Swedish police have confirmed the killing of Iraqi refugee and anti-Islam activist Salwan Momika overnight on Wednesday. Momika, who was in his 40s and became famous for his regular Quran-burning events, was shot dead according to Stockholm police.
“Five people were arrested overnight in connection with the murder incident,” Anna Westberg from Stockholm police’s media center told Middle East Eye.
“The police received the alarm at 11:11 pm. A prosecutor has been assigned to the case, and the police are cooperating with them in the ongoing investigation,” Westberg added.
Widely circulated videos of his events had caused widespread anger in his native Iraq, leading to a diplomatic spat between Baghdad and Stockholm.
While critics condemned Momika’s Quran-burning events as incitement, the slain activist defended them as acts of free expression.
Momika’s recent posts on social media platform X included anti-Muslim memes, support for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and calls for donations for his legal defense in an incitement case he faced in Sweden.
“Today the second session of my trial in Stockholm will begin on the charge of incitement brought against me by the public prosecutor because of my criticism of Islam. You can support me and help me save money to pay the lawyer’s fees,” Momika posted on X on 16 January.
A proponent of ending Muslim migration into Europe, Momika was a controversial figure amongst Iraqis in the diaspora.
Najlaa Jassim, a 40-year-old Iraqi woman living in Istanbul, told MEE: “First, I am against killing people, and the Quran is a sacred heavenly book that cannot be touched. I am against attacking religions.”
Speaking on Momika’s activism, Hasan Aqeel, a 20-year-old from Basra, said: “What is the point of acting on personal feelings if it harms yourself before anyone else?”
The killing is likely to heighten tensions between European governments and ascendent anti-immigrant movements that also oppose Muslim migration into Europe.
Tyler Durden
Fri, 01/31/2025 – 02:00
