Swedish migration agency re-examines residency permit of Quran burner

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
29 Jul 2023 15:09

The Swedish migration office announced that it is re-examining the residency status of the Iraqi immigrant suspected of committing many Quran burnings.

Iraqi refugee Salwan Momika holds up the Muslim holy book and a sheet of paper showing the flag of Iraq during a protest outside the Iraqi Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden, on July 20, 2023. (AFP)

The Swedish migration office announced late Friday that it is re-examining the residency status of an Iraqi refugee who has been responsible for many Quran desecrations in Stockholm in recent weeks, upsetting Muslims around the world.

The man burned a copy of the Quran outside Stockholm's central mosque last month and also held a rally in front of the Iraqi embassy in July, where he threatened to burn the holy book but did not.

The migration agency stated that it is re-examining his immigration status after receiving information from Swedish authorities that indicates that the man's status in Sweden should be canceled, adding that "It is a statutory measure that is taken when the Swedish migration agency receives such information and it is too early to say anything about the outcome of the case," a spokesperson for the agency said in a statement to Reuters.

The man has a temporary residency permit in Sweden that is set to expire in 2024, according to Swedish news agency TT.

Sweden has recently found itself in the international spotlight as a result of protests in which the Quran, the Muslim holy book, was damaged and burned.

Attacks on the Quran in Sweden and Denmark in recent weeks have enraged several Muslim countries, notably Turkey, who Sweden needs to be able to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a goal Stockholm has set for itself after the NATO-orchestrated war in Ukraine broke out.

Swedish courts decided that police cannot prohibit the burning of sacred manuscripts, but Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's cabinet announced earlier this month that it would look into changing the Public Order Act to allow police to stop Quran burnings.