Two demonstrators set fire to torn pages from a Quran outside the Swedish parliament in Stockholm on Monday. This marks the third incident of this nature in the past few weeks and the first since the Swedish prime minister issued a warning that demonstrations that involve the desecration of Islam’s sacred book were escalating Sweden’s susceptibility to terrorism.
On Monday, AFP, a French news agency, reported that two males, Salwan Momika and Salwan Najem, set fire to numerous pages of a Quran after kicking and stomping on it. On the eve of Eid-ul-Adha, the holiest Muslim holiday of the year, Najem and Momika, a Christian exile from Iraq, incinerated a Quranic copy outside the Grand Mosque of Stockholm in June.
In July, Momika, who had previously requested political asylum in Sweden, staged an additional demonstration in which he stamped on a Quran and cleaned his shoes with the Iraqi flag in front of the Swedish capital’s embassy in Iraq.
The two preceding demonstrations frequently elicited protests directed at Swedish embassies and incited indignation in Muslim nations.
A Quran is held aloft by a woman during a demonstration in front of the Swedish consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on January 22, 2023.
Last week, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson expressed “deep concern” regarding the growing number of requests to Sweden’s police for authorization to host anti-Muslim demonstrations that involve the desecration of the Quran.
In an interview with Sweden’s TT news agency, the prime minister disclosed that the Swedish Security Service had determined that the country was presently being “prioritized” as a target for terrorist attacks by lone actors and militant groups that have long considered it a “legitimate” target for such an attack.
According to the guidelines on the website of the Swedish police authorities, a protest permit can only be denied if “there have been significant public disturbances or a substantial danger to participants at a previous gathering of a similar character,” and the Swedish constitution protects freedom of speech.
The Swedish embassy in Iraq has been targeted by dozens of enraged demonstrators on two separate occasions as a consequence of the unrest that the protests have incited. The Swedish government has been officially notified that diplomatic relations with Baghdad have been formally severed. Additionally, ambassadors of Sweden to the capitals of numerous Muslim-majority countries worldwide have been summoned to present formal complaints. The ongoing demands of protestors for retribution regarding the contentious actions taken by Sweden have resulted in the persistence of constraint and instability.
On July 20, 2023, individuals who were incensed by the devastation of a Quranic copy during a minor demonstration in Stockholm, Sweden, scaled a wall at the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq.
The Islamic Republic’s highest authority has issued threats that are scarcely concealed in response to the Quran burning protests.
In a social media post from the previous week, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s “Supreme Leader,” declared that the “insult to the Holy Quran in Sweden is a malevolent, conspiratorial, and bitter event.” The most severe penalties are deserved by individuals who have committed insults against the Holy Quran, as all Islamic scholars concur.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was preparing to convene an urgent virtual meeting on Monday to address the desecration of the Quran in Denmark and Sweden, two countries that have experienced analogous demonstrations in recent weeks.
Lars Løkke Rasmussen, the Danish prime minister, announced on Sunday that the nation would endeavor to criminalize the desecration of religious scriptures, such as the Quran, in the presence of foreign embassies. This statement was made in response to criticism from the Islamic community, according to the Associated Press.
“Quran burnings are profoundly offensive and negligent actions carried out by a small number of individuals,” the Danish government stated in a statement released on Sunday, despite the fact that freedom of expression is a fundamental value in Danish society.
The Danish government declared that “these few individuals do not represent the values upon which Danish society is founded.” It also announced that it will examine the feasibility of “special situations” intervention in cases involving insults to religions and cultures.
Kristersson, Sweden’s leader, characterized the security situation between his country and Denmark as “the most severe since the Second World War” in a statement released on Sunday. He also stated, “We are aware that states and state-like actors are actively exploiting this circumstance in relation to Sweden.”
The prime minister characterized the situation as “dangerous” and declared that “new measures to reinforce our resilience” would be necessary.
He stated, “In Sweden, we have already initiated an analysis of the legal situation to investigate the potential for measures that would enhance the security of Swedes in Sweden and abroad. We will continue to pursue this matter in the months ahead.”
