Now Seeking U.S. Asylum, the Critic of Islam Sweden Won’t Protect
17th January 2026
Following his conviction for incitement against an ethnic group—and the murder of his co-defendant Salwan Momika—a prominent opponent of Islam critic has fled Sweden and is now seeking asylum in America.
Salwan Najem—who carried out several high-profile Quran burnings with Momika in the summer of 2023—left Sweden during the spring and entered the United States, where he is currently detained while awaiting review of his asylum application.
The move came after a series of legal and security events that the activist says made his situation in Sweden untenable. On January 29th last year Najem’s co-defendant Salwan Momika was shot dead in his apartment in Södertälje while livestreaming on TikTok. The likely reason for Momika’s execution was his harsh and vocal criticisms of Islam.