On Monday, outside the parliament building in Stockholm, two men set the Koran ablaze during a highly contentious protest that mirrored previous events, escalating tensions between Sweden and Muslim nations.
Two men set the Koran alight outside parliament in Stockholm on Monday, an AFP reporter saw, at a protest similar to previous ones that have sparked tensions between Sweden and Muslim nations.
Salwan Momika and Salwan Najem stomped the Muslim holy book, set its pages ablaze before slamming it shut, as they did at a protest outside Stockholm’s main mosque in June — sparking outrage across the Middle East.
The duo also staged a similar protest outside Iraq’s embassy in Stockholm on July 20, where they stomped on the religious text but did not burn it.
Swedish police granted a permit for the protest by campaigners hoping to see the Koran banned in the country.
“I want to protest in front in front of Sweden’s parliament and demand that the Koran be banned,” organiser Salwan Najem wrote in the application, which has been viewed by AFP, adding that he would “burn the Koran there.”
As at earlier protests, Momika and Najem were the only participants, with a small group of counter-protesters gathering outside the police cordon, according to an AFP reporter at the scene.
Around a dozen counter-protesters held up copies of the Koran, with some waving Iraqi flags, and shouted at Momika, who just as at earlier events wore sunglasses and grinned defiantly while taunting them.
Mats Eriksson, a spokesman for the Stockholm police told AFP that the event “had been conducted without any serious public order disturbances”.
During the protest Momika also stomped on a picture of Shiite Muslim cleric and political leader Moqtada Sadr — whose followers had stormed Sweden’s embassy in Baghdad in response to previous desecrations. They had started fires within the compound the night before the July protest.
Sweden has already seen its diplomatic relations with several Middle Eastern nations strained over previous protests involving Koran desecrations.
Swedish police have previously stressed they only grant permits for people to hold public gatherings and not for the activities conducted during the events.
Both previous protests have led to widespread outrage and condemnations.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose support is crucial for Sweden’s bid to join the NATO defence alliance, has expressed deep anger at the Koran burnings.
The Nordic country abandoned centuries of military non-alignment and decided to apply for NATO membership in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Marie de La Roche Saint-André, avec AFP
