Sweden Prosecuting Two Men for Quran Burning
Sweden Prosecuting Two Men for Quran Burning
The Facts
The Swedish Prosecution Authority (SPA) announced Wednesday that two men, Salwan Momika and Salwan Najem, will be prosecuted on "offences of agitation against an ethnic or national group" after the pair were seen burning the Quran last year.
The men, one of whom is a Christian Iraqi, were seen setting fire to the Islamic holy book on video and in person at protests, including at a Mosque in Stockholm. Besides desecrating and burning the books, they're also accused of disparaging Muslims.The men, one of whom is a Christian Iraqi, were seen setting fire to the Islamic holy book on video and in person at protests, including at a mosque in Stockholm. Besides desecrating and burning the books, they're also accused of disparaging Muslims.
The Spin
Burning the Quran is not protected under free speech, as it's clearly been used by far-right activists and others to insult and provoke Muslims. Europe has laws against several other speech-adjacent acts, such as Holocaust denial and defaming royal families, which are intended to incite hatred against certain groups of people. Burning the Quran is no different under the law.
The only hypocrisy in this debate is that while Western countries cater to the emotions of demonstrations, many governments in the Muslim world allow violence against Christians to run rampant in their countries. It's vital that double standards are addressed to protect people of all faiths as well as uphold the values of free speech.
