Salwan Momika

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Salwan Momika
Momika burning a Quran in Stockholm in 2023
Born
Salwan Sabah Matti Momika

(1986-06-23) 23 June 1986 (age 38)
Qaraqosh, Nineveh Governorate, Iraq
NationalityIraqi
Known forQuran desecrations

Salwan Sabah Matti Momika (Arabic: سيلفان صباح ماثيو موميكا; Syriac: ܡ ܫܡ ܤܐܡ ܫܒܐ ܡܕ݁ܡܳܝ; born 23 June 1986) is an Iraqi refugee and a critic of Islam, known for arranging demonstrations in Sweden where he publicly burns the Quran.[1]

Background

Momika was born into an Assyrian Catholic family in Qaraqosh, but has since become an atheist. During the 2006-2008 civil war, when Christians became persecuted by the Islamic State, especially in Mosul, Momika joined the Assyrian Patriotic Party and worked as a security guard for the branch's headquarters in Mosul. According to Iraqi government sources, Momika fled his hometown in 2012 after a court found him guilty of causing a wrongful death during a car accident and sought to imprison him in Badush for three years.[2][3]

After the fall of Mosul in June 2014, Momika became part of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) which fought against the Islamic State, acting as the commander for a Christian regiment (Suqur al-Suryan) and cooperating with Shiite militias.[4] He has appeared in videos in militia attire pledging allegiance to the Imam Ali Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Movement of Iraq which operated under the PMF.[5] He then presented himself as the officer of a militia called the Brigade of the Spirit of God Jesus, Son of Mary.[5] He was also a founder of the political party Syriac Democratic Union and the Falcons of the Syriac Forces, an armed militia established in 2014 that was affiliated with the Christian militia Babylon Brigade, the armed wing of the Babylon Movement.[5] In 2017, Momika was involved in an internal conflict with Babylon Movement leader Rayan al-Kildani, after which he left the country.[6]

Activism

Immigration to Sweden

In Aprila 2018, Momika applied for a refugee visa to Sweden, and he was since then, registered as an Iraqi refugee until April 2021 when he was granted a three-year residence permit.[7] He had appeared in Sweden since 2017 when he had a Schengen visa, and was seen in pictures outside the Riksdag along with a member of parliament for the Christian Democrats, Robert Halef. He also had a meeting with Sweden Democrats parliamentarian Julia Kronlid.[7] Momika has later stated that he wants to run for Riksdag as a candidate for the party.[8]

After he was granted a residence permit in Sweden, he threatened a man with whom he shared accommodation with a knife, which resulted in him being convicted for unlawful threats the following year. He was sentenced to probation and community service.[7]

Quran Burnings

Main article: 2023 Quran burnings in Sweden

In 2023, Momika arranged a series of demonstrations against Islam. During these demonstrations, he desecrated the Quran and burned it with police protection and legal permission. The Quran burnings were accompanied by attacks towards Momika.[9][10]

Also in 2023, the Swedish Migration Agency decided that Momika is to be expelled from the country.[11] Due to threats against him in Iraq, the expulsion could however not be exercised, and he thus received a new temporary residence permit until April 2024.[12]

Migration to Norway

On 27 March 2024, it was reported that Momika had left Sweden for Norway to seek asylum.[13] Shortly after his departure, there were reports in social media that he had been found dead in Norway, but Norwegian police appeared to deny the rumours.[14] On 4 April, Norwegian police announced they had arrested Momika on 28 March, and that they planned to deport him back to Sweden on the basis of the Dublin Regulation.[15] He was transported back to Sweden on 11 April.[16]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Salwan Momika.

References

  1. ^ Wikén, Johan; Alshawish, Kovan (31 July 2023). "Salwan Momika och Salwan Najem – männen bakom sommarens koranbränningar i Sverige". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  2. ^ al-Salhy, Suadad (29 July 2023). "Why Iraq thinks a plot is fanning the flames of its diplomatic crises". Middle East Eye.
  3. ^ Svensson, Birgit (4 July 2023). "Koran-burning in Sweden: The Iraqi Christian turned radical | Qantara.de". Qantara.de. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  4. ^ "Koranbrännaren kan kopplas till regimen i Iran". DN.SE (in Swedish). 2 September 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  5. ^ a b c "As uncertainty shrouds his future, a past full of contradictions haunts Qur'an burner Salwan Momika". Arab News. 7 July 2023.
  6. ^ "From militia leader to refugee: The backstory of the man who burned a Koran in Sweden". The Observers - France 24. 10 July 2023.
  7. ^ a b c Wikén, Johan; Alshawish, Kovan (18 August 2023). "Bilderna på koranbrännaren utreds av Migrationsverket". SVT (in Swedish).
  8. ^ "Koranbrännaren om sitt SD-medlemskap: "Vill kandidera till riksdagen"". www.aftonbladet.se (in Swedish). 5 July 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  9. ^ "Koranbränning i Malmö stormades – och avbröts". www.tv4.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  10. ^ "A woman interrupts a Quran-burning protest in Sweden by spraying activist with a fire extinguisher". AP News. 18 August 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  11. ^ "Domstol fastslår: Salwan Momika ska utvisas". www.aftonbladet.se (in Swedish). 7 February 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  12. ^ "Slår fast: Salwan Momika ska utvisas". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). TT. 7 February 2024.
  13. ^ Hamadé, Kassem (27 March 2024). "Här lämnar Salwan Momika Sverige". Expressen (in Swedish).
  14. ^ "No official word on Quran-burner Salwan Momika's death rumours". India Today. 2 April 2024.
  15. ^ "Koranbrenner Salwan Momika pågrepet – sendes tilbake til Sverige". Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). 4 April 2024.
  16. ^ Hamadé, Kassem (11 April 2024). "Salwan Momika är tillbaka i Sverige – ilskan mot Norge". Expressen (in Swedish).

External links

Retrieved from "https://mdwiki.org/wiki/Salwan_Momika"