Sweden Declares Itself The First Feminist Government

But Are They Portraying That in Their Foreign Policies as Promised?

By: Katherine J. Henderson

Instagram: @Katherinki

Sweden has declared itself the “First Feminist Government” and while they received praise right away it was short-lived.  In early February, to kick off their trailblazing approach in a cheeky way, the women of the Swedish Parliament created a photo mocking President Trump’s photo when he first started signing executive orders, specifically dealing with women’s rights, with a crew of men behind him.  All the women in the Parliament were lined up behind Isabella Lövin supporting the signing of a referral of Swedish climate law, “binding all future governments to net zero emissions by 2045.”  It was a bold move with sass and class that deserved applause and attention.  However, the ball dropped almost simultaneously when they attended some business in Iran.  All the women claiming to be from the “First Feminist Government” did not support what they have claimed.  Lövin tweeted “the world needs strong leadership for women’s rights” and “Sweden will have an increasingly important role to play in this.”

There was opportunity to play that role for women worldwide by denying wearing a hijab, which potentially meant to cancel the meeting in its entirety.  It was an insult to Muslim women who want to be free of mandatory hijab and have equal rights to men.  If women do not wear the hijab they can and will be arrested by the morality police.  

Masih Alinejad is an Iranian journalist who began the movement “My Stealthy Freedom.”  It started with a photo of her on social media without her hijab.  Word spread fast and many other Muslim women posted their personal photos without the hijab.  These women want the choice to wear a hijab or not and no punishment to follow that choice.  Alinejad’s argument is briefly as such:

“As evidenced by your act of wearing the compulsory veil when you were in Iran, it is no longer an internal matter; our government forced all of you to follow a discriminatory law. We all have to be brave and say NO to any form of humiliation. That is called sisterhood and solidarity. Let’s be clear: we have never asked you to insult the laws in our country; we have merely asked you to challenge this insulting law and not to abide by it.”  

We are living in a revolutionary world and feminism is at the top of the equality revolution.  Sweden has made a big proclamation and a giant leap in the right direction to have equal rights for all, but it became counter productive when they submitted to the wearing of hijabs when striking a deal with the Iranian government.  The Swedes have the right idea, but the execution is falling short.