NEWS of Salwan Momika’s death, a refugee from Iraq who earned the wrath of the Muslim world for his public stunt of burning the Quran, is gaining massive attention in social media.
The 37-year-old’s lifeless body was allegedly discovered at his residence in Norway.
Radio Genoa, a popular Italian digital platform, was the first one to break the news through the X platform on Tuesday.
On the same day, the platform said it was still verifying the authenticity of the report. The post attracted massive attention online, amassing millions of views in a single day.
Momika, a Christian-turned-atheist, migrated to Sweden in 2018 after fleeing from Iraq. He was granted residency in 2021.
The Quran burning crisis staged by the Iraqi Assyrian refugee started in June 2023 when he burned the sacred book in front of one of the largest mosques in Sweden.
This act of defiance was followed by another Quran-burning incident in Stockholm in July 2023.
His actions resulted in global condemnation and international protests, particularly among the Muslim world.
The public stunt also endangered Sweden’s diplomatic relations with other countries and contributed to Turkiye’s delay in approving Sweden’s NATO membership.
He was expelled from Sweden after the Nordic country refused to accept his asylum application. Momika was forced to seek refuge in Norway where news of his untimely death surfaced less than a week after arriving in the Scandinavian country.
Meanwhile, there were reports the Quran burner faked his death and used it as an April Fools Day prank to put “moral pressure” on authorities to extend his expiring visa. There was no official news yet about his death as the public awaited answers.
Swedish authorities were currently investigating Momika for inciting hatred against ethnic groups in the country when news of his alleged untimely death went viral.
