Baghdad: The Iraqi authorities have requested Sweden to extradite an Iraqi refugee behind several incidents of Quran desecration in Stockholm.
Since June 28, 37-seven-year-old Salwan Momika desecrated several copies of the Quran in front of embassies of Muslim-majority countries and mosques in Sweden.
Momika’s lawyer confirmed Iraq’s request to the AFP on Tuesday, September 12.
“To be extradited to another country, the law (in Sweden) dictates that the crime has to be a crime in both Sweden and Iraq,” lawyer David Hall told AFP, adding that desecrating the Quran in Sweden is not considered a crime and thus it won’t be possible for Iraq’s request to be fulfilled.
Momika told AFP that Iraq seeks to extradite him “so that I can be tried and held accountable in Iraq in accordance with Islamic law.”
“I will file a complaint against Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein because he committed a political crime against me,” he added.
The Quran-desecration protests, which also took place in Denmark, the Netherlands, and New York, angered many Muslims and sparked diplomatic outrage.
Denmark and Sweden have repeatedly said that they deplore the actions but cannot stop the protesters.
