Nabil Abdulmajid, vice chairman of the Islamic Association in Malmö, was one of those who urged people not to be provoked by Salwan Momika.
– We noticed that in the end he shouted alone and he did so for almost 10 minutes. People left and then he stopped, says Nabil Abdulmajid.
The Koran burnings in Malmö have previously caused violence and riots. The weekend’s demonstration on Lorensborg Square, on the other hand, became more sane. Three people were taken into custody at the scene, but there was no riot afterwards.
People urged people to back off and ignore the Koran burning.
The police received help from civil society
Not only the Islamic Federation but also the organization Flamman was on site at Lorensborgstorget to calm the situation down.
Glen Sjögren, commissioner at the police in Malmö, sees very positively that people help in such situations.
– People may believe in them more than they believe in the police. If someone else tells them, it usually has a better effect, he says.
Common strategy
In order to have a calmer society, the police work together with, among other things, parishes and housing associations in a so-called local crisis preparedness. They had a meeting before this weekend’s Koran burning.
– We want to stop this. It is clearly stated in the Quran that you should not be in a place that demeans your religion. If it happens again, we will ask people not to go there. It is the best solution, says Nabil Abdulmajid.
He compares to the Danish politician Rasmus Paludan, who first attracted a lot of attention but later stopped coming to Sweden and burning the Koran when he didn’t get such strong reactions anymore.
The Islamic League thinks the same strategy should be used now.