
A Swedish court sentenced an anti-Islam activist to a suspended sentence and a fine on Monday after finding him guilty of hate crimes, Deutsche Welle reported.
Salwan Najem, a Swedish citizen, was convicted for "having expressed contempt for the Muslim ethnic group because of their religious beliefs on four occasions," according to the Stockholm district court.
Najem had been campaigning alongside Salwan Momika, who was involved in Quran-burning incidents. Momika was shot dead last week, on the same day he was due to receive a verdict in a separate case.
The Stockholm district court stated that both Najem and Momika desecrated the Quran while making offensive remarks about Islam, its religious leaders, and mosque activities.
According to Sweden’s Dagens Nyheter newspaper, the court determined that the Quran burnings "clearly exceeded the bounds of objective debate and criticism." It added that the demonstrations were intended to "express contempt for the Muslim community."
Chief Judge Göran Lundahl, in a statement published on Sweden’s judicial website, emphasized that while freedom of expression allows for criticism of religion, it does not "give one a free pass to do or say anything and everything without risking offending the group that holds that belief."
Najem's lawyer announced plans to appeal the ruling.
The 2023 Quran-burning incidents fueled a debate over the limits of free speech and the protection of religious and ethnic groups.
In response to the Quran burnings, protesters stormed Sweden’s Embassy in Baghdad and carried out a firebomb attack on the Swedish diplomatic mission in Beirut.
Sweden eventually raised its terror alert to the second-highest level, saying the country had become a priority target for terrorist groups.
The Swedish government condemned the desecrations of the Quran but stressed the country's laws regarding freedom of speech and assembly. Later, however, Sweden said it was examining legal and legislative possibilities to ensure a ban on the desecration of holy books throughout the country.
Prosecutors charged Momika and Najem last August with "agitation against an ethnic group" for four incidents in 2023.
According to the charge sheet, the pair set fire to the Quran while making derogatory comments about Muslims. At least two of these incidents occurred outside a mosque in Stockholm.
Following Momika’s death, the court confirmed on Monday that the charges against him had been dropped.