The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On July 14, 2023, Al-Kataib Media Productions, the media outlet of Al-Qaeda's affiliate in Somalia, Harakat Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen (Al-Shabab), released a statement in English and Arabic condemning the latest Quran burning protest in Sweden, in which Salwan Momika, an Iraqi refugee, burned a copy of the Quran outside Stockholm's central mosque.[1]
The statement claims that Sweden, an "unbelieving country," has become "a symbol of hatred and hostility towards Islam" and welcomes those who "instigate violence against Islam and Muslims." It further claims that the Quran burning shows "the extent of the West's war against Islam" and a deep-rooted hatred of it.
Al-Kataib blames the Swedish government which permitted Momika to perform such an act under "deliberate media coverage all the while citing the right to freedom of expression, a double standard slogan that allows attacks on Islam and Muslims while preventing acts of anti-Semitism or homophobia."
The media outlet urges the Islamic nation "to cooperate and unite in repelling the fierce attack against Islam and the Noble Book of Allah." The statement also addresses Muslims living in Sweden and elsewhere in Europe, urging them to "stand in defense of the Quran and their Noble Prophet."
Quoting slain Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden: "If freedom of your speech has no borders, then let your hearts be welcoming for freedom of our actions," the statement stresses that "the most successful and effective means of repelling the aggression of the unbelievers and bringing an end to their crimes and hostility towards Islam and the Quran is to wage jihad in the path of Allah and kill the leaders of unbelief."
[1] July 14, 2023.
The full text of this post is available to subscribers.
Please login or register to request subscription information from MEMRI
