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A Koran burning at the far-right politician Rasmus Paludan’s square meeting in Västerås last May.
1 of 2 Photo: Pontus Lundahl/TT
Those who previously had their application to burn the Koran denied by the police are happy about the administrative court’s decision. But the motives behind it are completely different.
– I am very happy and grateful for the administrative court’s decision. For me, this means that Swedish law does not come under sharia law, says Salwan Momika, one of those who were previously refused by the police on their application to burn the Koran.
It was on February 6 that he was denied his application to burn the Koran outside the Iraqi embassy. Salwan Momika is originally from Iraq and wants to criticize Islam through the burning.
Will burn
Momika, who is conducting the interview with the help of an interpreter, says he will conduct a firing but has not decided when. He does not want it to affect the political process surrounding Sweden’s entry into NATO.
– For me, it’s not about NATO, it’s criticism of the Koran that I think should be banned throughout the world, not just in Sweden.
In addition to Salwan Momika’s appeal, the administrative court in Stockholm processed another application from the “liberty” cultural association Apallarkerna. It, too, had received a refusal from the police on its application to be allowed to burn a Koran on a barbecue brought with it.
Protest against NATO entry
The association’s chairman Chris Makoundoul is satisfied with today’s verdict. But there will be no Koran burning.
– That was never our aim, we think it is barbaric to burn books. We will take the verdict to the Turkish embassy and hand it over with the request that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will stand by his word not to let Sweden into NATO if Koran burning is allowed, he says.
The association has called for a referendum on NATO membership and, according to Chris Makoundoul, this is a way of trying to stop Sweden’s entry. In addition to going to the embassy “quite soon”, they will record videos and publish on Youtube with the call to stick to their word.
– It is very nice that the constitution still applies and it is obvious that the police violated it when they denied us the permit. It was obvious that it had to do with the NATO process, he says.