He triggered a wave of indignation in the Muslim world by burning copies of the Koran in Sweden in the summer of 2023. Salwan Momika, an Iraqi refugee, was arrested in Norway. He risks being deported to Sweden.
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The Norwegian authorities are categorical: the expulsion of Salwan Momika will be done as soon as possible. The Iraqi refugee, of Christian faith, was arrested on March 28 by Norwegian police. He had gone to Norway end of March after the revocation of his residence permit Swedish.
In October, the Swedish Migration Agency revoked Momika’s residence permit, saying he had provided them with false information when applying for asylum. A temporary permit was granted to him, as it was not possible to send him back to Iraq. A month earlier, Iraq had requested his extradition because of his desecration of the Koran.
Read alsoSweden and Denmark seek legislation to prevent desecration of sacred texts
What about freedom of expression?
The day before his departure for Norway, Salwan Momika declared to AFP that “ Sweden has become a threat to me since the decision to expel me and the threat to extradite me “, qualifying as “ big lie » freedom of expression and the protection of human rights in the Scandinavian country.
Last summer, Salwan Momika publicly burned copies of the Quran on several occasions, sparking protests protests and a series of convictions in the Muslim world. In Baghdad, the Swedish embassy was twice the target of attacks. The government in Stockholm condemned the desecration of the Koran at the time, but also stressed the importance of freedom of assembly and expression on its soil.
Read alsoQuran burned in Stockholm: OIC calls for “collective measures” to prevent such acts