Two Iraqi refugees, Salwan Momika and Salwan Najem, ignited a diplomatic crisis by setting fire to a copy of the Quran in front of the Swedish Parliament in Stockholm, Euronews reported. The incident took place on July 31 and echoed previous rallies that have caused tension between Sweden and the Muslim community.
The men, who had previously desecrated the Quran without burning it during a rally in front of the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm on July 20, are demanding a complete ban of the Quran in Sweden. The Nordic nation's broad free speech laws allow for such acts, which have raised concerns in the Muslim world.
The rally in front of the Swedish Parliament proceeded without violence, although a few counter-demonstrators chanted "Allahu-Akbar!" in response to the provocative act. Both Momika and Najem had obtained a permit from the police to stage the event, citing their intention to "demonstrate in front of parliament and demand the banning of the Quran."
These acts of desecration have escalated in recent months in Sweden, drawing the ire of Muslim-majority nations. In response to the incident outside the Iraqi embassy, supporters of influential religious leader Moqtada al-Sadr invaded the Swedish embassy in Baghdad and set it on fire. The ambassador was subsequently expelled from Iraq, and Iran announced its refusal to accept a new ambassador from Sweden on its territory.
The situation has led to heightened diplomatic tensions, with Saudi Arabia and Iraq calling for an extraordinary meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to address the issue of Quran desecration in Sweden and Denmark. Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström on July 31 condemned the acts as "Islamophobic" and emphasized that they were carried out by individuals, not endorsed by the government.
#Quran burned #again near #Iraqi embassy in #Denmark
— Daryo | Central Asia & Afghanistan (@DaryoEng) July 25, 2023
🕋📖🔥🇩🇰
For the second time, the #Danish far-right #antiIslamic group, #DanskePatrioter conducted a #demonstration involving the #burning of a sacred #Muslim book.
💬🔥📖💬
👉Details — https://t.co/4KuhoLUBuZ#Islam… pic.twitter.com/f7W2RL6hth
In light of the security risks posed by such events, the Swedish government has directed 15 administrations, including the armed forces, tax authorities, and police, to intensify their efforts against terrorism under the supervision of security services.
Denmark, where far-right groups have also organized Quran desecrations, has announced its intention to introduce measures to limit such events due to associated security concerns. Sweden is also considering similar measures as the country faces what Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson described as the "most serious security situation since the Second World War."
Kristersson pointed out that state-like actors and extremists might exploit these events to sow division and instability. He cited a previous incident in January, where a right-wing extremist burned the Quran to protest Sweden's bid to join NATO and engage in negotiations with Turkey, a decision taken after centuries of non-alignment in response to the conflict in Ukraine.
Follow Daryo's official Instagram and Threads pages to keep up to date on world news.
Comments (0)