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Salwan Momika

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Salwan Momika
Momika burning a Quran in Stockholm in 2023
Born
Salwan Sabah Matti Momika

(1986-06-23) 23 June 1986 (age 38)
Iraq
NationalityIraqi
Known forQuran desecrations

Salwan Sabah Matti Momika (born 23 June 1986) is an Iraqi refugee and a critic of Islam, known for arranging demonstrations in Sweden where he publicly burns the Quran.[1]

Background

Momika was born into a Christian family in northern Iraq, but views himself as an atheist.[2] Momika came to Sweden as a refugee after having been politically active in Iraq where he was part of Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) that fought against the Islamic State.[3] He has appeared in videos in militia attire pledging allegiance to the Imam Ali Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Movement of Iraq which operated under the PMF.[4] He then presented himself as the officer of a militia called the Brigade of the Spirit of God Jesus, Son of Mary.[4] He was also a founder of the political party Syriac Democratic Union and the Hawks Syriac Forces, an armed militia established in 2014 that was affiliated with the pseudo-Christian militia Babylon Brigades.[4]

Activism

Migration to Sweden

Momika applied for a visa in Sweden in 2018 and was registered as an immigrant from Iraq in April 2021 when he was granted a three-year residence permit.[5] He had appeared in Sweden since 2017 when he had a Schengen visa, and was seen in pictures outside the Riksdag along with member of parliament for the Christian Democrats, Robert Halef. He also had a meeting with Sweden Democrats parliamentarian Julia Kronlid.[5] Momika has later stated that he wants to run for Riksdag as a candidate for the party.[6]

After he was granted a residence permit in Sweden, he threatened a man with whom he shared accommodation with a knife, which resulted in him being convicted for unlawful threats the following year. He was sentenced to probation and community service.[5]

Quran burnings

Main article: 2023 Quran burnings in Sweden

In 2023, Momika arranged a series of demonstrations as a critique on Islam. During these demonstrations, he desecrated the Quran by burning it under police protection. The Quran burnings were accompanied by attacks towards Momika.[7][8]

Also in 2023, the Swedish Migration Agency decided that Momika is to be expelled from the country.[9] Due to threats against him in Iraq, the expulsion could however not be exercised, and he thus received a new temporary residence permit until April 2024.[10]

Migration to Norway

In late March, it was reported that Momika had left Sweden for Norway to seek asylum.[11] Shortly after his departure, there were reports in social media that he had been found dead in Norway, but Norwegian police appeared to deny the rumours.[12] On 4 April, Norwegian police announced they had arrested Momika on 28 March, and that they planned to deport him back to Sweden on the basis of the Dublin Regulation.[13]

See also

References

  1. ^ Nyheter, S. V. T. (31 July 2023). "Salwan Momika och Salwan Najem – männen bakom sommarens koranbränningar i Sverige". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  2. ^ Wintour, Patrick (21 July 2023). "Protests across Muslim nations after Sweden allows second attack on Qur'an". The Guardian.
  3. ^ "Koranbrännaren kan kopplas till regimen i Iran". DN.SE (in Swedish). 2 September 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  4. ^ a b c "As uncertainty shrouds his future, a past full of contradictions haunts Qur'an burner Salwan Momika". Arab News. 7 July 2023.
  5. ^ a b c Wikén, Johan; Alshawish, Kovan (18 August 2023). "Bilderna på koranbrännaren utreds av Migrationsverket". SVT (in Swedish).
  6. ^ "Koranbrännaren om sitt SD-medlemskap: "Vill kandidera till riksdagen"". www.aftonbladet.se (in Swedish). 5 July 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  7. ^ "Koranbränning i Malmö stormades – och avbröts". www.tv4.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  8. ^ "A woman interrupts a Quran-burning protest in Sweden by spraying activist with a fire extinguisher". AP News. 18 August 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  9. ^ "Domstol fastslår: Salwan Momika ska utvisas". www.aftonbladet.se (in Swedish). 7 February 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  10. ^ "Slår fast: Salwan Momika ska utvisas". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). TT. 7 February 2024.
  11. ^ Hamadé, Kassem (27 March 2024). "Här lämnar Salwan Momika Sverige". Expressen (in Swedish).
  12. ^ "No official word on Quran-burner Salwan Momika's death rumours". India Today. 2 April 2024.
  13. ^ "Koranbrenner Salwan Momika pågrepet – sendes tilbake til Sverige". Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). 4 April 2024.
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