'Islam is regarded as the biggest threat to Europe for many Europeans'

By Theresa Cook

msnbc.com

updated 2/23/2011 5:56:24 AM ET

MALMO, Sweden  — The bullet exploded through the mosque's window, sending glass splinters hurtling into the office worker's neck.

Frantically abandoning their New Year's Eve chatter and coffee cups, worshippers rushed to the bloodied victim's aid. The bullet had missed his head by inches; the sniper's target would survive.

Police allege the shooting at Malmo's Islamic center — Sweden's largest mosque — was not random. Investigators say it was one of ten attempted murders and at least one killing perpetrated by a gunman whose objective was to "shoot at immigrants."

The apparent bid to kill a Muslim in a place of worship provoked much soul-searching in Sweden, long regarded as one of Europe's most liberal and welcoming societies.

But only nine months later, hundreds of thousands would cast ballots for the far-right Sweden Democrats . With its roots in the neo-Nazi movement, the party warned of "the dangers of Islamization" and ran a controversial campaign ad showing a gang of burqa-clad women overtaking a senior citizen in a race for benefits.

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