Sweden deports Iraqi immigrant who burned the Quran
The Iraqi immigrant, Salwan Momika, holds a copy of the Holy Quran and an Iraqi flag. Photo: AFP
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Swedish media outlets reported that Iraqi immigrant Salwan Momika, who organized several protests in Sweden to desecrate the Holy Quran, has not had his residence permit renewed and will be deported and banned from returning to Sweden for five years.
Momika told TV4, a Swedish TV channel, that the immigration department did not renew his residence permit.
The immigration department in Sweden decided to expel Momika from the country, indicating that a fixed-term residence permit was approved for the period from October 25, 2023, to April 16, 2024, due to some obstacles to implementing immediate deportation, according to TV4.
On April 16, 2024, Momika will be banned from returning to Sweden for five years.
Momika, 37, sparked widespread anger in many countries and Islamic organizations after he organized several demonstrations in which he burned and desecrated copies of the Holy Quran in different places in Sweden.
The first of these demonstrations took place outside Stockholm’s central mosque on June 28, where the Iraqi immigrant tore up and burned several pages of a copy of the Holy Book.
Iraq called on the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) to arrest the Quran burner in Sweden and extradite him to Baghdad.
On July 26, the United Nations adopted a consensus resolution drafted by Morocco condemning all acts of violence against the holy books as these acts violate international law.