Last week, on February 1st, Swedish-Danish politician Rasmus Paludan protested against the murder of the Iraqi Christian Salwan Momika by burning a Quran at the Turkish embassy in Denmark. He not only criticized Islam but also paid respect to the dead Iraqi Christian who organized several Quran burnings in 2023.
“I am standing here with a couple of Qurans at the embassy of Turkey in Copenhagen. As you can see, there is already one burning. This is to commemorate the sacrifice of Salwan Momika and his criticism of Islam. Yesterday, the Copenhagen police decided to ban my protests. The solution is to tell the police you’re having a protest. I had a lot of fun burning this big book…” he said during the protest on 1st February.
During the protest, the leader discussed the increased influence of Islam in the West and said that the Muslims would convert many using violence.
Burning Quran in front of embassy of Tyrkey in Copenhagen just now at 12:38! pic.twitter.com/kGjb6qKcQH
— Rasmus Paludan 🇩🇰 (@RasmusPaludan) February 1, 2025
“Muslims and Islam will never, never live in harmony in our countries. So, either they go back to where they came from, or we must suffer and convert. Those are the only options. And they will not convert us with words. They will convert us with violence,” he was quoted as saying to the RAIR Foundation, an American organization.
As per the reports, Paludan has been allegedly charged with racism and defamation in Denmark, and countries like Sweden and Belgium have banned his entry raising concerns of inciting alleged violence. Paludan came into the limelight for his views on Islam which he sees as a threat to Danish and Western values. His actions have sparked outrage earlier, and he has a history of burning copies of the Quran in highly publicized protests.
In 2022, he gained attention after he announced the Quran burning during Ramzan. This announcement of his back then led to violent riots in cities such as Malmo, Norrkoping, and Linkoping, where protesters clashed with the police. Later, several countries banned his entry.
In 2020, he was awarded 3 months in prison for a series of events, including racist speech against a Danish MP. At present, he burned copies of the Quran in protest of the murder of Salwan Momika, an Iraqi refugee living in Sweden.
Momika was shot dead on January 30th at his home when he was streaming live on TikTok. A day after the activist was shot dead, the police arrested 5 individuals in the case. However, they did not reveal whether the shooter was among those detained. It was also learned later that the deceased Salwan Momika was living under constant threats in Sweden. He wasn’t given 24×7 protection as the Swedish Police didn’t have enough resources.
His lawyer Anna Roth stated that the Swedish police provided protection to Momika only during the trials and when he participated in gatherings, but not otherwise. Former police commissioner Tage Åström backed the lawyer as he stated that the Police did not have the resources to provide personal protection to that extent.
Salwan Momika was charged with inciting ‘ethnic hatred’ through his actions. In October 2023, during the war between the State of Israel and Hamas, activist Salwan Momika expressed his solidarity with the Jewish nation by stepping on the Quran and waving the Israeli flag. He was also seen kissing the Israeli flag and trampling a copy of the Quran with his foot.
On June 28, 2024, the Swedish Police gave the Iraqi refugee permission to burn the Quran at a demonstration outside the largest mosque in Stockholm. The development came ahead of Eid-al-Adha after a Swedish court struck down the police’s ban on Quran-burning demonstrations.
Salwan Momika and another man Salwan Najem were charged with “offences of agitation against an ethnic or national group”. However, after Momika’s murder, the court dropped cases against him.
