A man tore up and burned a Quran outside Stockholm’s central mosque on Wednesday, an event that risks angering Turkey as Sweden bids to join NATO. The man, an Iraqi refugee named Salwan Momika, stomped on the Koran, stuffed it with strips of bacon, and set pages on fire while waving Swedish flags in front of hundreds of spectators, local media reported. Police granted Momika a permit to demonstrate free-speech protections but also opened an investigation against him for agitation against an ethnic or national group, a crime under Swedish law.
Mosque representatives said they were disappointed by the police’s decision to allow the protest on the Eid holiday, which marks the end of a Muslim month of fasting and prayer. The mosque suggested to police that they divert the demonstration to another location, which was legally possible. Still, the mosque director and Imam Mahmoud Khalfi said they chose not to do so. Up to 10,000 people visit the mosque each year for Eid celebrations, Khalfi added.
Momika’s application for the permit was approved two weeks ago after a court overturned the police’s decision to ban his planned demonstrations, including burning copies of the Koran. The decision followed a similar desecration of the holy book by Danish far-right politician Stram Kurs Rasmus Paludan in January, which sparked days of protests in Turkey and calls for boycotts of Swedish goods and further stalled Sweden’s NATO membership bid.
The US has endorsed Finland and Sweden’s applications to join NATO, saying that adding two strong democracies will strengthen trans-Atlantic security. But President Joe Biden has also denounced how Turkey handles the process and expresses his hope that Turkey would end its campaign to punish Allied members who aren’t as pro-Turkish as Ankara.
In a tweet on Wednesday, Biden praised Finland and Sweden for their “strong commitment to democracy” and their “deep roots in the West.” He added that the US is “proud to support their dual applications for NATO membership,” which will help to bolster the alliance’s capacity for defense against any threat it faces in the region.
NATO has not yet ratified either country’s membership application, but officials have said a formal decision is expected next spring. Both countries are NATO partners in training and exercises, providing significant financial contributions to the alliance. They also have a history of cooperating with NATO forces in Afghanistan and elsewhere, including through joint operations against Islamic State extremists.
