STOCKHOLM — A Swedish court has postponed its verdict in a contentious case involving Quran desecrations after Salwan Momika, the Iraqi refugee central to the trial, was fatally shot in Södertälje on Thursday.
The 38-year-old anti-Islam activist, notorious for organizing protests that included burning Islam’s holy book, died hours before the court was to rule on charges of inciting ethnic hatred.
Five suspects have been detained in connection with the shooting, though authorities have yet to confirm if the perpetrator is among them.
Police responded to reports of a shooting late Wednesday at a residence in Södertälje, Momika’s hometown, where they found him critically injured. He was rushed to a hospital but succumbed to his wounds shortly after.
A murder investigation has been launched, with unverified reports suggesting the attack was livestreamed on social media.
While Swedish media identified the victim as Momika, police have not formally released his name pending family notification.
The district court announced the delay of its verdict to February 3, citing the need to reassess the case following Momika’s death.
He faced charges of “agitation against an ethnic group” for repeatedly burning copies of the Quran during protests in 2023, including outside a Stockholm mosque.
His actions, often accompanied by anti-Muslim rhetoric, sparked international outrage and strained Sweden’s relations with Muslim-majority nations.
Momika’s protests triggered violent repercussions abroad. In July 2023, Iraqi demonstrators stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad twice, setting fires within the compound during the second breach.
By August, Sweden’s Security Service (Säpo) raised the national terror threat level to four out of five, warning that the Quran burnings had made the country a “prioritized target” for extremist groups.
The Swedish government condemned the desecrations but underscored its commitment to constitutional protections for free speech and assembly.
Legal experts highlight the delicate balance in Swedish law: while burning religious texts can be defended as political critique, context determines whether it crosses into incitement.
In October 2023, a landmark ruling convicted a man of ethnic agitation for a 2020 Quran burning, setting a precedent prosecutors argued applied to Momika’s targeted actions.
Momika, who fled Iraq in 2018, framed his protests as a defense of secularism and free expression. Alongside co-protester Salwan Najem, he orchestrated multiple Quran burnings last summer, insisting they were exercises in “civil criticism.”
However, global Muslim communities and leaders denounced the acts as deliberate provocations, accusing Momika of fueling religious hatred.
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