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Organizer of Quran-burning rallies moves from Sweden to Norway in search of asylum

Last October, the Migration Agency refused to renew Momika's residence permit because of incorrect information he put down about himself in his application

STOCKHOLM, March 27. /TASS/. The organizer of the Quran-burning rallies, Salwan Momika, is leaving Sweden and will seek asylum in Norway, the Expressen newspaper reported.

"I'm moving to a country that welcomes me and respects me. Sweden does not respect me," he stated.

In early February, the Swedish Migration Court rejected Momika's appeal against the Migration Agency's decision to expel him from the country. The court's decision revoked his residence permit in Sweden. The activist is also banned from entering the country for five years.

Last October, the Migration Agency refused to renew Momika's residence permit because of incorrect information he put down about himself in his application. He was initially allowed to remain in Sweden under the Convention Against Torture. Momika previously stated that claims about him providing false information were unfounded.

A copy of the Quran was burned during a police-authorized demonstration in downtown Stockholm on June 28, 2023. Salwan Momika, a 37-year-old Iraqi immigrant, tore pages from the Quran and set it on fire. On that day, Muslims around the world were celebrating Eid al-Adha, one of Islam’s major religious holidays. In July, members of the Danish Patriots far-right group burned copies of the Quran in front of the embassies of Turkey, Egypt and Iraq in Copenhagen.

It cost 5 million kroner (over $470,000) for the police to protect his protests. His actions were also one of the reasons for the delay in Turkey's ratification of Sweden's application for NATO membership.

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