Somali woman 'forced to pour milk on herself'

New details have emerged about the types of harassment suffered by members of the Somali community in Forserum in south central Sweden, with integration minister Erik Ullenhag upbraiding local politicians for trying to belittle the problem.

The new information was aired during a meeting held Tuesday between local public officials and representatives from several Muslim organizations.

"On one occasion, a Somali woman was forced to pour milk over herself in order to symbolize that she should be white," said Rashid Musa of the Muslimska mänskliga rättighetskommittén ('Muslim human rights committee') to Sveriges Television (SVT).

Others at the meeting described people having rocks thrown at local Somalis, girls who had their head scarves torn from their heads, and other Somali women who were spat upon.

Many participants explained that there was no point in reporting the incidents to police, echoing earlier complaints that police in Forserum have done too little or ignored reported incidents completely.

However, local police officer Anders Ydreborg said that language difficulties may be to blame for the lack of formal police reports from Somalis who have been harassed.
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