Through their controversial Koran burnings, Salwan Momika and Salwan Najem have put Sweden in a vulnerable position in terms of security policy. The Swedish embassy in Iraq has been stormed and Säpo is considering raising the terror threat level.
The Koran burning actions have been live streamed on Tiktok by Momika and Najem themselves. On the side, Momika has also posted videos criticizing Islam and some Muslim leaders. The videos have received tens of millions of views and hundreds of thousands of likes.
Earn thousands of kroner
Momika broadcasts live in the app almost daily, where viewers give him thousands of gifts that generate so-called “diamonds” in the app, which he exchanges for money. He also has Paypal accounts that viewers are encouraged to donate to.
TT has watched several live broadcasts and can state that the gifts are flowing in. In the past week, Salwan Momika has also been high on Tiktok’s weekly ranking which lists those who have received the most diamonds. As of Saturday, he had collected 222,400 diamonds, according to the list.
– You don’t get money for film clips and videos, but during my live broadcasts you can give money as a gift. But that’s something I don’t care about, says Salwan Momika.
TT: How much can it be?
– Sometimes it can be 1,000, 2,000 or 3,000 kroner per live broadcast.
Taxable income
In Sweden, you have to pay tax on income that exceeds SEK 22,208 in a year. Salwan Momika tells us that he does not know how the tax system works except that gifts are tax-free.
– But if there were to be a tax on it, I am prepared to do it, he says.
According to the Swedish Tax Agency, this type of gift does not count as “real” gifts, but is seen as taxable income.
– When people you don’t know choose to give because you like their work, it’s income. It doesn’t matter if it’s called a “gift” if it’s the person’s income, says Pia Blank Thörnroos, tax lawyer at the Swedish Tax Agency’s legal department.
TT has applied for Tiktok.