Sweden to intensify border controls following Koran burnings
- Burnings of the Muslim holy text in Sweden have led to widespread outrage, including Iraqi protesters storming the Swedish embassy in Baghdad
- Stockholm says those ‘with very weak ties’ to Sweden should not be able to go there and commit crimes, border control decision expected in days
Sweden’s government said it intends to “intensify” border controls due to a worsened security situation in the wake of several protests involving desecrations of the Koran.
Tensions have flared between Sweden and Muslim countries following several protests involving public desecrations of the Koran, including setting pages alight.
“People with very weak ties to Sweden should not be able to come to Sweden to commit crimes,” Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told a press conference on Tuesday, adding that an official decision to step up border controls was expected on Thursday.
On Monday, two Iraqi men – Salwan Momika and Salwan Najem – burned the Muslim holy text at a protest in front of Sweden’s parliament.
The duo had previously staged similar protests outside Stockholm’s main mosque and Iraq’s embassy in the Swedish capital, leading to widespread outrage and condemnations.
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Muslims call for expulsion of Swedish ambassadors as tensions rise over Koran burnings
Those protests prompted Iraqi protesters to storm the Swedish embassy in Baghdad twice, starting fires within the compound on the second occasion.