27 October 2023; MEMO: Sweden will deport Iraqi national Salwan Momika, who burned copies of the Quran in recent months.
Migration Office spokesperson Jesper Tengroth told broadcaster TV4 that Momika’s residence and working permits will expire on 16 April. His permits will not be renewed and he will be deported, he said.
“Our decision is based on the fact that he made false statements in his applications for the permits,” he said, adding there is also a five-year entry ban on Momika.
It was reported that Momika would object to the decision and take the case to the migration court.
Momika burned a copy of the Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in Sweden on 21 June.
He made headlines a week later when he burned the Muslim holy book outside a mosque in Stockholm during Eid Al-Adha – a major Islamic religious festival celebrated by Muslims worldwide.
It is not clear where Momika will be deported to as he is likely to contest any transfer to Iraq on the basis that his life may be in danger as a result of his attack on the Quran.
Along with Denmark and the Netherlands, Sweden has faced wide-ranging criticism for permitting public desecration of the Quran under police protection.
