Contradicting Ideals: Islam on Swedish Public Service Radio

Cultural and religious diversity are contested topics in Swedish publicdebate. This chapter analyses how theradio programmeMänniskor och tro(Peo-ple and belief)enables and structuresthe actors and issues that become heard inthis debate, particularlywith regardtoIslam and Muslims. The programme aimsto present an alternative to the dominantnegative media discourses by equallyrepresenting Christianity and Islam in reports,inviting Swedish Muslims to pres-ent experiences and opinions on various news events, and enablingdebate be-tweenreligious organizations, experts, and listeners through phone-in sessionsand social media. Despite these efforts, the programme tendsto reconstruct,as well as challenge, the dominant frames of Islam asaproblem for Swedish so-ciety and for the relations of power between the majorityand minorityvoicesinpublic debates.The chapter explores how contradictions between the traditionalideals and formats of public serviceradio and its ambitions to produceamorenuanced and diverse imageofreligion contributetothis outcome.