OSLO: An Iraqi refugee in Sweden who stoked international outrage by repeatedly desecrating the Holy Quran last year, has been arrested in Norway and now faces deportation back to Sweden, according to court documents.

Salwan Momika, a Christian Iraqi who burned copies of the holy book at a slew of protests in Sweden over the summer, told AFP last week that he had left Sweden for Norway, where he planned to seek asylum.

According to a ruling by the Oslo District Court, Momika was arrested on March 28 — a day after he arrived. After a hearing on March 30, the court decided to detain Momika for four weeks, awaiting a likely request from the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration to Sweden that he is returned.

In the court’s ruling, it said “a deportation will take place as soon as the formal and practical arrangements are in place.”

Police had requested that he would be detained in the meantime, citing the country’s migration law when it can be assumed that a foreign national will attempt to evade the implementation of a decision for him to leave the country.

Momika’s actions burnings sparked widespread outrage and condemnation across the Muslim world.

Iraqi protesters stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad twice in July, starting fires within the compound on the second occasion.

The Swedish government condemned the acts of desecration, but stressed the country’s laws regarding freedom of speech and assembly.

Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2024