(AP) An Iraqi man who carried out several Quran burnings in Sweden told a newspaper on Wednesday that he would seek asylum in neighboring Norway in the wake of a deportation order by authorities in Stockholm.
Salwan Momika, 37, has staged several burnings and desecrations of the sacred book of Islam in Sweden over the past few years.
“I am on my way to Norway,” Momika said in an interview published Wednesday by Swedish tabloid Expressen. “Sweden only accepts terrorists who are granted asylum and given protection, while philosophers and thinkers are expelled.”
Videos of Momika’s provocative Quran burnings got worldwide publicity and raised anger and criticism in several Muslim nations, leading to riots and unrest in many places.
