Nadine Osman
A copy of the Quran, riddled with six bullet holes and chained to the railings of the Stockholm Mosque stairs, was discovered at the mosque’s premises on December 21, prompting condemnation from the local Muslim community.
Mahmud al Halef, chairman of the Stockholm Mosque, described the incident as a “blatant Islamophobic attack” explicitly targeting the Muslim community. “A copy of the Quran was chained to the railing next to the stairs leading to the mosque, and it had six bullet holes. There were also messages written in Arabic and Swedish on the Quran saying, ‘Thanks for the visit, but it’s time to go home,’” Halef said, highlighting a troubling rise in similar incidents across Sweden.
The attack recalls previous acts of Quran desecration in Stockholm. In 2023, Salwan Momika, a 38-year-old Iraqi Christian migrant, carried out multiple incidents in which he burned copies of the Quran outside high-profile locations, including the Swedish parliament, the Stockholm Mosque, and the Iraqi embassy. These acts drew strong condemnation from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the European Union, and the United Nations. Momika was killed in a live-streamed shooting in 2024.
Local authorities have not yet reported any arrests or leads related to the latest attack, raising concern over the safety and security of Sweden’s Muslim communities amid growing Islamophobic sentiment.
(Feature photo credit: Holger Ellgaard/Wiki Media)
