Iraq seeks extradition of Quran burner from Sweden

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
12 Sep 2023 23:15
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The Swedish government has condemned the burning of the Quran, but upheld the country's laws on freedom of speech and assembly.

Salwan Momika is pictured outside the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm, July 20, 2023. (AP)

Iraq's authorities have requested that Sweden extradite Salwan Momika, the Iraqi refugee who burned a copy of the Quran several times in Stockholm, Sweden. Momika's lawyer confirmed the request to the AFP news agency on Tuesday.

"Iraq wants him extradited because he burned a Quran outside the mosque (in Stockholm) in June," lawyer David Hall told AFP after Momika was questioned by the Swedish police over the extradition request.

"To be extradited to another country, the law (in Sweden) dictates that the crime has to be a crime in both Sweden and Iraq," Hall said, adding that desecrating the Quran in Sweden is not considered a crime and thus it won't be possible for Iraq's request to be fulfilled.

The Swedish government has condemned the burning of the Quran, but upheld the country's laws on freedom of speech and assembly.

"I don't understand why they (Iraq) bother with such a demand. I'm sure the Iraqi government understands this," Hall said.

Momika told AFP that Iraq was seeking his extradition, saying "so that I can be judged and held accountable in Iraq according to Islamic laws."

He added that he would file a complaint against Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein "because he committed a political crime against me."

Momika has ignited outrage by burning Qurans on multiple occasions in Sweden since June, leading to condemnation from Muslim countries. In response to these actions, Iraqi protesters stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad twice in July, causing fires on the second occasion.

This unrest prompted Sweden's intelligence agency to raise its terror alert level to four out of five in mid-August, considering the country a "priority target."

The Swedish government is exploring legal avenues to potentially restrict protests involving the burning of holy texts in specific situations.

However, it remains uncertain whether there will be sufficient support to change legislation.

Regarding Momika's extradition case, it is expected to escalate to the Swedish Supreme Court, and a final decision may take several weeks or even months, according to Hall.