The Nordic nation is currently at a crossroads, as it must decide whether to uphold its longstanding tradition of freedom of expression or safeguard its citizens from potential retribution from those who were offended by the recent minor-scale protests in the capital of Sweden, during which an individual desecrated the Quran, the holy book of Islam.
In response to Iranian officials’ threats of retaliation, the Swedish government issued directives to 15 government agencies, including the armed forces and various law enforcement organizations, this week to enhance security protocols and enhance counterterrorism capabilities. The protests have sparked indignation throughout the Muslim world.
Gunnar Strommer, the Swedish minister of justice, declared that the measures would “impede and deter violent extremism and terrorism.”.
On July 21, 2023, demonstrations were held in the Swedish capital of Stockholm at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosque in Tehran, Iran. Iranians set a Swedish flag ablaze in protest of the desecration of the Quran.
The escalating number of requests to the police for authorization to conduct anti-Muslim demonstrations that involve the seditious desecration of Qurans has prompted Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of Sweden to express “deep concern.”
Kristersson expressed his profound apprehension regarding the potential repercussions of their approval to the Swedish news agency TT on Thursday.
He advised that the Swedish Security Service had determined that the nation, which had previously been designated a “legitimate” target for terrorist attacks by a variety of militant organizations and lone actors motivated by them, was no longer a “prioritized” target.
A Christian Iraqi exile set fire to a copy of the Quran outside the Grand Mosque of Stockholm on the day of Eid-ul-Adha in June, which is the holiest day on the Muslim calendar. Consequently, Sweden’s reputation suffered a significant decline in the eyes of numerous Muslim nations.
Two weeks later, Salwan Momika, 37, who had previously applied for asylum in Sweden a few years earlier, conducted a second demonstration outside the Iraqi embassy in the Swedish capital. He cleaned his shoes with the Iraqi flag and trampled a Quran during this demonstration.
His actions prompted a significant number of irate Iraqi demonstrators to return to the Swedish embassy in Baghdad for the second time. The crowd was able to breach the compound’s perimeter and set a portion of it on fire.
Demonstrators scaled a wall at the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, on July 20, 2023.
A number of Muslim countries have dispatched Swedish ambassadors to their respective capitals to formally convey their disapproval of the permitted demonstrations in Stockholm, and the Iraqi government severed diplomatic relations with Stockholm.
Iran has issued a dire threat of retribution against the desecrator of the Quran in an effort to exert even more pressure. The individual who disregarded the Quran should plead for his life, according to Ali Mohammadi-Sirat, the officer of the Supreme Leader in the IRGC’s Quds Force, a special military unit responsible for operations beyond Iranian borders.
According to the exiled dissident news network Iran International, which is currently located in Washington, D.C., Mohammadi-Sirat urged Swedish authorities to surrender Momika and underscored the severity of punishment for those who disparage the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, reiterated the admonition and urged Sweden to return the Iraqi refugee.
In a social media post, Khamenei declared, “The affront to the Holy Quran in Sweden is a bitter, conspiratorial, and dangerous event.” “All Islamic scholars are of the opinion that those who have insulted the Holy Quran deserve the most grievous punishment.”
The commander of the Revolutionary Guard, Major General Hossein Salami, was quoted by Iran International as stating, “Iran will not provide security to those who insult the Quran.”
Salami was quoted by the opposition outlet as stating, “We will engage in a fight with the entire world if someone desires to toy with our Quran and religion.” Eventually, the vengeful hand of the “mujahids” will reach the politicians and stage managers responsible for these types of crimes, and we are prepared to impose the most grievous penalty on the offender. The perpetrator will receive the most severe penalty. They should observe their retribution.
