Quran burner Salwan Momika 'to be expelled from Sweden'

Salwan Momika, an Iraqi Christian responsible for staging public Quran-burning events in Sweden angering millions of Muslims in the country and worldwide, could soon be expelled and banned for five years from the Scandinavian country according to local media reports.  

This follows a ruling by the Swedish Migration Court earlier this week.

Momika has since defied the court order, vowing to stay in Sweden and "fight". In addition to burning the Quran, he has recently taken to provoking pro-Palestine solidarity activists amid the genocide in Gaza, putting images on his X (Twitter) of him burning the Palestinian flag (imaged) and using the flag of Israel as his account's cover image.

Immigration authorities had declined to extend Salwan Momika's residence permit in October, but the decision to deport him to Iraq was temporarily postponed for security considerations.

Momika's appeal was subsequently rejected by judges who determined Momika had provided false information in his asylum application—a claim denied by Momika.

Following another November decision to deny an extension, Momika told local media he did not intend to leave Sweden.

In September, Iraq asked for Momika's extradition officially from the Swedish government. At the time, Momika claimed Iraq was seeking his extradition "so that I can be judged and held accountable in Iraq according to Islamic laws." 

The extradition case is ongoing.

Momika has burned Quran at a slew of protests in Sweden since June, sparking widespread outrage and condemnation in Muslim countries.

Iraqi protesters stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad twice in July, starting fires within the compound on the second occasion.

Sweden's intelligence agency heightened its terror alert level in mid-August to four on a scale of five after the angry reactions made the country a "prioritised target".

The Swedish government has condemned the desecrations of the Quran but upheld the country's laws regarding freedom of speech and assembly.

Swedish police have allowed his actions, citing freedom of speech. The Swedish government has condemned the desecrations of the Quran but upheld the country's laws regarding freedom of speech and assembly.