Abstract

2022 witnessed a momentous shift in Swedish politics with the emergence of the Swedish Democrats as the second-largest party, breaking the longstanding status quo of the right and left-leaning blocks. This led to the Social Democrats relinquishing their leading role in the government after 12 years, as the left-wing bloc fell two votes short of a majority. In their place, a right-leaning minority government was formed, consisting of the Moderate Party, Christian Democrats, and Liberals, who leaned on the previously isolated Swedish Democrats for support. This article argues that these political changes can be partly attributed to the interplay between religion and the idea of ‘foreignness’ in Sweden. The article examines the religious landscape in Sweden, highlighting the role of religious identities in public life, particularly in the context of migration, as well as the recent political developments, emphasizing the disruption caused by the Swedish Democrats and the concessions made by other parties. Ultimately, it demonstrates how the historical suspicion of certain foreign religious groups facilitated the dominance of other foreign ideas, including oikophobia, the «clash of civilizations» and the securitization of migration.