Swedish prosecutors have announced they will put two men on trial for burning the Quran on multiple occasions last year, which sparked widespread outrage in the Muslim world and heightened terrorism alerts, Reuters reports.
The men, Salwan Momika and Salwan Najem, are charged with “agitation against an ethnic or national group” for their actions outside mosques and in public spaces. Najem denies wrongdoing, arguing that his actions were protected by Swedish constitutional rights, while Momika, an Iraqi refugee, stated his intent was to protest Islam and advocate for a ban on the holy book. Critics argue that such burnings should be protected as free speech in liberal democracies like Sweden and Denmark.
The burnings, seen by many Muslims as a severe affront, led to increased security measures in Sweden and Denmark. Sweden’s domestic security service raised its terrorism alert, while Denmark responded by tightening laws against Quran burnings. Sweden’s migration agency had planned to deport Momika but suspended the order due to concerns about torture if he returned to Iraq.
