the Liberal Party, Sabuni was elected a Member of Parliament in 2002. Sabuni made history in June 2019 by becoming the first party leader in the Swedish parliament coming from an ethnic minority and the first party leader of a refugee background.
Personal life
Nyamko Sabuni was born in Bujumbura in Burundi where her father, a left-wing politician from Zaire, lived in exile.[1] Sabuni's father is a Christian while her mother is a Muslim.[2] The family obtained political asylum in Sweden in 1981 and Sabuni grew up in Kungsängen, north of Stockholm. She studied law at Uppsala University, migration policy at Mälardalen University College in Eskilstuna, and information and media communications at Berghs School of Communication in Stockholm.[3]
She was married from 2004 to 2012[4] and has twin boys, Joel and Michee from that marriage. She has described herself as non-religious.[5]
Political career
Sabuni was a member of board of the Liberal Youth of Sweden from 1996 to 1998. She has cited the murder of Ivorian refugee Gerard Gbeyo, committed by a Swedish neo-Nazi in the town of Klippan in 1995, as one of the reasons she became involved in politics.[6]
Shortly after she was elected into office she made a publicized decision to withdraw funding for the organization Centrum mot rasism, where her uncle Mkyabela Sabuni was a director.[7]
In a 17 July 2006, opinion letter published in the Swedish newspaper Expressen, Sabuni called for mandatory gynecological examinations of all schoolgirls in order to prevent genital mutilation.[8] She has proposed a ban on hijab for girls under 15 and also advocated the inclusion of honor killings as an independent category within the Swedish criminal code.[9] In July 2006, her book Flickorna vi sviker ("The Girls We Let Down"), about women in Sweden living under the threat of honor violence, was published.[10]
Sabuni states that practicing Muslims who live by the Qur'an "limit their own opportunities". She suggests that practices such as praying five times a day, or questioning music marginalize Muslims.[5][11]
On 6 October 2006, the new Swedish coalition government which emerged from the election announced Sabuni's appointment as the new Minister for Integration and Gender Equality.[9] She is the first person of African descent to be appointed as Minister in the Swedish government.[6][9]
Sabuni's appointment as Minister for Integration and Gender Equality was met with protests from some Swedish Muslims, who accused her of Islamophobia and populism.[12] A petition against her appointment was signed by the Muslim Association of Sweden, reportedly the largest organization representing Muslims in Sweden.[13]
She resigned on 21 January 2013, citing that her successor should be prepared prior to the 2014 general election.[14][15]
Sabuni was elected party leader of the Liberals in June 2019.[16]
Bibliography
- 2006 – Flickorna vi sviker: om hederskultur i Sverige. Stockholm: Folkpartiet. Libris 10213085[17]
- 2010 – Det nya Sverige: [min vision : min väg]. Stockholm: Ekerlid. Libris 11856397. ISBN 9789170921513[18]
See also
References
- ^ Nyamko Sabuni. "Mångkultur är inte något att eftersträva". Expressen. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
- ^ Lyall, Sarah (January 13, 2007). "Sweden's Lightning Rod in a Storm Over Assimilation". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
- ^ Silberstein, Margit (August 2007). "En tuff mjukis: Nyamko Sabuni är favorit bland nya partiledarkandidater" (in Swedish). Tidningen Vi. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
- ^ Margareta Brattström (2013-04-08). "Separerar - utan äktenskapsförord" (in Swedish). Aftonbladet.
- ^ a b Sarah Lyall (12 January 2007). "Swedish politician's advice to immigrants? Try to fit in". International Herald Tribune. Retrieved 2019-07-04.
- ^ a b Bratt, Peter (7 January 2004). "Dotter till vänsterman skarp röst i folkpartiet" (in Swedish). Dagens Nyheter. Retrieved 2007-04-01.
- ^ Mahdi, Josef el (18 October 2006). "Satsning mot rasism stryps" (in Swedish). Svenska Dagbladet. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
- ^ Sabuni, Nyamko (17 July 2006). "Kontrollera underlivet på alla högstadieflickor" (in Swedish). Expressen. Archived from the original on 29 March 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-01.
- ^ a b c Savage, James (6 October 2006). "Youth and diversity sets new government apart". The Local. Archived from the original on 23 February 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-01.
- ^ "När alltihop ändå gynnar Nyamko Sabuni". Sydsvenskan (in Swedish). Retrieved 25 June 2019.
- ^ Lyall, Sarah (13 January 2007). "Sweden's Lightning Rod in a Storm Over Assimilation". New York Times. Retrieved 25 June 2019 – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ "Protest mot utnämning av Nyamko Sabuni till Integrations och Jämställdhetsminister!!" (in Swedish). IslamGuiden ("The Islam Guide"). Archived from the original on 2012-03-20. Retrieved 2007-04-01.
- ^ "Arrangörer av protestet mot utnämning av Nyamko Sabuni till Integrations och Jämställdhetsminister!!" (in Swedish). IslamGuiden ("The Islam Guide"). Retrieved 2007-04-01.
- ^ "Nyamko Sabuni avgår" (in Swedish). Aftonbladet. 2013-01-21. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
- ^ "Equality Minister Nyamko Sabuni steps down". The Local. 21 January 2013. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
- ^ "Nyamko Sabuni ny partiledare för Liberalerna" (in Swedish). The Liberals. 2019-06-28.
- ^ Sabuni, Nyamko (25 June 2019). "Flickorna vi sviker: om hederskultur i Sverige". Folkpartiet. Retrieved 25 June 2019 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Ny bok: "Det nya Sverige. Min vision. Min väg" av Nyamko Sabuni". mynewsdesk-pressreleases (in Swedish). 2010-08-17. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
External links
- Nyamko Sabuni at the Riksdag
- 1969 births
- Living people
- People from Bujumbura
- Liberals (Sweden) politicians
- Activists against female genital mutilation
- Critics of Islam
- Opposition to Islam in Sweden
- Burundian emigrants to Sweden
- Swedish Ministers for Integration
- Swedish Ministers for Gender Equality
- Women members of the Riksdag
- Uppsala University alumni
- Swedish people of Democratic Republic of the Congo descent
- Women government ministers of Sweden
- Members of the Riksdag 2002–2006
- 21st-century Swedish women politicians
- Swedish health activists