A Swedish court issued a verdict on Thursday, finding a man guilty of inciting ethnic hatred through a sacrilegious act he committed in 2020. This marks the first instance in which Sweden’s courts have prosecuted an individual for desecrating the Holy Quran.
This conviction follows a series of desecration incidents earlier in the year, which garnered international condemnation. Following the events, Sweden became a “prioritized target”. This prompted the country’s intelligence agency to raise its terror alert level.
The Swedish government denounced these acts but continued to uphold the nation’s broad freedom of expression laws.
The Linkoping district court in central Sweden has declared a 27-year-old man guilty of “agitation against an ethnic group.” The court ruled that his actions specifically targeted Muslims rather than Islam as a religion. The court pointed out that the debate is not responsible and fair.
In September 2020, the individual recorded a video outside the Linkoping cathedral, where he burned the Holy Quran alongside bacon on a barbecue, accompanied by a derogatory reference to the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) on a sign below the barbecue. Users widely shared on social media platforms such as Twitter and YouTube.
The video featured the song “Remove Kebab,” which calls for the religious cleansing of Muslims. The court noted that this music was strongly associated with the Christchurch attack in New Zealand in 2019, where an Australian white supremacist killed 51 people at two mosques.
The defendant denied any wrongdoing, contending that his actions were a critique of Islam as a religion. However, the court rejected this argument, stating that the music and content of the film seemed to be a threat against Muslims, referencing their faith. The court concluded that the primary intent of the video was to express threats and contempt.
