Nyamko Sabuni

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Nyamko Sabuni

| honorific-suffix = L

| caption =Nyamko Sabuni (2019)

| image = Nyamkosabuni5 (cropped).jpg

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1969|3|31|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Bujumbura, Burundi

| residence =

| office = Leader of the Liberals

| term_start = 28 June 2019

| term_end = 8 April 2022

| primeminister =

| predecessor = Jan Björklund

| successor = Johan Pehrson

| office2 = Minister for Gender Equality

| term_start2 = 6 October 2006

| term_end2 = 21 January 2013

| primeminister2 = Fredrik Reinfeldt

| predecessor2 = Jens Orback

| successor2 = Maria Arnholm

| office3 = Minister for Integration

| term_start3 = 6 October 2006

| term_end3 = 5 October 2010

| primeminister3 = Fredrik Reinfeldt

| predecessor3 = Jens Orback

| successor3 = Erik Ullenhag

| nationality =

| party = Liberals

| occupation =

| relations =

| alma_mater = Uppsala University

| spouse =

| children =

| website = [https://www.liberalerna.se/liberaler/nyamko-sabuni/ www.liberalerna.se]

}}

Nyamko Ana Sabuni (born 31 March 1969) is a Swedish politician who was Leader of the Liberals between June 2019 and April 2022. She previously served as Minister for Integration from 2006 to 2010 and as Minister for Gender Equality from 2006 to 2013 in the Swedish government. A member of the Liberal Party, Sabuni was elected a Member of Parliament in 2002. Sabuni made history in June 2019, by becoming the first party leader in the Swedish parliament coming from an ethnic minority and the first party leader of a refugee background. In April 2022, Sabuni resigned as party leader.

Personal life

Nyamko Sabuni was born in Bujumbura in Burundi where her father, a left-wing politician from Zaire, lived in exile.{{cite web|url=https://www.expressen.se/nyheter/nyamko-sabuni-mangkultur-ar-inte-nagot-att-efterstrava/|author=Nyamko Sabuni|title=Mångkultur är inte något att eftersträva|date=6 June 2019 |publisher=Expressen|access-date=25 June 2019|archive-date=12 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190612192836/https://www.expressen.se/nyheter/nyamko-sabuni-mangkultur-ar-inte-nagot-att-efterstrava/|url-status=live}} Sabuni's father is a Christian while her mother is a Muslim.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/13/world/europe/13profile.html|title=Sweden's Lightning Rod in a Storm Over Assimilation|last=Lyall|first=Sarah|date=January 13, 2007|work=The New York Times|access-date=17 January 2010|archive-date=16 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016051350/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/13/world/europe/13profile.html|url-status=live}} The family obtained political asylum in Sweden in 1981 and Sabuni grew up in Kungsängen, north of Stockholm. She studied law at Uppsala University, migration policy at Mälardalen University College in Eskilstuna, and information and media communications at Berghs School of Communication in Stockholm.{{cite web|url=https://vi.se/en-tuff-mjukis-nyamko-sabuni-ar-favorit-bland-nya-partiledarkandidater/|title=En tuff mjukis: Nyamko Sabuni är favorit bland nya partiledarkandidater|publisher=Tidningen Vi|first=Margit|last=Silberstein|date=August 2007|language=sv|access-date=25 June 2019|archive-date=24 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524191448/https://vi.se/en-tuff-mjukis-nyamko-sabuni-ar-favorit-bland-nya-partiledarkandidater/|url-status=live}}

She was married from 2004 to 2012{{cite web|author=Margareta Brattström|url=http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article14647491.ab|title=Separerar - utan äktenskapsförord|language=sv|date=2013-04-08|publisher=Aftonbladet|access-date=2013-03-09|archive-date=2012-06-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120606042705/http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article14647491.ab|url-status=live}} and has twin boys, Joel and Michee from that marriage. She has described herself as non-religious.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/12/world/europe/12iht-sweden.4187777.html|title=Swedish politician's advice to immigrants? Try to fit in|date=12 January 2007|author=Sarah Lyall|work=International Herald Tribune|access-date=2019-07-04|archive-date=2019-04-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401100625/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/12/world/europe/12iht-sweden.4187777.html|url-status=live}}

Political career

File:Paweł Rogaliński, Nyamko Sabuni, Mara Carfagna.JPG, Nyamko Sabuni and Mara Carfagna during the Third Equality Summit in Stockholm in September 2009.]]

Sabuni was a member of board of the Liberal Youth of Sweden from 1996 to 1998. She has cited the murder of Ivorian refugee Gerard Gbeyo, committed by a Swedish neo-Nazi in the town of Klippan in 1995, as one of the reasons she became involved in politics.{{cite news|first=Peter|last=Bratt|title=Dotter till vänsterman skarp röst i folkpartiet|url=http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=1042&a=220583|publisher=Dagens Nyheter|language=sv|date=7 January 2004|access-date=2007-04-01|archive-date=2007-10-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001105744/http://www.dn.se/DNet/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=1042&a=220583|url-status=dead}}

Shortly after she was elected into office she made a publicized decision to withdraw funding for the organization Centrum mot rasism, where her uncle Mkyabela Sabuni was a director.{{cite news|url=https://www.svd.se/satsning-mot-rasism-stryps|title=Satsning mot rasism stryps|first=Josef el|last=Mahdi|date=18 October 2006|newspaper=Svenska Dagbladet|access-date=25 June 2019|language=sv|archive-date=6 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506201152/https://www.svd.se/satsning-mot-rasism-stryps|url-status=live}}

In a 17 July 2006, opinion letter published in the Swedish newspaper Expressen, Sabuni called for mandatory gynecological examinations of all schoolgirls in order to prevent genital mutilation.{{cite news|first=Nyamko|last=Sabuni|title=Kontrollera underlivet på alla högstadieflickor|url=https://www.expressen.se/debatt/kontrollera-underlivet-pa-alla-hogstadieflickor/|publisher=Expressen|language=sv|date=17 July 2006|access-date=2007-04-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070329045524/http://expressen.se/1.386536|archive-date=29 March 2007|url-status=live}} She has proposed a ban on hijab for girls under 15 and also advocated the inclusion of honor killings as an independent category within the Swedish criminal code.{{cite news|first=James|last=Savage|title=Youth and diversity sets new government apart|url=https://www.thelocal.se/20061006/5138|publisher=The Local|date=6 October 2006|access-date=2007-04-01|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070223074925/http://www.thelocal.se/article.php?ID=5138&date=20061006|archive-date=23 February 2007}} In July 2006, her book Flickorna vi sviker ("The Girls We Let Down"), about women in Sweden living under the threat of honor violence, was published.{{cite web|url=https://www.sydsvenskan.se/2019-06-14/nar-alltihop-anda-gynnar-nyamko-sabuni|title=När alltihop ändå gynnar Nyamko Sabuni.|website=Sydsvenskan|date=14 June 2019 |access-date=25 June 2019|language=sv|archive-date=2019-06-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190617064714/https://www.sydsvenskan.se/2019-06-14/nar-alltihop-anda-gynnar-nyamko-sabuni|url-status=live}}

Sabuni states that practicing Muslims who live by the Qur'an "limit their own opportunities". She suggests that practices such as praying five times a day, or questioning music marginalize Muslims.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/13/world/europe/13profile.html|title=Sweden's Lightning Rod in a Storm Over Assimilation|first=Sarah|last=Lyall|date=13 January 2007|work=New York Times|access-date=25 June 2019|via=NYTimes.com|archive-date=19 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190619150542/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/13/world/europe/13profile.html|url-status=live}}

= 2006–2013: Minister=

On 6 October 2006, the new Swedish coalition government which emerged from the election announced Sabuni's appointment as the new Minister for Integration and Gender Equality. She is the first person of African descent to be appointed as Minister in the Swedish government.

Sabuni's appointment as Minister for Integration and Gender Equality was met with protests from some Swedish Muslims, who accused her of Islamophobia and populism.{{cite web|url=http://www.islamguiden.com/protester/nyamko/nyamko.html|title=Protest mot utnämning av Nyamko Sabuni till Integrations och Jämställdhetsminister!!|access-date=2007-04-01|language=sv|publisher=IslamGuiden ("The Islam Guide")|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206142329/http://www.islamguiden.com/protester/nyamko/nyamko.html|archive-date=2012-02-06|url-status=dead}} A petition against her appointment was signed by the Muslim Association of Sweden, reportedly the largest organization representing Muslims in Sweden.{{cite web|url=http://www.islamguiden.com/arkiv/lista.html|title=Arrangörer av protestet mot utnämning av Nyamko Sabuni till Integrations och Jämställdhetsminister!!|access-date=2007-04-01|language=sv|publisher=IslamGuiden ("The Islam Guide")|archive-date=2012-02-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206142334/http://www.islamguiden.com/arkiv/lista.html|url-status=live}}

She resigned on 21 January 2013, citing that her successor should be prepared prior to the 2014 general election.{{cite web|url=https://www.aftonbladet.se/a/Ql93PA|title=Nyamko Sabuni avgår|publisher=Aftonbladet|language=sv|date=2013-01-21|access-date=25 June 2019|archive-date=2020-10-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031053442/https://www.aftonbladet.se/a/Ql93PA|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.thelocal.se/20130121/45720|title=Equality Minister Nyamko Sabuni steps down|newspaper=The Local Sweden |date=21 January 2013|publisher=The Local|access-date=25 June 2019|archive-date=22 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922055614/https://www.thelocal.se/20130121/45720|url-status=live}}

= 2019–2022: Party leader=

Sabuni was elected party leader of the Liberals in June 2019.{{cite web|url=https://www.liberalerna.se/nyheter/nyamko-sabuni-ny-partiledare-for-liberalerna/|title=Nyamko Sabuni ny partiledare för Liberalerna|date=2019-06-28|publisher=The Liberals|language=sv|access-date=2019-07-04|archive-date=2019-07-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702151643/https://www.liberalerna.se/nyheter/nyamko-sabuni-ny-partiledare-for-liberalerna/|url-status=live}}

On 8 April 2022, Sabuni resigned as the party leader following a controversy stemming from her statement that she would flee Sweden for Norway if Sweden was ever invaded. She was the same day replaced by Johan Pehrson.{{Cite web |date=April 8, 2022 |title=DN erfar: Nyamko Sabuni avgår |url=https://www.dn.se/sverige/dn-erfar-nyamko-sabuni-avgar/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220408102433/http://www.dn.se/sverige/dn-erfar-nyamko-sabuni-avgar/ |archive-date=April 8, 2022 |access-date=April 8, 2022 |website=Dagens Nyheter}}{{Cite news |date=April 8, 2022 |title=Nyamko Sabuni resigns as leader of Sweden's troubled Liberal Party |newspaper=The Local Sweden |url=https://www.thelocal.se/20220408/nyamko-sabuni-resigns-as-leader-of-swedens-troubled-liberal-party/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220408111943/https://www.thelocal.se/20220408/nyamko-sabuni-resigns-as-leader-of-swedens-troubled-liberal-party/ |archive-date=April 8, 2022 |access-date=April 8, 2022 |publisher=The Local}}

=Medical cannabis=

Sabuni has opened up for legalization of medical cannabis.{{cite news |title=Sabuni öppnar för medicinsk cannabis i Sverige |url=https://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/a/a7yvMa/sabuni-oppnar-for-medicinsk-cannabis-i-sverige |work=www.aftonbladet.se |language=sv |access-date=2021-12-18 |archive-date=2021-12-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211218125653/https://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/a/a7yvMa/sabuni-oppnar-for-medicinsk-cannabis-i-sverige |url-status=live}}

Bibliography

2006 – Flickorna vi sviker: om hederskultur i Sverige. Stockholm: Folkpartiet. Libris 10213085{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vJZbMQAACAAJ|title=Flickorna vi sviker: om hederskultur i Sverige|first=Nyamko|last=Sabuni|date=25 June 2019|publisher=Folkpartiet|access-date=25 June 2019|via=Google Books|archive-date=13 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220413180830/https://books.google.com/books?id=vJZbMQAACAAJ|url-status=live}}
2010 – Det nya Sverige: [min vision : min väg]. Stockholm: Ekerlid. Libris 11856397. {{ISBN|9789170921513}}{{cite web|url=http://www.mynewsdesk.com/se/ekerlids_forlag_ab/pressreleases/ny-bok-det-nya-sverige-min-vision-min-vaeg-av-nyamko-sabuni-452293|title=Ny bok: "Det nya Sverige. Min vision. Min väg" av Nyamko Sabuni|language=sv|date=2010-08-17|website=mynewsdesk-pressreleases|access-date=25 June 2019|archive-date=2021-06-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210614150622/https://www.mynewsdesk.com/se/ekerlids_forlag_ab/pressreleases/ny-bok-det-nya-sverige-min-vision-min-vaeg-av-nyamko-sabuni-452293|url-status=live}}

References

External links

{{Commons category-inline|Nyamko Sabuni}}
[https://www.riksdagen.se/en/members-and-parties/member/nyamko-sabuni_ff50a40d-0981-455c-b8d8-885298bad11c Nyamko Sabuni] at the Riksdag