Al-Shabaab in Sweden: Perceptions of an Islamist extremist organization

Abstract: Al-Shabaab is a Somalia-based Islamist organization. They militarily oppose the transitional Government of Somalia and constitute a threat to peace and stability in the area. An important part of the support from Shabaab comes from diasporic communities, whereas Sweden is one country from where fighters have been recruited. This thesis provides a description of the organization and its terrorist nature. By using small stories called narratives, collected from Somalis in Malmö, and comparing these stories to the grand narrative of Al-Shabaab in Sweden given by The Security Service, the thesis provides a description of how Al-Shabaab is understood in Sweden.