Sweden has told officials to involve religious leaders in crisis planning as the country faces threats after the public burning of the Quran in Stockholm.
The government held talks on Friday on what it called the “heightened security situation that now prevails”.
Ministers are trying to restore calm after a spate of provocative protests led to condemnation from the Muslim world.
In talks to defuse tensions they have “highlighted the important role religious communities have in various societal challenges”, Sweden’s Public Administration Minister Erik Slottner said on Friday.
He said ministers “urged municipalities and authorities to involve religious communities to a greater extent in their work, for example with crisis preparedness”.
Per Bill, who leads a group of regional governors, said it was “important to develop Sweden’s preparedness together” in what he called a “deteriorating security policy situation”.
Denmark and Sweden are on alert for retaliation after the Quran was repeatedly desecrated in both countries with police watching on.
The incidents outside the Turkish and Iraqi embassies, Stockholm’s main mosque and the Swedish parliament have tested the limits of free expression laws in Sweden.
Sweden has told diplomats from Muslim countries it does not approve and police only authorise gatherings and not what happens there.
But the acts have caused anger in the Muslim world where the Swedish embassy was attacked in Baghdad and governments have urged Sweden and Denmark to take a tougher stance.
The Danish government has proposed a “legal tool” to stop inflammatory acts, while Sweden says it is considering options. The Iraqi-born ringleader of recent Stockholm stunts, Salwan Momika, is being investigated over possible incitement.
Both countries have tightened border checks and Denmark this week said it would extend the stricter regime for people arriving from Sweden and Germany.
Danish Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard said the Quran burnings “have an impact on the current threat level”.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
The Book of Collateral Damage
Sinan Antoon
(Yale University Press)
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Gifts exchanged
- King Charles - replica of President Eisenhower Sword
- Queen Camilla - Tiffany & Co vintage 18-carat gold, diamond and ruby flower brooch
- Donald Trump - hand-bound leather book with Declaration of Independence
- Melania Trump - personalised Anya Hindmarch handbag
At Eternity’s Gate
Director: Julian Schnabel
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Oscar Isaacs, Mads Mikkelsen
Three stars
