Quran burning protest in Sweden causes outrage in the Muslim world.

 

Protester Salwan Momika ripping pages out of the Quran. Times of Israel/AFP.

A Quran burning protest in Sweden is causing outrage in the Muslim world. AFP. The protest, led by Salwan Momika, involved burning, ripping, placing bacon in and kicking the Muslim's holy book like it was a soccer ball. Sweden had granted the protest a permit over the objection of the police after an appeals court ruling. The protest caused major outrage throughout the Muslim world. The biggest repercussion might be Sweden's attempt to join NATO as Turkey was especially outraged and was opposed to Sweden joining in the first place due to their relations with the Kurds. Momika is an Iraqi refugee and is opposed to Islam. He is now under investigation for the protest due to the use of fire during a heat wave and for a possible hate crime for staging the protest in front of a mosque. 

 

#Sweden:

In Stockholm, Sweden, on the first day of Eid al-Adha, a person named Salwan Momika, of Iraqi origin, accompanied by police protection, burned the Holy Quran in front of a mosque.

Does Sweden have laws on hate crime or rabble-rousing?

pic.twitter.com/Su3uQIS3UC

— Aceu™ (@AceJaceu) June 28, 2023

My Comment:

I'm actually kind of surprised that Sweden actually stood up for free speech here. Far too often governments have chosen security over freedom and not offending the Muslim world over protecting free speech. And they did it even knowing that there were going to be consequences, most notably with Turkey. 

Turkey was already trying to keep Sweden out of NATO and now I think they will make sure that Sweden never joins the alliance. Allowing this protest has damaged relations with Turkey, relations that were already bad because of Sweden's support of the Kurds, and Sweden joining NATO was a longshot already. 

Turkey is probably the least of Sweden's problems. Protests like this have resulted in multiple terror attacks, riots and general disorder. Though Islamic terrorism is not the threat it once was, everyone involved in this protest has put a target on their heads and so has the Swedish government. Given the huge number of Muslim migrants in Sweden the potential for violence is extremely high.

As for the protest itself, I have mixed feelings. My general feeling is that people should be able to protest Islam if they want and if someone is violent in response that's on them. Offensive speech is the speech you should protect the most. I have always hated the fact that people back down when Muslims threaten people and I myself used an image of Mohamad, forbidden in Islam, as my profile picture on social media for a very long time in protest of the threats against such displays. 

That doesn't mean I think this was a good idea. Like I said, Islamic terrorism has faded into the background and this protest will likely inflame it all over again. Was it really necessary to protest this way? Probably not. I support the right for these protesters to protest Islam, Islam should not be free from criticism. But I also think it wasn't the time. 

Speaking of time, today was Eid al-Adha, a major Islamic holiday. Staging the protest today, on one of the biggest festivals in the Muslim world, was not a mistake and shows that these folks are more interested in trolling than actually making a point. That, and the fact that they staged this protest in front of a mosque makes me think that these guys are more about hating Muslims themselves rather than criticizing Islam itself. 

Indeed, the protests reminds me more of the Westboro Baptist Church. They had their beliefs too and I did support their rights to protests. But it was clear it was always more about making people angry than actually making a point. They would always protest at funerals and I don't see too much difference between them and this current protest. 

Still, like I always say, free speech isn't free if people with annoying or vile opinions aren't protected. Even though I don't think this protest was wise and it's clear that it was about trolling instead of any actual criticism, I do support the fact that it was allowed. Damn the consequences