This is of a piece with the Swedish government’s earlier claim that Swedish meatballs were actually Turkish.
Qaisar Mahmood, the Pakistani Muslim on the Swedish National Heritage Board, has explained that he wants to use Sweden’s history to “create the narrative” that will make Muslim migrants “part of something.”
“Swedish TV ‘Traditional’ Midsummer Celebration – Woman in Hijab Cooking a Kebab,” Save My Sweden, June 25, 2018 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):
While the traditional Nordic way of celebrating Midsummer, a holiday dating back to the pre-Christian era, typically involves herring, potatoes and shots of herb-laden liquor, a morning TV-program tempting the viewers with “traditional kebab” prepared by a headscarf-wearing cook has triggered polarized reactions among Swedes.
The Swedish channel TV4 has stirred some strong reactions by inviting Muslim food blogger Zeina Mourtada to star in its Midsummer holiday morning show.
The program remarkably eschewed the staples of the traditional Swedish Midsummer celebration, informing the audience on how to cook shish kebab and traditional kebab in the oven.
When asked by the host whether Midsummer is celebrated in her culture, Mourtada, who wore a hijab for the occaston, answered the following: “No, we don’t typically celebrate it, but I do it for the children’s sake. We watch the Midsummer pole and dance.”
The TV-program evoked a plethora of reactions in the social media, both positive and negative. While some perceived the kebab sequence to be a multiculturalist attack on the traditional way of life, others hailed the veiled cook.
“Herring and potatoes for Midsummer? No, TV4 instead offers “traditional” kebab today, cooked by a food blogger in headscarf,” user MickeK tweeted.
“TV4 celebrates midsummer with kebab! Wondering when this s**tty channel will start broadcasting in Arabic and at best, text in Swedish!” Thomas Möller tweeted.
”Obviously, TV4 will proceed with showing how to roast an entire pig during any major Muslim weekend… Oh, wait, it will never happen,” user Socialförvaltare concurred….
While some users perceived the kebab recipe on the traditional Nordic holiday as a token of “Islamization going on at pace previously unseen,” others hailed the program as progressive.
“Yes, it’s important to erase everything old. Like Swedish traditions,” user Anna countered….