Swedish court convicts man for desecrating Holy Quran

A Swedish man has been convicted of hate crimes for publicly desecrating the Holy Quran, a ruling made five days after another man, also facing prosecution for similar acts, was shot dead.

Salwan Najem, a Swedish citizen, was handed a suspended sentence and fines for desecrating the Quran and making derogatory comments about Muslims during incidents in 2023. These acts sparked unrest and anger towards Sweden in several Muslim-majority countries.

Najem’s co-activist, Iraqi refugee Salwan Momika, was tragically killed last week on the day he was scheduled to receive his verdict in a related case. While five people were briefly detained in connection with the shooting, they were later released, and no suspects have been formally charged. Sweden's prime minister has suggested the possibility of foreign involvement in the killing.

The 2023 Quran burnings raised significant concerns about the balance between free speech rights and protections for ethnic and religious groups, not only in Sweden but also across its Nordic neighbors and other European nations.

The Stockholm district court stated that Najem, 50, and Momika had desecrated the Quran in multiple ways and made offensive statements about Islam, its representatives, and mosque activities.

Najem was found guilty of hate crimes for "expressing contempt for the Muslim ethnic group due to their religious beliefs on four occasions." His lawyer indicated that an appeal would be filed, asserting that his client’s statements fell within the bounds of religious criticism, which he argued is protected by freedom of expression.

The court decided to drop the case against Momika following his death.