Iraqi Quran burner leaves Sweden for Norway

By Alexandra Enberg

IZMIR, Türkiye (AA) - Iraqi national Salwan Momika, who has made headlines over his repeated acts of desecrating the Quran, left Sweden early Wednesday and crossed into Norway, where he plans to apply for asylum.

"I am on my way to Norway. Sweden only accepts terrorists who are granted asylum and given protection, while philosophers and thinkers are expelled,” he told Sweden’s Expressen daily earlier.

The Swedish Migration Agency revoked Momika's residency permit in October, citing false information in his original application, and he was granted a temporary one but was facing deportation to Iraq by authorities in Stockholm. He accepted the agency’s decision to deny him an extension of his temporary residence permit.

Momika said he is not afraid of the threats directed at him for burning Islam’s holy book but at the same time is convinced that it will eventually cost him his life

"I have a feeling that I will be murdered during this year," he said.

He arrived around noon in Norway and plans to submit an asylum application at the nearest police station.

The Swedish Migration Agency also decided to ban Momika from returning to Sweden for five years, but he said he has no plans to go back.

"I don't want Sweden to ask Norway to apply the Dublin Regulation to send me back to Sweden. If they do, I'll once again become a burden requiring CCTV, police protection and more. If they do, I may exercise my rights of free speech again," he said.

"I will respect the country's laws and what the country decides,” Momika said, referring to Norway.

“If they say it harms the country, I will not burn the Quran. if a country doesn't want me, I'll move immediately," he added.

Momika came to Sweden in 2018. In the spring of 2021, he was granted a temporary residence permit.

In October 2023, the Swedish Migration Agency decided not to extend his permit, since he had provided incorrect information, and granted him a new temporary residence permit that expires on April 16.

"Sweden has let me burn the Quran, and I had to use my right to do so. At the same time, Sweden has exposed me to persecution, blocked my bank accounts, withdrawn my asylum and confiscated my home. Despite that, I love this society and this country," he said.

His burning of the Quran has affected Sweden's international relations.

This was also one of the reasons that Sweden’s membership in the NATO defense alliance was delayed.

The Iraqi city of al-Kufa offered a reward of $2 million and a Quran made with two kilograms of gold to whoever killed him. The government in Baghdad requested his extradition. Since he started burning the Quran, he has lived under constant threats and has been forced into hiding.

The Christian Iraqi man has gained notoriety in the Nordic nation for repeatedly publicly desecrating the Muslim holy book. Under the guise of free expression, Quran burnings by various persons in Sweden and Denmark have provoked furious reactions in Muslim nations, including assaults on diplomatic posts.