Islam och muslimer i Johannes Anyurus fiktiva skildring av det framtida Sverige : En tematisk textanalys av den fiktiva romanen De kommer att drunkna i sina mödrars tårar

The aim of this thesis is to identify and illuminate Anyurus fictional portrayal of Islam and Muslims role in the future Swedish society. Furthermore, this thesis intends to shed light on the novels attitudes towards Islam and Muslims. This thesis hopes to add knowledge about how Islam and Muslims can be portrayed in popular cultural. The research questions are framed as follow: How can portrayal of Islam and Muslims in Anyurus novel be understood in relation to José Casanovas theory of the changing role of religions in the public and private spheres? Does Anyurus novel reflect open or closed attitudes about Islam and Muslims? The theoretical starting points that were used to answer the study’s purpose and research questions were José Casanovas secularization theory and The Runnymede Trust model of open and closed attitudes towards Islam and Muslims. The methodological approach was a qualitative content analysis with a focus on a thematic analysis. The material that was being analyzed is a novel called They will drown in their mother’s tears, written by Johannes Anyuru. The results showed that José Casanovas secularization theory could be used to understand Islam and Muslims role in the society. Results showed that their role did not disappear from the public to the private sphere, it was a choice that Muslims in the novel decided by themselves. The result also showed that it can be argued that the majority of Anyurus representation reflect closed attitudes towards Islam and Muslims. The open attitudes could not be identified and reflected in Anyurus novel. It is important to keep in mind that this is a study that is based on a fictional representation of the future of Sweden, which therefore means that it is not possible to draw a parallel to reality.