Denmark recently adopted a law to ban inappropriate treatment of any writing or object with religious significance – a peace initiative in the best interests of a multicultural society. Azher Hameed Qamar sees this law as a step towards freedom of expression that will also help bridge social divides
The Swedish government has proposed an obligation that would require public sector workers to notify police and immigration authorities about undocumented migrants. Azher Hameed Qamar says the proposal contradicts professional ethics and human rights. Using employees as 'agents' compromises social care, welfare organisations' credibility and humanitarian ethics
Sweden has seen several Quran-burning incidents, which can reinforce anti-religious discourses and politicised campaigns against religious minorities. It can also put Swedish multicultural harmony at risk. Laws permitting this must be interpreted in the best interest of the people and their holistic well-being, argues Azher Hameed Qamar
Postdoctoral Researcher, School of Social Work, Lund University
Azher is a writer, anthropologist, and teacher.
He obtained his doctorate from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
Azher's research focuses on social resilience, migration, and social integration.
His postdoctoral study is about the social resilience of young adult migrants in Sweden; phenomenological research exploring young adult migrants' lived experiences.
He recently published a paper in Geoforum entitled Conceptualizing social resilience in the context of migrants' lived experiences, which deals with the challenges of conceptualising social resilience in migration studies, and provided a definition of social resilience in this context.
