A/HRC/55/47/Add.2 including physical assaults and arson attacks on mosques. The Human Rights Committee noted that such attacks took place in the context of chronic negative portrayals of Muslims in the media.30 72. A report by the European Network Against Racism in 2016 claimed that gendered Islamophobia undermined access to economic, political and social equality. The report stated that Muslim women were the targets of racist hate crimes, where physical and verbal attacks, harassment and violence had become normalized. That resulted in lack of safety, limited social mobility, curtailed career ambitions and reduced participation in the public arena. 31 73. The tendency of Islamophobia continues to be borne out according to the most recent report of the Equality Ombudsman, which notes that Muslims, and those perceived to be Muslims, are most likely to be subjected to discrimination in working life. 32 The Equality Ombudsman reports that comparatively little is known about discrimination against members of other religions or beliefs. 74. In December 2022, the Supreme Administrative Court overturned the decision by two local authorities in Staffanstorp, Skåne, in 2019, to ban the wearing of headscarves in preschools and primary schools, up to year six (age 12), claiming it contravened the country’s freedom of expression law. 33 In September 2020, the administrative court in Malmö overturned the ban of Bromölla municipality on prayer during working hours. The court stated that the ban contravened the rights of religious freedom granted by the Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights. 34 The ban, which applied to all municipal employees, was passed by the local council in 2019 and was criticized by Christian and Muslim representatives. 75. Campaigns have continued to advocate for local and national bans on the Islamic call to prayer, stating that it should be banned in residential areas because individuals have the right not to be exposed to a religious message.35 76. On 16 February 2022, the Nuance Party accused social services of discrimination against Muslim families and demanded actions against social services as part of the Party’s election campaign. This was in the context of an online disinformation campaign which accused social services of “kidnapping” Muslim children and placing them with non-Muslim foster families, who forced them to eat pork and drink alcohol. Demonstrations followed in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö, although the Ministry for Foreign Affairs denied the claims and the Imam Council, together with the United Islamic Associations of Sweden, also spoke out against the disinformation while emphasizing that Muslim parents’ concerns should be considered.36 In the Special Rapporteur’s meetings with authorities, they indicated that the campaign directed against Swedish social services, which began in late 2021, remained the most extensive campaign of its kind against Sweden. It had had a devastating impact on the relationship between social services and the Muslim communities, and the authorities were doing everything possible to re-establish trust. B. Situation of Jews 77. As of 2023, Sweden is home to approximately 20,000 Jews, of whom approximately 6,000 are registered followers of the faith, making it the largest Jewish community in Scandinavia. The community is represented by the Official Council of Swedish Jewish Communities. The Council was founded in 1953 by the Jewish congregations of Stockholm, 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 14 16 and 22; and A/HRC/44/12. CCPR/C/SWE/CO/7, para. 16. https://www.enar-eu.org/wp-content/uploads/forgotten_women_report_sweden_-_final-3.pdf/. Equality Ombudsman, The State of Discrimination 2023: Annual Report from the Equality Ombudsman (2023). Supreme Administrative Court, Skurup Municipality v. AA et al., case No. 4266-21, Judgment, 8 December 2022. Malmö Administrative Court, Citizen appeal v. Bromölla municipality, case No. 7680-19, Judgment, 11 September 2020 (in Swedish). https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/sweden/. Ibid. GE.24-04001