A man who sparked violent protests after burning a copy of the Quran has been shot dead in Sweden. Salwan Momika, an Iraqi living in Sweden, was found with gunshot wounds at an apartment in Hovsjö and died on Thursday morning.
The unrest began in 2023 when Mr. Momika set fire to the holy book outside Stockholm Central Mosque. The incident led to widespread outrage in Muslim-majority countries and protests at the Swedish embassy in Baghdad.
Mr. Momika had been charged with “agitation against an ethnic group” four times in the summer of 2023, but his trial was postponed after he died. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said that Sweden’s security services were involved in the investigation due to concerns about potential links to foreign powers.
The incident has sparked a debate over free speech laws in Sweden. The government had previously given Mr. Momika permission for the protest, despite criticism from some quarters. However, there are now calls to explore ways to ban protests that involve burning texts in certain circumstances.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpdx2wqpg7zo