2023-07-23 00:11:05
His actions have sparked a bitter diplomatic row between Iraq and Sweden and are likely to ignite flames in other parts of the Muslim world. But it’s hard to know how seriously to take the motivations of the Iraqi asylum seeker who burned pages of the holy book of islamhe Koranin Stockholm (Sweden).
Salwan Momika, 37, had planned to repeat the burning this week, less than a month following causing international outrage by setting fire to pages of the book outside a mosque in Stockholm. Momika, who has lived in Sweden since 2018, describes himself on Facebook as a “thinker and writer… a free atheist” and maintained that his protest seeks to express his feelings regarding religion.
Last Thursday, however, Momika did not turn on any page of the Koran. Standing in front of the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm, the lone protester trampled the book and also the flag of his country. Furthermore, he wiped his feet on photographs of prominent Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and Iranian leader Ali Khamenei.
The action caused anger in Iraq even before it happened. In that country, followers of the cleric Al-Sadr stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad Thursday morning and set fire to the compound. Then the Iraqi Prime Minister ordered the expulsion of the Swedish ambassadoras well as the departure of the Iraqi charge d’affaires in Stockholm, in addition to suspending the operating permit of the Swedish communications company Ericsson.
Momika’s Background
On social media, some Iraqis questioned the appropriateness of their country’s government’s reaction, although others also questioned Momika’s motivations for her protests. An investigation by France24 took a closer look at the internet postings of those who claim to know Momika.
Momika arrived in Sweden in 2018, and authorities in the European country confirmed that he was granted a three-year residence permit in 2021. France 24 investigators verified several videos that showed him in military uniform, along with members of various militias. They concluded that Momika founded a political party in Iraq, the Syrian Democratic Union Party, in 2014, as well as the associated militia.
In Iraq, protesters attacked the Swedish embassy. Image: AHMED SAAD/REUTERS
This group, like many others of that time, was created to combat the radical Islamic State group, but later became linked to a motley assortment of other movements, including Iranian-backed Shi’ite affiliated militias, as well as Kurdish militias, which have a more atheist and communist agenda. Iraqi journalists, meanwhile, claimed that Momika left the country due to a power struggle with the leader of another Christian militia.
Momika is also believed to have supported cleric Al-Sadr at one stage and participated in anti-government protests. In addition, the Iraqi would have had some problems with the Swedish authorities, following threatening a roommate with a knife. All this led France24 researchers to insinuate that Momika’s motivations in his recent protests might have other purposes.
Other reports regarding the Iraqi had previously raised similar questions. “Momika is active on various social networks, especially on TikTok and Facebook,” says France24. “However, all of her accounts were created following she was granted refugee status in Sweden… Momika has posted dozens of videos, often with Muslim country names as hashtags. This makes it likely that she is actually trying to seek as much publicity as possible for her Quran burning.”
Doubtful reasons?
Momika’s residence permit in Sweden expires in April 2024, and she was recently denied permanent residence, an essential step in obtaining citizenship. Momika says that she is a member of the far-right nationalist party Sweden Democrats. She also said in the newspaper The evening paper that he had joined that party in 2022 and that he wanted to run for governor. The party’s public relations department told DW that it might not confirm Momika was a member of its ranks “for reasons of privacy and confidentiality.”
Iraq itself wants Momika extradited from Sweden, to stand trial in an Iraqi court. Unlike Sweden, Iraq has a blasphemy law, which is punishable by up to three years in jail. At the end of June, the Swedish police filed preliminary charges once morest Momika for inciting hate. The fact that he burned a copy of the Koran in front of a mosque might be construed as an attack once morest a group, police said. Whether the case prospers will depend on the Prosecutor’s Office.
One thing is certain: now that he is known throughout the world, his life will hardly be easier. He has already received death threats and insults on more than one occasion. Momika lived in a small town on the outskirts of Stockholm, but the most recent videos of him show him in what appears to be a hotel room. On Friday, the Swedish press said the man was safe “in a secret place” and he had no regrets.
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