Protesters, Victims, and Fellow Citizens: Representations of Muslims in the Swedish and Nordic Press During the Qur’an Burnings of 2023

Abstract This article analyzes representation of Muslims in media coverage of the Qur’an burnings in Sweden 2023. A quantitative analysis of 1306 articles from Nordic newspapers explores the extent to which Muslims are depicted as actors, on what topics, and as primary or secondary actors. As Swedish newspapers predominantly represented Muslims as primary actors, a sample of 39 articles were further analyzed through three main frames identified in previous research: Muslims as a problem for society, as victims of violence and discrimination, or as fellow citizens. The findings reveal that framing of Muslims as fellow citizens was the predominant category. This result shows more variety than the stereotypical representation of Muslims in Western media. Nevertheless, Muslims are given voice and agency as Swedish Muslims, in the sense of aligning with and promoting the conditions for practicing religion in majority society. This calls for caution in interpreting the representation as inclusive framing.