The assertion of many researchers chronicling the growing influence of Islam in the West that there are "no-go zones" across Europe where Islamic law holds sway and local police stay away is controversial.

But there can be no doubt that entire Western nations now are sacrificing their liberties to protect Muslim communities, including the passage of new laws that curb free speech.

A man in Sweden has been fined $1,265 for a "crime of opinion," reports Sputnik News International.

The 55-year-old man from Jönköping was convicted of writing on Facebook that Sunni Muslims account for a lot of the gang-related crimes and rapes committed in Sweden.

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The man stated: "Somalis are Sunni Muslim, they have the same orientation as Saudi Arabia, with sharia law & other s*it. … They account for a lot of gang crime in Sweden and other violent stuff like rapes. Afghans are also up to 80 percent Sunni, the d--- pack."

The Facebook post apparently violated Sweden's laws against being "criminally derogatory," which is a "crime of opinion."

The Sputnik News report explained that Muslims account for at least 80 percent of rape and other sexual crimes in Sweden, but the court wasn't impressed with facts.

Judge Lisa Vilander found, the report said, "that the post was formulated in an abusive way and instead of inviting a discussion on matters of religion voiced hate against a group of people."

The report cited a Swedish-language survey from just a few months ago that found "immigrants' drastic overrepresentation in sexual assaults, with men of foreign descent allegedly committing over 90 percent of rapes."

The 80-page investigation looked at 4,000 rulings from 80 Swedish courts in recent years.

It was during that time frame that more than 200,000 individuals "from predominantly Muslim countries" moved to Sweden, which until a few years ago had a state church, the Lutheran Church, with some 6.2 million members.

But Islam has become the second biggest religious group in Sweden, with about 5 percent of the population.

It was reported in 2014 that Sweden had changed its laws to make prosecution of people expressing controversial opinions about immigration easier to track down and prosecute.

One person, it was reported, was even punished for buying a newspaper ad and using it to publish four Bible verses critical of homosexual behavior.

JihadWatch reported last month that a 71-year-old man was being prosecuted for criticizing Islam. Swedish-language sources said that when the man called Islam a "fascist ideology," he faced charges for hate speech.

"Now he’s being interrogated by the Swedish police and has to answer general questions regarding his stance towards Muslims. In the end, he will potentially be sentenced to up to two years of prison time," the report said.

Last year, Newsline reported a man was prosecuted after being accused of eating bacon in front of veiled Muslim women.

The Swedish government, ironically, has legalized the act of flying the flag of ISIS, the Muslim terrorist movement that has slaughtered thousands of Christians and other religious minorities across the Middle East.