First Muslim in Sweden: Ebrahim Umerkajeff's Journey & Legacy
Ebrahim Umerkajeff, a former Swedish politician of Tajik origin, was born in 1968 and became the first Muslim to settle in Sweden in 1919. He arrived in Stockholm in 1897 and made a name for himself as a successful fur trader and businessman. Umerkajeff faced discrimination but also paved the way for Sweden's Muslim community, which now numbers around eight to ten percent of the population.
Umerkajeff's journey began in 1897 when he arrived in Stockholm from Russia. He was a Tatar and the first Islam to settle in Sweden, which had no Muslim citizens until then. He married a Swedish woman, Elisabeth Hult, and they had a son named Hussein in 1901. Umerkajeff became a Swedish citizen in 1919, the first Islam to do so. Despite facing discrimination, including a false accusation in 1905, he laid the groundwork for Sweden's Muslim community.
Umerkajeff was the only Muslim known to be living in Sweden for almost thirty years until 1919. In 1928, another Muslim, Akif Arhan, arrived, and together with Umerkajeff, they began celebrating Islam holidays and formed Sweden's first Muslim association in 1949. Before 2015, Sweden had been accustomed to immigrants from countries with large Muslim populations, such as Somalia, Iran, Turkey, Bosnia, and Iraq. However, in 2015, Sweden significantly reduced immigration due to an unprecedented number of refugees, primarily from Syria and Afghanistan.
Ebrahim Umerkajeff's arrival in Sweden in 1897 marked a significant milestone in the country's history. As the first Muslim to settle and gain citizenship, he laid the foundation for Sweden's Muslim community, which now stands at around eight to ten percent of the population. His story is one of resilience, success, and integration in the face of discrimination.
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