Sweden charges two with hate crimes over desecration of Holy Quran

Swedish prosecutors on Wednesday charged two people with inciting ethnic hatred during several Holy Quran copies-burning protests last year, which sparked widespread outrage in Muslim countries.

Salwan Momika and Salwan Najem have been formally charged with “offences of agitation against an ethnic or national group” four separate times which they had committed in the summer of last year.

According to the charges, Momika and Najem both desecrated the Holy Quran, burning copies and making derogatory remarks about Muslims, including one outside a Stockholm mosque.

“Both men are prosecuted for having on these four occasions made statements and treated the Holy Quran in a manner intended to express contempt for Muslims because of their faith.

“In my opinion, the men’s statements and actions fall under the provisions on agitation against an ethnic or national group, and it is important that this matter is tried in court,” Senior Prosecutor Anna Hankkio said in a statement.

According to the statement, evidence is largely made up of video recordings of the events.

Read also: Danish law banning Quran’s desecration a great achievement: MQI

Momika, a Christian Iraqi, was granted a residence permit in 2021 and has since gained notoriety for organising a series of Holy Quran copy burnings in public places throughout the Nordic country.

The Nordic country charged Swedish-Danish right-wing protester Rasmus Paludan earlier this month with a 2022 protest in the southern city of Malmo, which included the burning of a Holy Quran copy.

The desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden and Denmark under the pretext of free speech has sparked a backlash in Muslim countries, including attacks on diplomatic missions.

Later, Denmark passed legislation last December making it illegal to burn copies of the Holy Quran in public places. Sweden, however, is still considering legal options that would allow police to reject demonstration permits due to national security concerns.

The Organisation for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) called on its member states to take appropriate political and economic measures against Sweden, Denmark, and other countries that allow the burning of the Muslim holy book.

The OIC issued a warning that this act, which is described as an "act of aggression that spreads hatred and contempt for religions and threatens global peace, security, and harmony," must be stopped.