Stockholm mosque defaced with swastika

A mosque in Stockholm was vandalized with racist words and symbols on Thursday, according to mosque officials.

In a statement, the mosque management said a big swastika symbol was spray painted at the mosque's door.

The management strongly condemned the incident, saying the mosque had been facing such racist attacks for years.

"Our mosque members and our community are extremely disturbed by such attacks. Unfortunately, despite many racist attacks, the government could not do anything against Islamophobia and hate speech," it said.

According to the Swedish state television SVT, 22 racist attacks were registered on the Stockholm mosque in 2017 while another 23 attacks were registered since the beginning of 2018.

Last September, a mosque in the southern Swedish city of Orebro was burned to the ground in an arson attack. In December, an Islamic Cultural Center in the southern city of Saffle was the target of a homemade bomb attack.

Sweden is a strong draw for many migrants and about 15 percent of its population was born abroad. An estimated 100,000 Turks live in the Nordic country.