Sweden has reportedly withdrawn the residence allow of an Iraqi man who staged a sequence of public desecrations of the Quran this yr however has put his deportation on maintain, saying his life could be at risk if he had been returned to Iraq
ByThe Related Press
October 26, 2023, 1:53 PM
FILE – Protestor Salwan Momika exterior the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm, Thursday, July 20, 2023. Sweden has reportedly withdrawn the residence allow of an Iraqi man who staged a sequence of public desecrations of the Quran this yr however has stayed his deportation, saying his life could be at risk if he had been returned to Iraq. Sweden’s Migration Company made the choice this week after figuring out that Salwan Momika had supplied false data in his utility for asylum, it was reported Thursday, Oct. 26. (Oscar Olsson/TT through AP, file)
The Related Press
STOCKHOLM — Sweden reportedly withdrew the residence allow of an Iraqi man who staged a sequence of public desecrations of the Quran this yr however put his deportation on maintain, saying his life could be at risk if he had been returned to Iraq.
Sweden’s Migration Company made the choice this week after figuring out that Salwan Momika had supplied false data in his utility for asylum, Swedish broadcaster TV4 reported Thursday.
An order of deportation was issued however positioned on maintain for safety causes, a Migration Company official informed the tv station Thursday. Swedish media say Momika was granted a residence allow in 2021.
“The choice was made yesterday and signifies that this individual’s standing and residence allow can be revoked and that he can be deported,” company spokesman Jesper Tengroth was quoted as saying.
Nonetheless, Tengroth added that “this individual dangers being subjected to torture and inhuman remedy if he returns to his dwelling nation. We now have subsequently determined that there’s an impediment to imposing the deportation.”
Momika angered Muslims each in Sweden and overseas with anti-Islam protests wherein he burned or in any other case desecrated the Quran. Swedish authorities allowed his demonstrations, citing freedom of speech, however his actions raised alarm amongst authorities and safety officers who warned they might make Sweden a goal for Islamic extremists.
Swedish police additionally filed preliminary hate speech costs in opposition to him.
Final week two Swedish soccer followers had been killed earlier than a match in Brussels in an assault by a gunman who particularly focused Swedes, in line with Sweden’s prime minister. Belgian authorities stated the alleged gunman, who was shot {dead} by police following a manhunt, posted a video on-line after the assault wherein he stated the Quran was “a crimson line for which he is able to sacrifice himself.”
Momika stated he did not need to put Sweden in danger however was exercising his proper to criticize Islam beneath freedom of speech. He informed TV4 he would attraction the choice to withdraw his residence allow.
“They need me to go away the nation,” he was quoted as saying. “They informed me to discover a nation that may obtain me; in any other case it’s Iraq.”
Momika informed TV4 he had no plans to go away Sweden and denied having given false data in his asylum utility.
Tengroth would not give particulars on what data within the utility was false.
