Islamic Identity Politics Is Taking Hold of Europe
10th July 2025
Across Europe, a new kind of politics is taking root. It is sectarian, identitarian, and increasingly shaped by the demands of Islamist interest groups, cloaked in the demands of progressivism and tolerance.
Sweden is a case in point. Jamal el-Haj, a Lebanese-born Swedish politician, was expelled from the Social Democratic Party last year after it was revealed he had intervened in an asylum case on behalf of a fundamentalist imam back in 2017. He had also previously attended a conference in Malmö in the spring of 2023 that had connections to Hamas, the Islamist terror group and perpetrators of the October 7th pogrom in southern Israel later that year.
Since being booted by the Social Democrats, el-Haj has been busy crafting a new party that better suits his beliefs. Paperwork dated from last month shows that el-Haj registered the creation of the so-called Unity Party, which he deems necessary to represent “the many who no longer recognise themselves in today’s Sweden,” especially those of migrant origin. El-Haj has so far maintained that the party will be secular, stressing that the Unity Party is aimed at “the entire Swedish population—not just Muslims or immigrants.” It will rather focus on international solidarity, humanism, environmental responsibility, and economic equality. Pro-Palestine activism will also no doubt play a leading role. Despite claims of the party being based around purely secular values, it has been noted that el-Haj held numerous meetings with imams, some in his home, about its formation. The organisation’s inner circle also comprises primarily Muslim religious leaders.