A man who ignited violent protests by burning a copy of the Quran in Sweden has been shot dead in the country’s capital city. Salwan Momika was murdered in his apartment in southern Stockholm on the evening of January 29. Unrest had erupted after Momika set fire to Islam’s holy book outside the Stockholm Central Mosque in 2023. His death has been met with expressions of satisfaction and hate speech in media outlets funded by the Turkish government as well as among social media trolls.
Shortly after news of Momika’s death broke, Takvim, a tabloid controlled by the family of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, ran the headline “Burn in Hell, Momika” and prominently featured the words “Tik-Tak” — a phrase seemingly mimicking the sound of gunfire, similar to “bang bang” — alongside a drawing of a gun. Yeni Şafak, another pro-government newspaper, announced his death with the headline “The End of a Scoundrel.”
Meanwhile, Yeni Akit, a publication that receives significant advertising revenue from state-owned companies such as Turkish Airlines, Halkbank and Turkcell, reported the killing with an Arabic phrase commonly used by Islamists, inspired by a Quranic verse, roughly translating to “May Your Path Lead to Hell.”
Some reports misleadingly suggested that a bearded police officer who had found Momika’s phone at the scene was actually the killer. Some also claimed that Momika had been murdered while live-streaming on TikTok.
Additionally, in the comment sections below the articles on these media websites, readers left offensive language and expressed praise for the killer or killers. Newspaper editors apparently took no action in response to these comments.
Pro-government social media accounts also expressed joy over Momika’s killing. Zeki Bahçe, a popular supporter of the ruling party, posted a message saying, “Salwan Momika, the Iraqi known for burning the Quran, was shot and killed in Sweden. May the killer’s hands be blessed, and may the fire of the dead dog be plentiful.” Fatih Tezcan, a government propagandist and journalist known for openly calling for the assassination of main opposition party leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, wrote on X, “I congratulate my brother who had the courage to eliminate such filth and face imprisonment. We must do everything we can to help him get out of prison, reminding the Islamic world and our government of this.”
Meanwhile, the satirical site Misvak Caps referred to Momika’s death on X as a fate typically reserved for animals, using the phrase “It is your turn to be burned, dog” to describe the incident.
Some social media users suggested that Rasmus Paludan could be the next target. The far-right Danish-Swedish politician burned a copy of the Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm on January 22, 2023, triggering widespread protests in Turkey. Demonstrations across the country were largely orchestrated by Islamist groups aligned with President Erdogan. While authorities have previously cracked down on gatherings by union workers, women’s rights groups, opposition activists and Kurdish organizations, they did not intervene in the government-backed protests against Sweden. The most prominent group in these demonstrations was the Turkey Youth Foundation (TÜGVA), which is led by Erdogan’s son, Necmettin Bilal Erdogan. The foundation maintains close ties with Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) and the foreign ministry. Mobilizing its supporters nationwide, TÜGVA organized a major march on Istanbul’s İstiklal Street, where the Swedish Consulate General is located. Although police typically prohibit protests on the busy street, they allowed the demonstration to proceed. The foundation also led a protest outside the Swedish Embassy in Ankara, where banners reading “Battle, Jihad, Martyrdom” were displayed and jihadist slogans were repeatedly chanted.
On February 1, 2023 President Erdogan declared that Turkey would not approve Sweden’s NATO membership as long as Quran-burning protests continued. Some lawmakers also announced their intention to vote against Sweden’s accession in response to Swedish authorities’ permitting such acts. However, it later became obvious that these incidents had little impact on the government’s final decision-making process. Meanwhile, on July 20, 2023 the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office issued arrest warrants for Rasmus Paludan, Salwan Momika and eight others allegedly involved in Quran-burning incidents in Sweden and Denmark.
On January 30 the Stockholm police reported that they had arrested five individuals in connection with the murder of 38-year-old Momika. However, the identities of the arrestees and the motive behind the murder have not been disclosed. Additionally, Swedish media has criticized the government for failing to protect Momika, who had received death threats prior to his killing. Many have pointed out the lack of security measures to safeguard him despite the clear risk to his safety.
Sweden raised its terrorism alert to the second-highest level in 2023, following global outrage over the Quran burnings. The act triggered widespread protests, particularly from Iraqi demonstrators who twice stormed the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad in July. During the second attack, they set fires in the embassy compound.
Momika, an Iraqi national who had been living in Sweden since 2018 faced deportation in 2023 after allegedly providing false information on his residence application. However, Sweden’s migration agency ultimately granted him a temporary residence permit, citing the risk of torture and inhumane treatment if he were returned to Iraq. In March 2024 Momika left Sweden to seek asylum in Norway, but after several weeks, Norway deported him back to Sweden.
