Ahead of Sunday’s election, messages are being spread on Arabic-language social media claiming that Sweden’s Muslims risk being deported if they do not vote for the left. When political mobilization is based on fear, disinformation and comparisons with the Nazis’ persecution of Jews, an uncomfortable question arises: how free is an election when voters are not exposed to any alternative perspective?

Ahead of the election, extensive political messages are being spread on Arabic-language social media. Researchers and commentators are now warning that disinformation and scare tactics risk influencing voters and creating a distorted picture of the political situation.

In an opinion article published in Expressen, Sofie Löwenmark highlights how posts are circulating in several Arabic-language social media groups urging immigrants, Arabs and Muslims to unite their votes in support of the Left Party. One of the most widely shared images contains the message “Vote for V or go to the airport,” which has provoked strong reactions.

“The Left is the only savior”

According to interviews in the media, several people say they understood the message as a genuine threat of deportation.

– People completely believe that the Left Party is the only savior and that no one else will defend their rights, says, for example, 27-year-old Mohamed Saad El Din in an interview with P3 Nyheter.

Another immigrant interviewed, 50-year-old Amer, describes his fear of being thrown out of Sweden if Tidö wins the election.

– I see this image everywhere, on TikTok, Messenger, Facebook. I don’t understand anything. We are afraid that they will throw us out, where are we supposed to go?

Sociology researcher Zeth Isaksson at Stockholm University says that the campaign consists of “extremely harsh rhetoric” and warns about the effects of political messages based on fear and polarization.

Comparing the situation of Muslims with the Holocaust

In several posts, the situation of Muslim immigrants today is compared with the Nazis’ persecution of Jews, and in an Arabic-language group, there are warnings that today’s immigrants could suffer the same fate as Europe’s Jews:

“Brothers, it all started gradually for the Jews as well.”

The stated solution is to vote for V. At the same time, Muslims are urged to disregard the Left’s liberal position on issues such as homosexuality and instead focus on issues concerning immigration, Muslim rights and Palestine.

Targeting Tidö – and the Social Democrats

According to reports, the campaign does not appear to be organized by any political party, but its content is critical of the Tidö parties. The Social Democrats are also criticized, however – the party is described as unreliable and as unable to represent Sweden’s Muslims.

At the same time, reports say that mosques and Muslim social media profiles are encouraging Muslims to participate in the election in order to oust the Tidö government, which is described as hostile to Muslims and Islam. The messages focus, among other things, on protecting religious rights, mosques and the wearing of the hijab by voting socialist.

No alternative perspective

The mobilization is reported to have led to increased voter turnout among voters in disadvantaged areas, where turnout has traditionally been lower than the national average.

Higher voter turnout can, on the one hand, be seen as something positive for democracy, but on the other hand it also raises the question of whether it is possible to make an informed choice at all for someone who does not have access to, or cannot absorb, information from different sources.

“The difference is that someone living in an almost entirely Arabic-language information environment can encounter the same message over and over again without any alternative perspective. If they also lack the language, they cannot check for themselves what Swedish politicians, authorities or media are actually saying,” Löwenmark writes.

Democracy requires voter participation, but at the same time voters must make their decisions based on accurate information.

That is not the case today. Sweden’s high level of immigration, the failed integration process and the strong trust in religious authorities among Sweden’s Muslims could change the political landscape forever.

How much, and in what way, remains to be seen.