London: On Eid Al-Adha, Salwan Momika, an Iraqi refugee, burned and vandalised a copy of the holy Qur'an outside a mosque in Stockholm. His act gained international attention after going viral on social media. 

The stunt by Momika quickly gained popularity on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. He then received a barrage of threats from understandably enraged Muslims and even non-Muslims worldwide who claimed that he had other ways to spread his message and that religious symbols needed to be kept sacred. 

Momika's actions, as expected, caused Sweden diplomatic difficulties; in addition, he reportedly received several death threats on social media and using his personal contact information. 

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Momika has requested that authorities extend his refugee status and perhaps even give him citizenship as the story develops. Now, despite the fact that there is no doubt that he is facing serious threats to his life, an investigation by Arab News into his past has brought up several issues regarding the veracity of his ideological claims and motivations. 

On June 28, Momika watched as his friend recorded him tearing pages from the Qur'an, burning them, and covering them with bacon as he stood in front of the Central Mosque in Stockholm surrounded by a wall of Swedish police officers.

This is my nation. Sweden needs to be protected from this book, I'm determined to do that. He yelled at worshippers leaving the mosque and towards his friend, who was filming him, "This book is a threat to this country.

He urged everyone to "step on this book," as he put it.

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But not that long ago, the so-called "liberal" Momika stood there decked out in militia garb and swore allegiance to one of Iraq's most notorious extremist religious organisations: the Imam Ali Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Movement of Iraq that functions under the terrorist-designated Popular Mobilisation Units.

"Either we live honourably or we die valiantly. Before the PMU's battles against Daesh, he stated in a video interview, "I am the officer in charge of Kata'ib Rouh Allah Issa Ibn Miriam (the Brigade of the Spirit of God Jesus, Son of Mary), which is affiliated with the Imam Ali Brigades, peace be upon him.

He was also the founder of the Syriac Democratic Union party and the Hawks Syriac Forces, an armed group that was affiliated with the fictitious Christian group Babylon Brigades and took up arms against Daesh as it attempted to seize control of Iraq in its conquest to impose Shariah throughout the country. He was originally from Qaraqosh in northern Iraq's Nineveh Plains.

He now asserts that Muslims are leaving their home countries because they are under Shariah law. "They emigrated from that nation to this one in order to impose their Shariah law. They claim to want to apply their Shariah law after coming here in search of safety, peace, dignity, and democracy, as if they are the oppressed, he said.

In another instance, Momika declared that he would sue Iraqi Shiite political figure Muqtada Al-Sadr because of his call for his assassination after he burned a copy of the holy Qur'an.

The leader of the Iraqi Sadrist movement was praised and given support in a now-deleted tweet he posted on his account on December 2, 2021, which read: "In support of the courageous commander Muqtada... neither eastern nor western... a national majority government... they will fight and break it up."

Several Iraqi experts who were contacted by Arab News confirmed Momika's prior association with the organisation. 

These inconsistencies have clarified why he went on to publicly insult and burn the Qur'an, as well as his background.

According to Dr. Hani Nasira, a political and religious expert, "Momika came from a background strongly influenced by Christianity and joined the ranks of the militia to combat a common enemy, Daesh." "Despite his adherence to Christianity, he put in a lot of effort to realise his ambition of becoming significant and relevant. He began to seize opportunities.

An investigation by Arab News into Momika's social media personas and profiles revealed a significant change in the Iraqi refugee's posts. After the 2019 protests, criticism of the Iraqi government predominated his Facebook and Instagram feeds until about six months ago, when he adopted an extremely anti-Islamic stance and frequently posted disparaging remarks about the Prophet Muhammad and the Muslim faith.

In order to make his point and appeal to a specific group of people who share his ideology, he renounced his faith and became an atheist when the conditions were right, said Nasira. This provoked the opposing party.

"His shift from one extreme to the other, including his atheism and rejection of his own religion, was insufficient. He miserably failed, so he continued to advance his agenda by carefully selecting the ideal moment and setting. He took advantage of Islamophobia on social media to gain notoriety and attention.

Momika's immigration and refugee status appear to be related to the current situation.

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Anyone who is granted refugee status will be given a three-year residence permit under Swedish immigration law, with the option to extend it if additional protection is still required. However, as the nation's immigration laws become more stringent, more and more refugees are having their permits revoked.

Momika has stated that he intends to remain in Sweden. The Iraqi claimed to have Swedish citizenship and to have immigrated to Sweden from Iraq five years ago in a phone interview with CNN last week. However, Arab News was unable to locate any documentation to back up his claim.

The Iraqi made the decision to openly desecrate the Qur'an, the holiest of all Islamic symbols, which would put his life in danger if he were forced to return to Iraq.

As he burned the Qur'an in front of the Central Mosque, Momika yelled, "The most important thing is to take pictures." It is the most crucial factor.

Momika announced his victory in getting the Swedish police to reconsider their initial denial of his request to burn the Qur'an in front of the Central Mosque in an Instagram video he posted before the burning.