Salwan Momika, an Iraqi-Assyrian refugee who carried out several Quran burnings in Sweden, has died, the Associated Press reported on Thursday. While there is no confirmation yet about how Momika died, Swedish meda reported that he was killed in a shooting incident.
Momika, 38, gained international attention in 2023 for organising public demonstrations where he desecrated and burned copies of the Quran, acts that resulted in diplomatic tensions between Sweden and several Muslim-majority countries. His acts also led to riots and unrest in many places.
He was being investigated by Swedish authorities for incitement against ethnic groups. A court verdict was scheduled on Thursday morning where Momika and another person were defendant, but it had to be postponed after the judge confirmed Momika's death.
Police said they were alerted to a shooting Wednesday night in Sodertalje, near Stockholm, and found a man with gunshot wounds. Broadcaster SVT reported, without naming sources, that the victim was Momika.
Who was Salwan Momika?
Born in Nineveh Governorate, Iraq, Momika was raised as an Assyrian Catholic, and was involved with the Assyrian Patriotic Party during Iraq's civil unrest between 2006 and 2008. Following the fall of Mosul to Islamic State in 2014, he joined the Popular Mobilisation Forces, specifically a Christian unit linked to the Imam Ali Brigades. In 2017, after internal conflicts within the Babylon Movement, he fled Iraq.
In 2018, Momika applied for asylum in Sweden, where he was granted a temporary residence permit valid until April 2024. In 2023, Momika organised several demonstrations in Sweden where he publicly desecrated the Quran, actions that led to charges of "agitation against an ethnic or national group." These incidents heightened security concerns in Sweden and strained its diplomatic relations with Muslim-majority nations.
Momika argued that his protests targeted the religion of Islam, not Muslim people. He argued that he wanted to protect Sweden’s population from the messages of the Quran. Swedish police allowed his demonstrations, citing freedom of speech, while filing charges against him. (With inputs from agencies)