Sweden opts not to expel man behind recent Quran-burning protests

Country will not enforce deportation order due to concerns over inhumane treatment

Riot police patrol after unrest breaks out in Malmo, Sweden, in April 2022. AP

Sweden's immigration office on Thursday decided not to deport an Iraqi man who burnt copies of the Quran because the order would leave him at risk of torture in his home country.

Salwan Momika, a refugee from Iraq, has led several Quran-burning events in recent months, saying he wants to protest against the whole institution of Islam and ban its holy book.

“Yesterday, the Migration Agency decided to recall his status and residency permit and decided that he should be deported,” a spokesman for the Swedish office told Reuters.

He said the reason was that the man had given false information on his application for residency.

However, the spokesman said Sweden could not carry out the deportation order as the man would risk torture and inhumane treatment if he were to be sent back to Iraq. If the situation changes, the man will be deported, he added.

In July, the agency said it was re-examining Mr Momika's residency permit.

Protests in region against desecration of Quran in Sweden – in pictures

Demonstrators gather outside the Swedish embassy in Tehran to protest against an insult to the Quran in Stockholm. Reuters

A demonstrator holds up the Quran and a portrait of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a protest against Sweden in front of the Swedish embassy in Tehran. AP

An egg is thrown by demonstrator at the Swedish embassy in Tehran during a protest against the desecration of the Quran in Sweden. AP

In Tehran, Iranian students gather during a demonstration denouncing the burning of the Quran in Sweden. AFP

An egg is thrown by demonstrator at the Swedish embassy in Tehran during a protest against the desecration of the Quran in Sweden. AP

Iranian students outside the Swedish embassy in Tehran denounce the burning of the Quran in Sweden. AFP

Protesters carrying Iraqi flags and images of Shiite cleric and political leader Moqtada Al Sadr gather in Baghdad's Tahrir Square to protest against the burning of a Quran outside the Iraqi embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark. AP

Protesters chant slogans against Sweden in front of the embassy in Tehran, Iran. The Farsi placard on the left reads: "Our red lines are the supreme leader and the Quran". AP

A Lebanese man takes part in a demonstration in Beirut called by Hezbollah to condemn the desecration of the Quran in Sweden. Reuters

People march in Beirut after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah called for protests outside mosques following Friday prayers. EPA

The scene in Beirut as thousands of people took to the streets in Muslim-majority countries to protest. EPA

A woman holds the Quran in Kufa, Iraq, in protest after an activist desecrated a copy of the holy book for a second time in Sweden. AFP

A demonstrator holds up a portrait of Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr, in Kufa. AFP

Shiite clerics attend a protest in Baghdad, after Iraq called for an Islamic summit to discuss the desecration of the Quran. EPA

Protesters burn posters of the Swedish flag and rainbow Pride flags in Sadr City, Baghdad. AFP

Iranian worshippers hold up the Quran in Tehran. The country's goverment condemned the desecration in Sweden. AP

Demonstrators in the Iranian capital Tehran chanted: 'Down with the United States, Britain, Israel and Sweden'. Reuters

Demonstrators in Tehran march with signs denouncing the US and Israel as they condemn the burning of the Quran. AFP

“I am not leaving Sweden. I will live and die in Sweden. The Swedish Migration Agency has made a serious mistake. I suspect there are hidden political motives behind this decision. I will appeal,” Mr Momika told Swedish public broadcaster SVT.

Anti-Islam activists have burnt several copies of the Quran in Sweden and Denmark, two of the most liberal countries in the world that allow criticism of religion in the name of free speech.

Many Muslims view desecrating the Quran as a grave offence.

Stockholm raised its terrorism alert to the second-highest level in August and warned of an increase in threats against Swedes at home and abroad following the Quran burnings.

Last week, a Tunisian gunman killed two Swedish football fans in Brussels in an attack which Sweden's Prime Minister said showed that Europe must bolster security to protect itself.

The gunman identified himself as a member of ISIS and claimed responsibility in a video posted online.