Men who burned Qurans a year ago charged with hate crimes in Sweden

Swedish prosecutors have charged two men with inciting ethnic hatred over several protests involving the burning of Qurans in 2023, which sparked widespread outrage in Muslim countries.

Salwan Momika, a Christian Iraqi who burned Qurans at a slew of protests, and co-protester Salwan Najem are charged with “agitation against an ethnic group” on four occasions in the summer of 2023.

“Both men are prosecuted for having on these four occasions made statements and treated the Quoran in a manner intended to express contempt for Muslims because of their faith,” senior prosecutor Anna Hankkio says in a statement.

According to the charge sheet, the duo desecrated the Quran, including burning it, while making derogatory remarks about Muslims — in one case outside a Stockholm mosque.

“In my opinion, the men’s statements and actions fall under the provisions on agitation against an ethnic or national group and it is important that this matter is tried in court,” Hankkio adds.

Prosecutors have previously said that under Swedish law, the burning of a Quran can be seen as a critique of the book and the religion, and thus be protected under free speech.

However, depending on the context and statements made at the time, it can also be considered “agitation against an ethnic group.”