Internationally known Quran burner Salwan Momika and his associate Salwan Najem have been charged with four counts of incitement to racial hatred.
– The two are accused of making statements and handling a Quran in a manner intended to express contempt for Muslims on the basis of their faith on these four occasions, prosecutor Anna Hankkio confirms.
Previously, prosecutors have concluded that burning a copy of the Quran is not a violation of the law, but something that falls under the constitutionally protected freedom of expression, but Hankkio disagrees.
– In my opinion, the men’s statements and actions fall under the provision on incitement against ethnic groups, and it is important for the court to be able to examine this issue, she said in a press release.
They are charged with four incidents, two Quran burnings on June 28 and August 25, 2023, which took place outside the mosque in Södermalm, and two more Quran burnings at Rinkeblyplan and Benny Fredrikssons Torg on August 25 and 26, 2023. Salwan Najem is also charged with breach of trust.
Momika and Najem came to Sweden from Iraq in 2018 and 1998, respectively. Najem has been a Swedish citizen since 2005, while Momika had a temporary residence permit.
The Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket) has tried to deport Momika on several occasions, but due to the alleged threat in his home country, no deportation decision has been enforced – as recently as July, his residence permit was extended for another year.
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