Quran-burning blogger Momika killed shortly before his trial in Sweden

Notorious blogger killed in Sweden for burning Quran

Salwan Momika, a 38-year-old Iraqi citizen who gained notoriety in 2023 after several public burnings of the Quran, was killed in the Swedish city of Södertälje just before his trial. Preliminary reports indicate that the man was shot during a live TikTok broadcast he was conducting.

The Stockholm District Court was scheduled to hear a case on January 30 regarding incitement of ethnic hatred and incitement of a group in connection with four separate incidents of burning the holy book. However, the hearing was canceled because "one of the defendants had died" – Momika was shot on January 29.

Another defendant fears he could be next  

The second defendant in the criminal case, Salwan Najem, briefly commented on the news of Momika's death.

"I'm next," he wrote on his social media.  

The police have launched an investigation into the murder. Five suspects have been arrested.

Blogger openly protested against Islam

It is known that Momika moved from Iraq to Sweden in 2018 obtaining a residence permit. He was accused of four incidents of Quran burning in Stockholm, including during Eid al-Adha, a sacred Muslim holiday. Following these acts, hundreds of Iraqis gathered outside the Swedish embassy in protest, and an attempt was made to storm the building.

In his home country, a bounty of $2 million and a golden Quran were offered for Momika's head.

Moreover, his actions nearly cost Sweden its NATO membership. Turkey strongly opposed Sweden's accession, condemning Momika's behavior and accusing Stockholm of enabling such sentiments. The country's entry into the alliance was temporarily halted.

The Iraqi Foreign Ministry had called on Sweden to extradite Momika. The diplomatic body also summoned the Swedish ambassador to Iraq and lodged a formal protest over the burning of the holy book. However, Sweden's migration agency, defending Momika, stated that "he risks being subjected to torture and inhumane treatment if he returns to his homeland."

Putin called Momika's actions a crime  

Momika staged his most high-profile act of burning the holy book on June 28, 2023, at Medborgarplatsen in central Stockholm. Representatives of Swedish and international media, as well as around 200 spectators, were present at the scene. In protest, the Iraqi refugee tore pages from the Quran, wiped his shoes with them, placed bacon inside the book, and set it on fire. The act was carried out with police permission.

Similar Quran-burning incidents later took place in Sweden and Denmark on several occasions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that disrespecting the Quran was a crime in Russia, but "in some other countries," this was not the case.

"This is a sacred text for Muslims and a holy book for others as well. We know that in other countries, they act differently – they do not respect the religious feelings of people and even claim that this is not a crime," the head of state remarked, reminding that such norms are enshrined in the Criminal Code and the Russian Constitution.

Details

The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God (Allāh). It is organized in 114 chapters (surah, pl. suwer) which consist of individual verses (āyah). Besides its religious significance, it is widely regarded as the finest work in Arabic literature, and has significantly influenced the Arabic language. It is the object of a modern field of academic research known as Quranic studies. Muslims believe the Quran was orally revealed by God to the final Islamic prophet Muhammad through the angel Gabriel incrementally over a period of some 23 years, beginning on the Laylat al-Qadr, when Muhammad was 40, and concluding in 632, the year of his death. Muslims regard the Quran as Muhammad's most important miracle, a proof of his prophethood, and the culmination of a series of divine messages starting with those revealed to the first Islamic prophet Adam, including the holy books of the Torah, Psalms, and Gospel in Islam.

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Salwan Momika burns Quran in Sweden
Author`s name Pavel Morozov
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Editor Dmitry Sudakov
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