Swedish police grant permission for protest action interspersed with the "burning of the Quran"

The Swedish police granted permission for a protest to be held off the parliament on Monday, organized by Swedish Iraqi Salwan Najm. The demonstration intends to "burn the Quran," according to local media reports, marking the latest in a series of actions that have sparked angry reactions in Islamic countries worldwide.

The new protest is organized by the Iraqi activist Salwan Najm, who previously joined his fellow Swedi activist Salwan Momika in two recent protests, during which the Quran was desecrated and burned in front of a mosque and the Iraqi embassy.

Najm was quoted by the "Expressen" newspaper saying that he will burn the Quran "repeatedly until it is banned" in the country.

The protest is scheduled to take place at the early afternoon hours (11:00 GMT).

Diplomatic relations between Sweden and several Middle Eastern and Islamic countries have been tense in recent weeks after the police allowed protests that involved desecrating the Quran.

The Swedish police did not immediately respond to AFP's request for a copy of the request for Monday's protest and the permission granted.

The police had previously confirmed that they only agree to the gathering being held without any specific activities.

In late June, Momika (37 years old) set fire to some pages of the Quran outside the largest mosque in Stockholm. After about a month, he organized a similar protest outside the Iraqi embassy, where he stepped on the Quran without burning it.

Momika's actions sparked widespread criticism in Muslim countries, especially in Baghdad, where protesters stormed the Swedish embassy and set it on fire. The Iraqi government ordered the expulsion of the Swedish ambassador, and other countries summoned Stockholm's ambassadors to protest.

Meanwhile, the Danish government announced on Sunday that it would consider legal ways to restrict protests that involve the burning of copies of holy books, following two similar incidents recently.

Swedish Prime Minister Olaf Christensen revealed that his country has also initiated similar measures.



AFP