A woman in Sweden was interrogated by police, had her DNA taken and was subsequently imprisoned for the "crime" of sharing a joke meme about Islam on Facebook.

The 32-year-old woman from Gothenburg drew the attention of authorities after she posted the image below, which depicts a Muslim man having his brain removed and then being wrapped in Islamic head dress.

While the meme may be considered offensive, what happened next was truly Orwellian.

A reporter alerted police to the post, claiming that the woman had expressed herself "in a threatening manner" towards a protected group. The reporter passed on details of the woman's identity and her place of residence.

The woman was then asked to visit a police station in Gothenburg, where her DNA was taken and entered into a criminal database.

The woman profusely apologized for the post, claiming she thought it was aimed at members of ISIS, while asserting that her best friend was Muslim and that she was ill at the time with a fever when she posted the image.